Illuminating the Fringes of the Jewish World and the Varieties of Jewishnes

Dr. Tudor Parfitt is a Distinguished University Professor and the President Yitzhak Navon Professor of Sephardic-Mizrahi Studies at FIU. He began his distinguished academic career with a PhD from the University of Oxford, focusing on the history of Jews in Palestine and their relations with Muslim neighbors. Dr. Parfitt is a pioneering scholar known for his research on marginalized Jewish communities. His work explores Judaizing movements and the Jewish presence in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, often examining communities on the fringes of mainstream Jewish identity. He has extensively studied groups such as the Lemba in southern Africa and the Bnei Menashe in India, both of which claim descent from ancient Israelites. Dr. Parfitt’s research sheds light on how these communities maintain and reinterpret Jewish traditions, challenging conventional boundaries of Jewishness. His groundbreaking work offers new insights into the diversity of Jewish identity around the world. Join us for this event as we explore Dr. Parfitt’s fascinating scholarly work.

Host or Publisher The Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs