DR. YOSSI LESHEM APPOINTED
ADJUNCT ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIBLE AT
HEBREW UNION COLLEGE-JEWISH INSTITUTE OF RELIGION

Rabbi David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, has announced the appointment of Dr. Yossi Leshem as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Bible effective November 1, 2003. Dr. Leshem has taught Biblical Hebrew at HUC-JIR’s Jerusalem School since 1979, and spent one year at HUC-JIR’s New York School, and has served the College-Institute in numerous programmatic capacities.

In announcing this appointment, Rabbi Norman Cohen stated, “Dr. Yossi Leshem is the consummate teacher, who has touched generations of our students in their studies in Jerusalem. In this way he continues to make an invaluable contribution to our Jerusalem School, where he also serves in important administrative capacities. We are blessed to have him as a member of our community.”

During his time at the College-Institute, Leshem has also served as a professor at the Teachers Colleges David Yellin and Kerem in Jerusalem. For his sabbatical, he spent two years as a professor at the College for Jewish Studies in Heidelberg, Germany. In addition, he was the Director of the Masia Institute for Revival of the Hebrew Language, and founded and directed a center for students with learning disabilities.

Leshem received his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he wrote his dissertation on “‘Royal’ Usages in the Language of Samuel and Kings and their Contribution to Dating the Narrative Material in Judges and Ruth.” He also earned his M.A. in Old Testament and his B.A. in Old Testament and Hebrew Grammar from Hebrew University. His current research includes working on an article on learning disabilities entitled “How to Teach Hearing Impaired Students in Preparation for the Language Skills Matriculation Exam;” a book based on his doctoral thesis and other works on “Royal Uses of Language;” and an article for the Biblical Journal Beit Mikrah based on the verse “and he loved him greatly” (I Samuel 16, 21).