Reflections on My Time at Hebrew University
Risa Levitt – Jerusalem
“Some 40 plus years ago I came to study for a year at the Hebrew University from Toronto. That year changed my life. I became fascinated with the history of Jerusalem and of this country, and for the last 40 plus years, have devoted myself to studying it, teaching it, and sharing it with millions of people. Today, on my morning walk, I passed by the “shikunei haeleph,” the dorms where we landed in summer of 1982. The building is a stone’s throw from the apartment my daughter Maya and I moved into last week. Amazing where life takes you and the circuitous path that sometimes leads right back to where you started. Excited for the rest of the journey”.
Risa is the new executive director of the Jerusalem Bible Lands Museum. She comes to the museum from San Diego, California where she served as Professor and Chair of the department for the Study of Religion and the Department of Classics and Humanities at San Diego State University where she also served as Director of the Jewish Studies Program. A new olah, she has recently relocated to Jerusalem to assume this position.
- Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Risa received her BA from York University and MA from University of Toronto. She earned a second MA and PhD in Ancient History, specializing in Israel, from the University of California, San Diego. She has authored two books in addition to numerous exhibition catalogs.