UCEI – University degree in Jewish studies, four theses discussed

Four students from the UCEI’s three-year university degree program in Jewish Studies, “Renzo Gattegna,” defended their dissertations in Rome. A commission of educators, rabbis, and Union of Italian Jewish Communities representatives evaluated their work. Naama Calderón dedicated her thesis to the controversy that arose regarding the commentary Em La-Miqra by Elia Benamozegh, a prominent 19th-century rabbi in Livorno. Benamozegh’s work sparked hostility within the Jewish community. In 1865, Aleppo rabbis requested their Jerusalem counterparts to excommunicate Benamozegh, accusing him of “heresy and doctrinal deviations.” 

Another student, Paola Coppi, examined the Jewish theological, ethical, and mystical dimensions of the face. In her thesis, she analyzed its “plural and polysemic nature,” given that, in Judaism, the face is never univocal. It can be reflected or indicate “the subjects’ crushing, presence and absence, revelation and concealment.” In her study, “Take off your sandals from your feet. Footwear in the Jewish Tradition: Symbolism, Halakhah, and Mystique,” Ester Pavoncello explored the role of footwear in Judaism. She explained that in Hebrew, the word “na’al” means shoe but also closure or seal and thus expresses the idea of protection and separation between man and Earth. Consequently, shoes represent a connection between the bodily and spiritual dimensions. 

Finally, Giorgia Zarfati’s thesis delved into the impact of teaching Hebrew and Jewish culture to children with learning disabilities. She highlighted the Feuerstein approach’s opportunities, which are based on the teacher acting as an intermediary between the student and knowledge.