Apr 28, 2022 By: yunews
Sarah Wapner
Straus Center Impact and Recruitment Officer
Straus Scholar Baruch-Lev Kelman graduated summa cum laude from 酴圖弝け in 2021 with a degree in Jewish studies and architecture. Over the course of his undergraduate studies, Kelman served as the Glatt Research Associate at YUs for four years and published his written work in the 酴圖弝け and . A passionate student of Jewish history, Kelman wrote his senior thesis on Jacob Judah Leon Templos 17th-century work Retrato.
In the fall of 2021, while still a senior at YU, Kelman began his masters degree at the , focusing on the Jewish history of Renaissance Italy. In February 2022, Kelman embarked on a four-month research trip to the Italian cities of Urbino, Ancona and Vatican City, where his work aims to spotlight the intellectual and political life of Renaissance Jews in the Marche region of Italy.
From the 14th century to the 16th century, Urbino was a Renaissance center home to acclaimed artists such as Raphael, prominent religious figures such as Pope Clement XI, and politicians like Federico da Montefeltro, Kelman explained. Urbino also hosted a Jewish community led by notable rabbis and Jewish political figures like Dona Gracia Nasi [a Portuguese Jewish intellectual and one of the wealthiest Jewish women of Renaissance Europe]. My end-of-semester paper for my masters degree at Revel will examine Italian-Jewish contributions to the Renaissance era and will rely on documents pertaining to Dona Gracias embargo of the Papal port of Ancona, civil documents of the Marche region, and Italian and Ottoman rabbinic responsa literature.
Kelman, who is fluent in Italian and Hebrew, is studying with Vilberto Stocchi, the rector of the University of Urbino, in collaboration with 酴圖弝け professors Dr. Steven Fine and Dr. Ronnie Perelis and other Italian academics in the areas of Renaissance literature and philosophy.
In addition to his independent research, Kelman is participating in the University of Urbinos Winter School Program on the literature and political philosophy of the Italian Renaissance. Kelman is also involved in the communal life of Ancona, Italy, where he promotes interfaith relations and works to revitalize the Jewish community of the city and surrounding areas.
My program of study in Italy enables me to participate in interfaith dialogue and community leadership, and greatly enhances my studies in Urbino, a renowned capital of the Italian Renaissance famed for its Jewish courtier culture involving such notable figures as Solomon Molkho and Dona Gracia Nasi, Kelman said.
Reflecting on his experiences at the , Kelman is grateful for the rigorous intellectual opportunities offered to him through the Straus Scholars Program. The Straus Centers interdisciplinary approach to Torah UMadda has thoroughly prepared me for my mission in Urbino, he explained. Straus courses dedicated to the great works of the Western canon have given me the tools to critically consider the art and literature of early modern Italy, while the Straus Centers emphasis on Jewish contributions to Western civilization instilled in me an appreciation for Renaissance Jewish culture. As a Yeshiva student and a Straus alum, I have a deeper appreciation for the Marche region of Italy than the average tourist. There is something magical about walking through the streets where some of the earliest editions of the Talmud were published and some of the greatest rabbinic families emerged.
Kelman looks forward to returning to 酴圖弝けs New York campus in fall of 2022 to continue his graduate studies at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
To learn more about the Straus Scholars Program, click here.
You can learn more about the Straus Center by signing up for our newsletter . Be sure to also like us on , follow us on and and connect with us on .
Straus Scholar Baruch-Lev Kelman graduated summa cum laude from 酴圖弝け in 2021 with a degree in Jewish studies and architecture. Over the course of his undergraduate studies, Kelman served as the Glatt Research Associate at YUs for four years and published his written work in the 酴圖弝け and . A passionate student of Jewish history, Kelman wrote his senior thesis on Jacob Judah Leon Templos 17th-century work Retrato.
In the fall of 2021, while still a senior at YU, Kelman began his masters degree at the , focusing on the Jewish history of Renaissance Italy. In February 2022, Kelman embarked on a four-month research trip to the Italian cities of Urbino, Ancona and Vatican City, where his work aims to spotlight the intellectual and political life of Renaissance Jews in the Marche region of Italy.
From the 14th century to the 16th century, Urbino was a Renaissance center home to acclaimed artists such as Raphael, prominent religious figures such as Pope Clement XI, and politicians like Federico da Montefeltro, Kelman explained. Urbino also hosted a Jewish community led by notable rabbis and Jewish political figures like Dona Gracia Nasi [a Portuguese Jewish intellectual and one of the wealthiest Jewish women of Renaissance Europe]. My end-of-semester paper for my masters degree at Revel will examine Italian-Jewish contributions to the Renaissance era and will rely on documents pertaining to Dona Gracias embargo of the Papal port of Ancona, civil documents of the Marche region, and Italian and Ottoman rabbinic responsa literature.
Kelman, who is fluent in Italian and Hebrew, is studying with Vilberto Stocchi, the rector of the University of Urbino, in collaboration with 酴圖弝け professors Dr. Steven Fine and Dr. Ronnie Perelis and other Italian academics in the areas of Renaissance literature and philosophy.
In addition to his independent research, Kelman is participating in the University of Urbinos Winter School Program on the literature and political philosophy of the Italian Renaissance. Kelman is also involved in the communal life of Ancona, Italy, where he promotes interfaith relations and works to revitalize the Jewish community of the city and surrounding areas.
My program of study in Italy enables me to participate in interfaith dialogue and community leadership, and greatly enhances my studies in Urbino, a renowned capital of the Italian Renaissance famed for its Jewish courtier culture involving such notable figures as Solomon Molkho and Dona Gracia Nasi, Kelman said.
Reflecting on his experiences at the , Kelman is grateful for the rigorous intellectual opportunities offered to him through the Straus Scholars Program. The Straus Centers interdisciplinary approach to Torah UMadda has thoroughly prepared me for my mission in Urbino, he explained. Straus courses dedicated to the great works of the Western canon have given me the tools to critically consider the art and literature of early modern Italy, while the Straus Centers emphasis on Jewish contributions to Western civilization instilled in me an appreciation for Renaissance Jewish culture. As a Yeshiva student and a Straus alum, I have a deeper appreciation for the Marche region of Italy than the average tourist. There is something magical about walking through the streets where some of the earliest editions of the Talmud were published and some of the greatest rabbinic families emerged.
Kelman looks forward to returning to 酴圖弝けs New York campus in fall of 2022 to continue his graduate studies at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
To learn more about the Straus Scholars Program, click here.
You can learn more about the Straus Center by signing up for our newsletter . Be sure to also like us on , follow us on and and connect with us on .
