Spertus | Jewish Studies

Jewish Studies Links

Contact

Phone 312.322.1769

A variety of classes and public programs take place in the evening and on Sunday. See our calendar of events for more details.

Spertus Faculty

Byron L. Sherwin

An internationally renowned Jewish theologian, ethicist, scholar of Jewish philosophy and mysticism, and a longtime participant in interreligious dialogue, Dr. Byron L. Sherwin is the author or editor of over 26 books and 150 articles and monographs. His writings have been translated into Polish, Spanish, Italian, German, Czech and Chinese. Sherwin's most recent books are: Golems among Us: How a Jewish Legend Can Help Us Navigate the Biotech Century, Jewish Ethics for the 21st Century, Sparks Amidst the Ashes: The Spiritual Legacy of Polish Jewry, The Cubs and the Kabbalist: A Novel, Kabbalah: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism and Toward a Jewish Theology. He and his works have been featured in national and international print media, radio and television. Recently (2006), he was featured on the History Channel's program on the Jewish mystical tradition.

A native of New York, Sherwin received his BS from Columbia University, his MA (Philosophy) from NYU, and his PhD from the University of Chicago’s prestigious Committee on the History of Culture. He also received a Bachelor of Hebrew Literature, a Masters of Hebrew Literature, a Rabbinical Ordination and an honorary Doctor of Hebrew Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA). At JTSA he became a protégé of Abraham Joshua Heschel. In 1995, he was awarded a presidential medal, "The Officer’s Order of Merit" by The Republic of Poland for his work in improving Polish-Jewish and Catholic-Jewish relations in Poland and the United States.

Since 1970, Sherwin has served on the faculty of Chicago's Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, where he currently is Distinguished Service Professor and Director of Doctoral Studies. From 1984-2001, he was Dean and Vice-President of the Institute.