RAANAN EICHLER

(Revised May 2012)

Personal Details

• Age: 32
• Familial status: married + 1
• Citizenship: United States of America, Israel
• E-mail: raanan.eichler@gmail.com

Education

Degree-oriented

• Currently pursuing Ph.D. in Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (since 2008, research proposal accepted in 2009); advisor: Dr. Baruch J. Schwartz; dissertation: “Cultic Foci in Solomon’s Temple”.
• M.A. Bible, magna cum laude, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2004–2008); advisor: Prof. Israel Knohl; thesis: “The Function of the Ark Cherubim”.
• B.A. Psychology and Bible, magna cum laude, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2001–2004).

Other

• *Doctoral fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, in the three-year “Judaism and Human Rights” program (beginning October 2012).
• *Research fellow at Scholion: Interdisciplinary Research Center in Jewish Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in the three-year “The Power of the Image” research group (beginning October 2012).
• Visiting scholar, Department of Biblical Studies, University of Fribourg, Switzerland (summer of 2011)
  
• Graduate Fellowship, Institute for Philosophy, Politics and Religion, Shalem Center (2007/8). One-year interdisciplinary program in Humanities and Social Sciences.
• Master Class, Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (2006/7, 2007/8).
• German language courses, University of Vienna (summers of 2005, 2006).
• Yeshiva (Jewish seminary) studies, Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav (1998/9).

Salaried Academic Positions

• Temporary Lecturer, Rothberg International School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2011/2). Taught a guided reading tutorial on the topic “The Biblical Asherah”.
• Graduate Student Instructor, Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2008/9, 2009/10). Taught “Bibliographical Guidance”, a mandatory course for B.A. students in the Department of Bible.
• External Lecturer, Hadassah College Jerusalem (2006/7, 2007/8). Course: “Practical Workshop in Rhetoric and Forensics”, an interdepartmental elective offered by the Department of Environmental Health.
• External Lecturer, Jerusalem College of Engineering (2006/7). Course: “Fundamentals of Forensics and Rhetoric”, an interdepartmental elective, similar to previously listed course.
• Teaching Assistant, Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2005/6, 2006/7). Course: “Introduction to Textual Criticism of the Bible”, a mandatory course for B.A. students in the Department of Bible.

Other Academic Activities

• Composition and administration (with others) of proficiency examination for undergraduate students in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2008/9, 2009/10).

Lectures

At Academic Conferences

• *“The Priestly Description of the Ark”, accepted for the annual conference of the Society of Biblical Literature, November 2012.
• “The Ark in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context”, at the annual conference of the Society of Biblical Literature, November 2011.
• “The Function of the Ark Cherubim”, ibid.
• “The Biblical Ark in Light of Ancient Egyptian Material Culture", lecture in memory of Meir Paran, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 31 May 2011.
• “What Is the Biblical Ark? A New and Uncomplicated Proposal”, at Bikkurei Mehqar, the annual graduate students’ conference of the Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 23 March 2011.
• “The Symbolism of the Ark Cherubim in the Ancient Israelite Cultus: A Comparative Iconographic Study”, at Studies in the History of Visual Art, organized by the Department of Art History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 16 June 2010.
• “The Function of the Ark Cherubim in Light of Egyptian-Canaanite Visual Art from the Biblical Period”, at Connections, Interpretations and Creativity: Between Inspiration and Limitation, organized by the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 12 May 2010.

Other

• “The Ark and the Cherubim”, guest lecture for  “The Temple and Worship”, B.A. course in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 22 April 2012.
• Scholar in Residence, Young Israel of West Hartford (synagogue), 27 August 2011.
  
• “The Cherubim over the Ark of the Covenant”, public lecture at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, July 2011.
• “Egyptian Goddesses and the Biblical Cherubim”, guest lecture for “Egyptian Gods in Canaan, Canaanite Gods in Egypt”, a course in the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 24 May 2011.
• Guest lectures on teaching high-school debate, for courses in the Revivim Honors Program in Jewish education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, May 2008 and April 2006.
• “The Cherubim of the Ark: Function and Form”, at the annual award ceremony of the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 28 June 2007.
• “The Word ‘Hebrew’ in the Hebrew Bible: Meaning and Ramifications”, a guest lecture for “The Image of the ‘Other’ – Treatment of Foreigners and Strangers in the Hebrew Bible”, a course in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 29 May 2007.
• “Myth, Law and Cult in the Hebrew Bible”, seminar for teachers at Yahad Elementary School, Modi’in, November 2006.

Awards and Fellowships

For Ph.D. Studies

• *Scholarship for participation in the program  “Judaism and Human Rights”, a three-year stipend from the Israel Democracy Institute (beginning October 2012).
• *Scholarship for participation in the research group  “The Power of the Image”, a three-year stipend from Scholion: Interdisciplinary Research Center in Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (beginning October 2012).
• Fellowship to undertake research at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, from the Jean Nordmann Foundation (2011).
• Joseph Aviram Fellowship for participation in an annual conference of the Society of Biblical Literature, from the Biblical Archaeology Society (2011).
• Nathan Rotenstreich Scholarship for Outstanding Doctoral Students in the Humanities, a three-year stipend from the Israeli Council for Higher Education (2010/1–2012/3).
• President’s Scholarship for Outstanding Doctoral Students, a four-year stipend from the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2008/9–2011/2; declined from 2010/1).

For M.A. Thesis

• I. L. Seeligmann Memorial Prize, from the Seeligmann family; presented at the annual symposium in memory of I. L. Seeligmann (2008).
• Cahana Prize for Biblical Research, from the Avraham Cahana Fund (2008).
• Mizra Prize, from the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2007); presentation accompanied by winner’s lecture on thesis research before the Department of Bible.

For M.A. Studies

• Excellence stipends from the Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2006/7, 2004/5).
• Study, travel and lodging scholarships for summer German courses at the University of Vienna, from the Center for Austrian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2006, 2005).
• Prize from the Dworsky Fund, from the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2006).
• Excellence stipend from the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2005/6).
• Dembinsky Memorial Award, from the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2005).  

For B.A. Studies

• Award from the Gerstein Fund for Research in the Philosophy of the Bible, from the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2004).
• Rafael Weiss Memorial Annual Award for Excellence in Biblical Studies, awarded to most promising third-year student, from the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2003).
• Excellence stipend from the Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies (2001/2, 2002/3).

Other

• Fellowship from the Institute for Philosophy, Politics and Religion at the Shalem Center (2007/8).
• First Prize for excellence (July 2006), Third Prize for excellence (August 2006) and Third Prize for excellence (July 2005), German Language School at the University of Vienna.

Languages

Modern

• English: native language.
• Hebrew: native language.
• German: advanced speaking, reading and writing.

Ancient

• Biblical Hebrew: proficient.
• Biblical Aramaic: proficient.
• Talmudic Aramaic: proficient.
• Classical Greek: advanced reading.
• Akkadian: advanced reading.
• Ugaritic: advanced reading.
• Classical Egyptian: elementary reading.

Miscellaneous

• Israel English-Language Debate Champion (2008); finalist in World Universities Debating Championship (2007). See e.g. Yaniv Salama-Scheer, “Hebrew University debaters talk themselves to a title”, The Jerusalem Post, 25 January 2007.

Publications

Masters Thesis

• The Function of the Ark Cherubim: A Comparative Study of the Bible and the Ancient Near East, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2007 (Hebrew).

Articles

• “The Function of the Ark Cherubim”, Tarbiz 79/2 (2011), 165–185 (Hebrew).
• *“The Meaning of zer” (accepted for publication in Vetus Testamentum).
• *“The Ark in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context” (completed).
• *“The Poles of the Ark: On the Ins and Outs of a Textual Contradiction” (in progress).

Critical Review

• “Digging Themselves Deeper”, Azure 27 Winter 5767 / 2007; on Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible’s Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition, Free Press 2007.
• Translated as: “שודדי הממלכה האבודה” (Raiders of the Lost Kingdom), תכלת (Tchelet) 26 Winter 5767 / 2007.

Edited Book

• L. R. Kass, ראשית חכמה, edited by R. Eichler, Shalem Press 2009 (Hebrew edition of L. R. Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom, Free Press 2003).