March 1, 2000
RELEASE ON RECEIPT

Internationally Recognized Scholar Presents the 2000 Haskell Lectures at Oberlin College

OBERLIN, OHIO -- Michael A. Signer, Abrams Professor of Jewish Thought and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, will present the 2000 Haskell Lectures at Oberlin College--one of the most distinguished lecture series in the U.S.

Signer will give three separate talks as part of the Haskell Lecture series, on March 5 and 6 at 8 p.m., and on March 8 at 4:30 p.m.

An internationally recognized scholar of Jewish Biblical interpretation, Signer has written widely on Jewish Biblical exegesis in the medieval and later periods. His scholarship also includes the study of Jewish-Christian relations in the medieval and modern periods. He is currently working on a translation of the commentary on the Song of Songs by Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, a well-known 11th-century Jewish Biblical commentator.

Signer received a B.A. from UCLA, a M.A. from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. from the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. Before joining the faculty at Notre Dame University, Signer served on the faculty of the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles.

Sponsored by the Department of Religion, the Haskell Lectureship was established in 1899 and examines ". . . Middle Eastern literature in its relation to the Bible and Christian teachings." Originally sponsored by the Oberlin Graduate School of Theology, the lectures now draw an audience from the larger college community.

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Media Contact: Sue Kropp 1/9/00 #34 bg