Steven Kaplan

Steven Kaplan is a professor of African studies and comparative religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He attended Brandeis University, where he earned a BA and an MA in Near Eastern and Judaic studies, and Harvard Divinity School, where he earned an MTS in comparative religion. He completed his PhD at the Hebrew University, where he has taught since 1984. Kaplan’s research concerns the religious and social history of traditional Ethiopia. He is also a world-renowned expert on Ethiopian Jews and has written several books and numerous articles on their history in Ethiopia and adjustment in Israel.

In addition to his research and teaching, Kaplan has held a number of senior administrative positions at the Hebrew University, including director of the Institute for Asian and African Studies, provost of the Rothberg International School, and dean of the Faculty of Humanities. He has been a visiting scholar at Boston University, Harvard University, the University of Hamburg, the University of London, and, most recently, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.