On April 29, 2025, ۿ۴ý hosted Dr. Michael Hoberman, an acclaimed scholar of early American Judaism, in conversation with Dr. Yisroel Benporat, a lecturer in the Robert M. Beren Department of History, for a fascinating dialogue on the relationship between Puritans and Jews in colonial New England.
The event, co-sponsored by the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College for Women as well as the Zahava and Moshael J. Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, marked the annual Rogoff Memorial Lecture. This lecture series is dedicated in memory of Hillel (Harry) Rogoff, an early alumnus of ۿ۴ýand longtime editor of the Jewish Daily Forward. It was established in 1971 through the efforts of the late ۿ۴ýEnglish professor and administrator Dr. David Mirsky and members of the Rogoff family.
Dr. Hoberman, a Professor of English at Fitchburg State University and author of New Israel / New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America, has also published several other books on American Jewish history, literature and culture, and his latest work, Imagining Early American Jews, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press this fall.
The conversation began by examining the differences between Judaism and Puritanism, grappling with the popular notions of a “Judeo-Christian” tradition in America. Puritans, while deeply suspicious of Judaism as a living faith, were nonetheless captivated by the Hebrew Bible. Dr. Hoberman stressed the complexity, tensions and contradictions within Puritanism, noting that Puritans engaged with Jews and Judaism to navigate their own religious dilemmas.
Illustrating this tension, Dr. Hoberman shared stories of actual Jews in colonial Boston, like the Frazon brothers, Sephardic merchants who navigated Puritan New England’s commercial networks. Notably, Puritan religious leaders Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall responded differently to these Jewish visitors. While Mather attempted to convert them, Sewall befriended the brothers without proselytizing.
The discussion also turned to the story of Judah Monis, an Italian Jew who converted to Christianity in 1722 and subsequently served as a Hebrew instructor at Harvard. Monis’ enigmatic story, in light of ongoing political controversies that have engulfed college campuses, raised intriguing questions about Jews’ ability today to participate in elite institutions without compromising their identity. Fittingly, Dr. Benporat concluded the event by acknowledging ۿ۴ýas a safe haven for Jewish faculty and students in today’s academy.
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To learn more about the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College for Women, click here.
