NEW LONDON – Sharon J. Portnoff, associate professor of religious studies at Connecticut College, has been named the college’s Elie Wiesel Professor of Judaic Studies.

Portnoff is the second faculty member named to the Wiesel Chair, an endowed position established in 1990 by alumna JoAnn Hess Morrison ’67 in honor of the Nobel laureate, author and international human rights advocate Elie Wiesel. The senior appointment in the Department of Religious Studies is reserved for a distinguished scholar committed to advancing Judaic Studies within the liberal arts.

“Sharon is an ideal choice for this position. She will be vital in expanding programming and furthering the growth of Judaic studies on campus,” said Abigail A. Van Slyck, dean of the faculty and Dayton Professor of Art History. “She has worked diligently over the past eight years as a scholar, as a teacher, and as a citizen of the campus community. We look forward to the vibrant and multidimensional approach she will bring to the position.”

“I look forward to working with colleagues campus-wide to deliver speakers who can stimulate meaningful conversations about Jewish philosophy, culture and history,” said Portnoff, who is expected to work closely with Rabbi Susan Schein of the school’s Zachs Hillel House. “These kinds of events provide important perspectives for the campus, expanding views on what constitutes Judaism and Judaic thought.”

Portnoff will also continue coordinating the Miriam Melrod Lecture series, an ongoing initiative made possible by the Miriam Kraemer Melrod Endowment for Judaic Studies, which supports an annual symposium on Jewish identity.

Portnoff holds a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s College (Annapolis), a master’s in education from Harvard University and a master’s and Ph.D. from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She specializes in modern Jewish thought and Holocaust theology and teaches courses in the Holocaust, Israel, post-Holocaust responses, religious ethics and Jewish traditions.