I’m the assistant director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco where I am also an assistant professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. At USF I teach undergraduate courses in multiple disciplines, including Jewish Studies, Middle East Studies, Anthropology, and Politics. My teaching is a reflection of my research interests, which lie at the intersections of anthropology, religion, and politics.

My first book, Unsettled: American Jews and the Movement for Justice in Palestine (NYU Press, 2024), investigates the role that young American Jews play in the Palestine solidarity movement. Based on ethnographic research, the book argues that young American Jews participate in this movement as an expression of their Jewish values, thereby promoting a particular Jewish identity rooted in social justice activism. Focusing specifically on the mobilization of young Jewish American activists who challenge Israel’s policies of occupation and apartheid and confront mainstream Jewish American support for Israel, this book chronicles the participation of these activists in the Palestine solidarity movement through the lens of three social movement strategies: (1) targeting mainstream Jewish institutions; (2) co-resistance activism on the ground in Palestine/Israel; and (3) BDS. In the book I demonstrate how activists intentionally and strategically infuse their work with Jewish teachings and customs in ways that strengthen and reinforce their Jewish identities, thereby allowing them to articulate their activism not only as a reflection of their individualized values but as a distinctly Jewish ethos. Consistent with other Jewish social justice initiatives, the participation of young American Jews in Palestine solidarity activism fosters a connection to Jewish values and identity by associating social justice activism with Jewish traditions and values.

I am also the co-editor, with Ariella Werden-Greenfield, of This Is Your Song Too: Phish and Contemporary Jewish Identity (Penn State University Press, 2023). This edited volume provides a scholarly analysis of the rock band Phish through a discussion of the Jewish component of the Phish community, while providing a deeper understanding of how spirituality, ritual, and identity functions within the Phish fan community more broadly. Bringing together scholars, journalists, and clergy, the chapters in this book argue that Phish shows are alternate sites of Jewish cultural production and religious connection. The volume argues that Phish shows are one of many avenues through which Jews find Jewish cultural and spiritual fulfillment outside the confines of traditional and institutional Jewish life. Phish fandom and the live Phish experience act as a microcosm through which we can see American Jewish religious and cultural life manifest in unique and disparate spaces.

My other writing has appeared in numerous journals, books, and online publications including Peace Review, Jerusalem Quarterly, Tikkun, International Journal of Education for Social Justice, Truthout, and +972 Magazine.