Rebecca Wartell

About Me

I am originally from Colorado, but have ventured far and wide, living and learning in Australia, England, and Israel as well as both coasts of the US. I am trained in history and religious studies, and my research focuses on Jewish refugees in the early modern Mediterranean. I teach a range of Jewish Studies classes that consider the experience of religious minorities in broad social and cultural contexts, from the Spanish and Portuguese colonial period to the modern Middle East and North America. At Earlham, I am dedicated to supporting Jewish life on campus, creating wider opportunities for inter-religious dialogue and cultural exchange.

Education

-Ph.D. Monash University
-M.T.S. Harvard University
-B.A. Hampshire College

Why do you teach at Earlham?

My roots are in the small liberal arts college model of education; I look forward to working with each of my students to create a personalized and engaging pathway to learning.

Professional memberships

Association for Spanish & Portuguese Historical Studies
Association for Jewish Studies
European Academy of Religion
Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association
Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies
The Mediterranean Seminar
Western Jewish Studies Association

Research projects

Portuguese Inquisition Records Data Project
Torre do Tombo National Archives, Lisbon, Portugal

Published works

“New Directions in Hispanic Jewish Studies: Early Modern Jewish and Conversa Women” Journal of the Mediterranean Studies Association, 32:1 (2024).

“Rabbis on Refugees: Theological Responses to the Treatment of Converso Migrants in Sixteenth-Century Candia,” Mediterranean Historical Review, 34:2 (2019), 165-179. Encyclopedia Entry

“Nieto, David.” Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. Berlin-New York: Walter De Gruyter (2022).