UC Santa Cruz alum named executive director of largest international society of Jewish Studies
Warren Hoffman recieved his Ph.D. in American Literature from UCSC in 2004
March 16, 2017
UC Santa Cruz alumnus Warren Hoffman has been named the next Executive Director of the Association for Jewish Studies (AJS), the largest international society of students and scholars of Jewish studies.
The recipient of a Ph.D. in American Literature from UC Santa Cruz in 2004, Hoffman is the author of two scholarly books, The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical (2014) and The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture (2009).
“I am honored to serve as the next executive director of the Association for Jewish Studies at this very exciting time in the organization’s history,” said Hoffman, “marking nearly half a century of strengthening the field of Jewish Studies.”
“The Association for Jewish Studies played a significant role in my scholarly career dating back to my years as a graduate student, and it is extremely gratifying to return to the organization in this leadership role,” he added.
Hoffman currently serves as Associate Director of Community Programming for the Center of Jewish Life and Learning at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
A playwright and the founder of the Philadelphia Jewish Music Festival, Hoffman has also taught Jewish Studies and English at St. Joseph’s University, the University of Delaware, Hunter College, and Temple University, where he also sits on the advisory board of the Feinstein Center for American Jewish History.
Based in New York City, the Association for Jewish Studies was founded in 1969 and now has 2,000 members who study and teach at colleges and universities on six continents. The AJS Distinguished Lecture Program connects many of the world’s most respected scholars of Jewish Studies with audiences in universities and a variety of other public settings.