Marcie Lenk, Ph.D.
Rehov Yitzhak Ben Dor 3/13 Jerusalem | רחוב יצחק בן דור 3/13 ירושלים
+972-54-661-4866

Education

• Ph.D.  Harvard University, Committee on the Study of Religion, 2010.
  The Apostolic Constitutions: Judaism and Anti-Judaism in the Construction of Christianity, Supervisor: Karen L. King
• M.T.S  Early Christian Studies, Harvard Divinity School, 2002.
• M.S.  Bible, Yeshiva University, Bernard Revel Graduate School, 1991.
• B.A. (cum laude) Mathematics and Jewish Studies, Yeshiva University, Stern College, 1988.

Professional and Academic Honors and Fellowships

• Vice-chair, IJCIR (Israel Jewish Council for Interfaith Relations), 2018-present.
• Research Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute, 2011-2018.
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, The Deichmann Program for Jewish and Christian Literature of the Hellenistic-Roman Era, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, 2011-2013.
• Katherine W. Stroock Fellowship, Harvard University, 2008-2010.
• Schimberg Fellowship, Harvard University, 2006-2008.
• Mandell L. Berman Fellowship, Harvard University, 2004-2006.
• Guerrand-Hermes Fellowship for interfaith work, Harvard Divinity School, 2001.
• Michael Bernstein Memorial Award for excellence in Hebrew Bible, Bernard Revel Graduate School, 1988.
• Award for excellence in Hebraic Studies, Stern College, 1987.
• Max Stern Scholarship, Stern College, 1983-1987.

Work History

• Makor-IGT, Jerusalem
  Director of Christian Journeys, 2018-present
  Recruiting, designing, and managing programs of 1-30 days in Israel/Palestine for visiting Christian academics, church leaders and interfaith groups.
• Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem
  Director of Christian Leadership Programs, 2013 – 2018; Research Fellow, 2011- 2018.
  Designing and managing short or longer-term programs for visiting Christian academic groups.
  Co-Director, New Paths: Christians Engaging Israel – designed course materials adult education classes in church settings including written materials, film production and web-based materials.
  Lecturer on topics related to Israel, Judaism and Christianity for visiting Christian, Jewish, and Muslim groups
  Lecturer for “Introduction to Christianity” course for Israeli and American gap-year students.         
• Studium Theologicum Salesianum, Ratisbonne Monastery, Jerusalem
  Instructor of Patristic Literature, for candidates for the priesthood (Salesian and Missionaries of Africa). Lectures in English. Fall 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018.
• Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem
  Academic Director, February 2018 – August 2019
  Responsible for hiring and overseeing lectures, designing programs, and assuring academic standards for 1-3 week study programs in Jerusalem enabling Christians from aound the world to immerse themselves in Judaism through the study Scripture and other Jewish texts with Jewish instructors.
  Instructor, 2013-present.
  Instructor of Hebrew Scripture. Emphasis on midrash and feminist interpretation.
• Shalem College, Jerusalem
  Lecturer, “Introduction to Christianity”. Lectures in Hebrew and English, 2014-2016.
• Ecce Homo Centre for Biblical Formation, Jerusalem
  Instructor of Hebrew Scripture and Jewish tradition, for Catholic religious leaders.  Emphasis on close readings of biblical texts, with the goal of understanding how Jews have interpreted these texts through the ages.  Lectures in English.  1994 – 2000, 2012 – present.
• Tantur Ecumenical Institute, Jerusalem
  Collaborator in designing, overseeing, and teaching for “Jewish Spirituality Week” (Nov. 2018, Nov. 2019) and Hakimah (Jan. 2019), a two week program explores the role of women in Jewish, Christian and Muslim experiences, texts and traditions.
  Lecturer of Jewish texts - Bible, Talmud, Prayer, for Christian religious leaders and lay people. Introduction to Jewish interpretation, ritual, and the history of Jewish-Christian relations with the goal of fostering understanding and respect.   1996 – 2000, 2016 – present.
• Mundelein Seminary, Chicago IL
  Instructor of course “The Five Scrolls in Jewish Interpretation and Liturgy,” lecturer on other topics of interest for students training for the priesthood in Israel-Palestine for semester. Spring 2014-present.
• Swedish Theological Institute. Jerusalem
  Instructor of Jewish and Christian texts, for Protestant theology students and lay people.  Emphasis on biblical texts used in the Jewish liturgy and Jewish exegesis.  1995 – 2000, 2012 – 2018.
• Boston University- Department of Religion
  Visiting Assistant Professor, 2010-2011, Visiting Instructor, 2008-2010
  Teaching two courses per semester, including “The Bible,” “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” “Rabbinic Literature,” “Varieties of Early Christianity,” “Introduction to the New Testament,” “Early Christian Women,” “Introduction to Midrash,” “Christianity”.
• Hebrew College, Boston
  Academic Director, Northeastern Region, 2006-2008.
  Manager of faculty for the Me’ah adult education program in NY, NJ and PA.  Hired and managed more than 40 academic faculty members, including oversight of courses.
  Instructor, Rabbinic history and literature of the Talmud and Midrash. October 2000 - May 2008; January - May 2011.
• City College, City University of New York
  Adjunct Instructor for undergraduate course, “Jesus the Jew” 2005-2006. 
• Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning – Temple Emanu-El, New York, NY
  Instructor for courses in Hebrew Bible, Early Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. 2004 – 2007.
• Pardes Institute, Jerusalem
  Instructor of Bible, Talmud, Prayer and other subjects, for Jewish adults, mostly from the United States and Europe.  Emphasis on development of analytical skills, through lectures and cooperative study (hevruta), Lectures in Hebrew and English. 1994 –2000.
• Drisha Institute, New York, NY
  Instructor of Bible, Midrash, and liturgical texts for Jewish women. ­­ Courses focusing on primary texts, often including time for cooperative study.  Summers 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000; 2004 – 2007.  
• Midreshet Lindenbaum, Jerusalem
  Instructor of Talmud and Hebrew Bible to post -high school students from North America and England; concentrated on skills necessary for independent study of these Aramaic and Hebrew texts; individual and group counseling.   Lectures in Hebrew and English.  1990 - 1994.
• Pelech High School. Jerusalem
  Instructor - “Women and Halakha”; Exposed Israeli high school students to topics of modern interest by tracking issues from ancient texts to modern thinkers.  Lectures in Hebrew.  1989 - 1990. 

Papers and Presentations

• “Hopes and Challenges of Christian Jewish Dialogue,” Mary Ward Center, Toronto, November, 2019.
• “Truth and Faith: Can Jews and Christians Really Open Ourselves to the Truth of the Other?”
  Moosnick Lecture in Judaic Studies, Transylvania University, Lexington Kentucky, October, 2018.
• “I, God, and the Other: A Jewish Perspective,” Sophia University Institute, Loppiano, Italy, April, 2018.
• “Freedom Writers: Easter, Passover, and Interfaith Dialogue,” Michael Signer Memorial Lecture, Iona College, March 2018
• “Parted Ways Meet Again: Messianic Judaism as Real or Imagined Identity” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, November 2017.
• “The Children of Sarah and Hagar in Jewish and Christian Interpretation,” Tantur Ecumenical Institute, February, 2017
• “The Parting of the Ways: Status Questionis and What Might Come Next” presented to the Jerusalem Rainbow Interfaith Group, November, 2014
• “The Function and Effect of Melito’s Peri Pascha” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, November, 2014.
• “What Constitutes Jewish Religious Identity?" International Symposium on Religious Identity and Renewal, Seattle University School of Theology & Ministry, August, 2014.
• “Christians and the Law: The Model of the Apostolic Constitutions” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, November, 2012.
• “Who is the L/lord next to the Lord? Christian and Jewish Interpretation of Psalm 110”, presented at the Jerusalem Rainbow Interfaith Group, January 2012.
• “Audio-Divina: Jewish and Christian Interpretations and Experience of Scripture” with Prof. Deirdre Good, Desmond Tutu Center, New York, February, 2010.
• “Learning from Adult Learners,” presented at the Conference on Teaching Rabbinic Literature: Bridging Scholarship and Pedagogy, Brandeis University, January, 2008.
• “Passion and Controversy,” Temple Emanuel, Newton, MA. March, 2004.
• “Jewish Reflections on Reading the New Testament” Edah Conference, New York. February, 2004.
• “God as Birth-giver in Jewish Texts,” “Barrenness: Traditions and Countertraditions.” Presented at: Texts of Liberation and Oppression: Feminist Readings of the Bible: International conference of feminist theologians, Teologiska Hogskolan, Stockholm, March 2000.
• “The Other as Mystery” International Conference of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) Women’s Seminar: Rome, September 1997.

Published Articles and Reviews

• “Parted Ways Meet Again: Messianic Jewish Identity in Israel,” in Re-Making the World: Early Christianity and Categories. Essays in Honor of Karen L. King, Taylor G. Petrey, ed. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019.
• “A Response to 'To Do the Will of our Father in Heaven’,” in From Confrontation to Covenantal Partnership, Eugene Korn et.al. eds. Urim Publications (Israel) and KTAV (USA), (forthcoming).
• “Dabru Emet,” in The New Jewish Canon, Yehuda Kurtzer and Claire Sufrin, eds. (forthcoming)
• Contributor to The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Second Edition, ed. A.J. Levine, M. Brettler; Oxford, 2017 – Introduction, annotations and short articles on 1 Peter.
• Contributor to The Dictionary of the Bible in Ancient Media, ed. Tom Thatcher, Chris Keith, Raymond Person, Elsie Stern; T&T Clark, 2017 – Entries on Early Christian Catechesis, Early Christian Preaching.
• Contributor to the Routledge Dictionary of Ancient Mediterranean Religions, ed. Jennifer W. Knust; New York: Routledge, 2016 – Entries on Didache, Didascalia Apostolorum, Jewish Christians.
• “The Apostolic Constitutions and the Law,” The Levant—Crossroads of Late Antiquity: History, Religion, and Archaeology. Ellen Bradshaw Aitken and John M. Fossey, editors; George Kellaris and Jeffrey Keiser, associate editors; with the assistance of Ryan Bailey and Ginette Gauvin. (McGill University Monographs in Classical Archaeology and History 22. Leiden: E. J. Brill Publishers, 2013) 113-122.
• “The Loss of the Temple in Judaism and Early Christianity,” The Presence of the Lost Temple. Shlomo Tucker, Michael Mulder, eds. (Amsterdam: Amphora, 2015) 37-45.
• “Priests Walked into an Israeli Yeshiva,” Jewish News Service December 14, 2016.
• “Shavuot. Pentecost. Harvest. First Fruits. Revelation at Sinai. Holy Spirit. Torah,” Times of Israel, May 21, 2015.
• “What are they Doing Here?” Jerusalem Post, October 7, 2014.
• “Pope Francis’ Visit Is Not Primarily About Us,” Times of Israel, May 14, 2014.
• “Rebuild the Temple? Not in Our Time,” New Jersey Jewish News, April 21, 2014.
• “Getting Rid of the Echo,” Jerusalem Post, February 15, 2014.
• “Looking Past the Walls,” Jerusalem Post, January 19, 2014.
• “Make Room For Christmas in Jerusalem,” Times of Israel, December 24, 2013.
• “Israelis Must Learn to Listen to our American Cousins,” Jerusalem Post, November 14, 2013.
• “The Meaningful Quiet of Yom Kippur in Israel,” Jerusalem Post, September 13, 2013.
• “Criticize me as a Friend, Not as Roger Waters,” Jerusalem Post, August 22, 2013.
• “The ‘Price’ We Pay for Ignorance,” Jerusalem Post, June 6, 2013.
• Review of Terence L. Donaldson, Jews and Anti-Judaism in the New Testament: Decision Points and Divergent Interpretation (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2010). Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations 7:1 (2012).
• "The Da Vinci Code and Ancient Christianity" (beliefnet.com, 2006).
• "Reflections of an Orthodox Jewish Educator on Christian Pilgrimage to Israel," Pilgrimage in a New Millennium: Spiritual Reflections from Christians and Jews in the Holy Land (Jerusalem: Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, 1999).

Languages

• Greek: Classical and Koine
• Latin: Classical and Medieval
• Hebrew: Classical and Modern
• Aramaic: reading
• German: reading
• French: reading

Memberships in Learned Societies

• Society of Biblical Literature, 2000 - present.
• American Academy of Religion, 2000 - present.
• Jerusalem Rainbow Interfaith Group, 1998 – 2000; 2011 - present.
• Association for Jewish Studies, 2000 – 2011.
• North American Patristics Society, 2008-2011.