David C. Kraemer
Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics
Phone: (212) 678-8075
Email: dakraemer@jtsa.edu
Biography
David Kraemer has been part of the JTS community since 1977 when he enrolled at The Graduate School after completing his undergraduate degree at Brandeis University.
He began teaching as a graduate student in 1980, receiving his PhD in 1984. Dr. Kraemer’s focus as a professor is on the literary analysis of rabbinic literature, rabbinic ritual, the social and religious history of Jews in late antiquity, and Jewish diaspora ideologies. He accepted the position of Librarian in 2004 and has since played a crucial role in forging policy and expanding the impact of the Library’s world-renowned collections and programs.
Dr. Kraemer is a prolific author and commentator. In addition to his books (see below), he has written influential articles on the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Mishnah, and other subjects, along with a commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (in The Jewish Annotated New Testament, 2nd edition). His forthcoming book traces Jewish justifications of diaspora life from the Tanakh to the present.
Select Published Works
A History of the Talmud. Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Rabbinic Judaism: Space and Place. Routledge, 2016.
Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages. Routledge, 2007.
Exploring Judaism: The Collected Essays of David Kraemer. Scholars’ Press, 2000.
The Meanings of Death in Rabbinic Judaism. Routledge, 2000.
Reading the Rabbis: The Talmud as Literature. Oxford University Press, 1996.
Responses to Suffering in Classical Rabbinic Literature. Oxford University Press, 1995.
The Mind of the Talmud: An Intellectual History of the Bavli. Oxford University Press, 1990.
