Dr. Sam Shonkoff, Taube Family Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, has been awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) beginning July 1, 2025. Dr. Shonkoff’s colleagues and students at the GTU and the University of California confirm the quality and significance of Prof. Shonkoff’s research, the effectiveness of his teaching, and his dedication to the success of the GTU.
BERKELEY, CA – May 28, 2025 – Dr. Sam Shonkoff, Taube Family Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, has been awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) beginning July 1, 2025. Dr. Shonkoff’s colleagues and students at the GTU and the University of California confirm the quality and significance of Prof. Shonkoff’s research, the effectiveness of his teaching, and his dedication to the success of the GTU.
“Dr. Shonkoff’s research specialization in hermeneutics touches on precisely those elements of Jewish intellectual life in the twentieth century that have had the most relevant impact on the development of critical theologies and the interdisciplinary study of global religions," says Dean Christopher Ocker. “His scholarship is vitally important to an intellectual community built around the conversation of scholars in our many religious traditions: his work contributes fundamentally to the mission and purpose of the GTU.”
Dr. Sam Shonkoff is a scholar of modern Jewish thought and culture, specializing in German-Jewish and Hasidic traditions. His research centers on hermeneutics, embodiment, and evolving conceptions of divinity. He is the author of Embodied Theology: Reading Buber Reading Hasidism (under review) and co-editor of Hasidism: Writings on Devotion, Community, and Life in the Modern World (Brandeis University Press, 2020). A passionate educator, Dr. Shonkoff brings intellectual rigor and interreligious sensitivity to his teaching and public scholarship.
“In my teaching and research on Jewish thought, I invite students and readers alike to examine how perspectives on the fabric of reality are always morphing through interpretive acts, and how those very practices of interpretation are, in turn, always mutating in the protean habitats of history,” says Dr. Shonkoff. “I have found this lens to be particularly illuminating for the study of religion, and especially fertile for interreligious contexts, such as ours at the GTU.”
In his new role as Associate Professor, Dr. Shonkoff will continue to enrich the GTU’s academic community with his interdisciplinary approach; bridging historical, theological, and cultural studies. His commitment to mentoring, public engagement, and expanding interreligious dialogue will further strengthen the GTU’s significance as a hub for innovative and inclusive religious scholarship.
“Dr. Shonkoff has lived up to lofty expectations and performed at the level equivalent to the best scholars who walked on Holy Hill at a similar point in their career,” reflects President Uriah Kim. “In short, he has earned this honor, and the GTU is fortunate to have someone of his caliber among its core faculty. His scholarship, teaching, and service embody the GTU’s highest values, and his continued contributions will undoubtedly shape the future of theological education and interreligious understanding.”