by Elizabeth Babalis

Azzan Yadin’s life has taken some fortuitous turns over the last five years. First he received a generous four-year fellowship to cover his graduate school expenses at UC Berkeley, then he became a father, and most recently, he secured a tenure-track teaching job. Two more auspicious events rounded out his years in the Bay Area—the birth of twins and the completion of his dissertation.

Yadin’s achievements are indicative of another success—that of a unique doctoral program between two neighboring academic institutions.

Established in June of 1994, the Joint Doctoral Program in Jewish Studies is the second collaborative degree program between the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) and UC Berkeley. The Jewish Studies program, modeled on the Joint Doctoral Program in Near Eastern Religions, emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to study within the framework of a specific discipline. Students are required to specialize in one historical period in one academic area and are given access to resources and faculty at both GTU and UC Berkeley.

For Yadin, the broad approach to Jewish Studies proved helpful in deciding where his main interests lay and in choosing a topic of specialization. “When I was an undergraduate, I took a lot of classes in Kabbalah and early Rabbinic literature and philosophy. I just was not in a position where I right away wanted to say, ‘Here’s my dissertation topic, I want to get working on it, and I know I want to study these people.’ The program was very appealing, because it has a broad range of faculty from different areas, with some literary, some historical, and some philosophical perspectives.”

“Best of Both Worlds"
Yadin first heard of the program as an undergraduate at Hebrew University, where he double majored in philosophy and Jewish thought. While there, he met the late Berkeley history Professor Amos Funkenstein, who encouraged Yadin to apply for the new doctoral program being formed at Berkeley and GTU. After spending a year taking courses at the Center for Jewish Studies at GTU, Yadin began the joint doctoral program in the fall of 1995.

A four-year fellowship from Berkeley enabled Yadin to devote himself to his studies full time. Though working mostly at Berkeley with Professor Daniel Boyarin in the Near Eastern studies department, the doctoral student says he appreciated having “the best of both worlds.”

“Berkeley has more resources than GTU, which is important when you’re writing, but at GTU you can walk in and talk to the registrar, for example,” he explains.

Conversant in five languages, Yadin was able to complete his language requirements quickly and focus his attention on his dissertation. He spent last year in Israel doing the bulk of his research, then devoted himself to writing this year. His dissertation examines the books of Exodus and Numbers, texts that derive laws from Biblical persons. As part of his study, Yadin explores the role of the human interpreter in understanding Torah and the bases that support particular interpretations.

Family played an important role in Yadin’s life throughout his program. After the birth of his daughter during the second year of his studies, Yadin adapted his schedule so he could write from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., leaving the day free to spend time with his family. One advantage of being a student, notes Yadin, is the relative flexibility it affords. While people working from nine to five and commuting may struggle to find time for their families, Yadin finds he has the opposite problem. “I see my daughter all the time—if anything, I have to slip away and do some work once in a while!”

A Lucky Break
Now that the twins have been born, Yadin and his family have headed out to the University of Minnesota, where he has accepted a position as an assistant professor of Rabbinics in the classical and Near Eastern studies department. The job came somewhat unexpectedly, as Yadin had initially been rejected for the position last fall.

“I wasn’t even really considered,” recalls Yadin. “It was open to associate professors, and I didn’t even have two chapters (of the dissertation).”

He was not surprised when he received a standard rejection letter from the search committee. Several months later, however, in April, Yadin received e-mail from one of the committee members. The committee’s initial choice had not worked out and the search had been reopened. Would he still be interested in the position?

“It was actually kind of dramatic,” says Yadin. “I got this e-mail on a Monday morning asking if I was still available, where I was in my dissertation, and if I had made progress. Before, I couldn’t really say in good faith that I was done. By April I could.”

Yadin immediately conveyed his interest, and a phone interview followed two days later on Wednesday. After a successful conversation with the search committee, the university flew him to Minnesota for an on-campus interview over the weekend. Just before leaving for the airport following his campus visit, Yadin was offered the job. “Eight days after the first e-mail, I got the job. It was very exciting, and completely surprising.”

Perhaps even more surprising is that Yadin’s first university-level teaching experience are the courses he is teaching this fall. But the new assistant professor is undaunted by lecturing to 150 undergraduates. “I’m very calm as a rule,” he explains. He also looks forward to broadening his teaching beyond Jewish studies. His department is currently organizing a Mediterranean culture emphasis, which will allow Yadin to draw upon his strong background in classics and Greek.

Naomi Seidman, director of the Center for Jewish Studies, says "Azzan was not only our first graduate, but also a real star—one of those students that seems to know everything. He's also completely Hebrew-English bilingual and reads a few other languages. And he has a great sense of humor!"

The Center for Jewish Studies offers a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Jewish Studies through the GTU, as well as the joint Ph.D. with UC Berkeley which Yadin received. The current enrollment in all three programs is 27, 11 of whom are in the joint Ph.D. program.

Reprinted, with modification, from The Graduate, Fall 1999, published by the Graduate Division, University of California, Berkeley.