Prof Lily Kahn named Head of Department

We are so pleased to announce that Professor of Hebrew and Jewish Languages, and long-time member of the Department, Lily Kahn will be succeeding Professor Sacha Stern as Head of Department from September 2022. Prof Stern will be staying in the Department, no doubt happy to have more time to dedicate to research once his tenure as HoD is complete.

Prof Kahn's vision for the future of the Department is in line with the esteemed colleagues who served before her, Prof Stern and Prof Ada Rapoport-Albert. She will continue to promote research excellence by supporting and encouraging colleagues to apply for external grants and by to raising the Department’s profile as a destination for postdoctoral researchers. Goals for her tenure include: the Departmental production of a comprehensive textbook of Jewish Studies designed for undergraduate curricula throughout the English-speaking world; increasing the Department’s interdepartmental teaching and learning collaboration; broadening our programme of public events; and attracting increased external funding for students and staff. 

Like her colleagues, one of the things that Prof Kahn cherishes most about the Department is its longstanding dedication to inclusivity and its diversity of voices in terms of ethnicity, race, religion, sexuality, and gender identity. This is a value that she has consistently worked to cultivate in her time in HJS, e.g. by promoting the admission of BA applicants from non-traditional educational backgrounds, volunteering to join the HJS Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team, and advocating for the provision of gender-neutral toilets on the third floor of Foster Court. As Head of Department there is no doubt Prof Kahn will foster a warm, inclusive, and caring atmosphere where all staff and students feel valued, supported, listened to, and at home.

Mazel tov, Lily!