Yosef Yerushalmi

Fascinating, fascinating, fascinating. My TA (Jonathan Gribetz, unfortunately no longer at CU) rocked. Take Yerushalmi.

Professor Yerushalmi was a professor's professor. A professor in the classic sense, he was in full command of the topic, and the students. While Dr. Yerushalmi could be intimidating at times, and he would frequently deride students whose questions he felt to be less than well thought out, his lectures were absolutely complete, thought provoking, and, might I say, to be treasured and saved for future reference... Finally, Dr. Yerushalmi also challenged student's notions of what "authenticity" means. In other words, and as far as the subject matter goes, which movements or periods in Judaism may be judged to represent the "authentic" faith. In the end we learn that authenticity is a relative term. What is authentic now, was radical and frequently rejected before.

This class is one of the most boring classes i have ever taken. I can't bear to sit through it day after day, and i dread going to it.

Boring. Boring. Boring. The TA's were horrible, too. Stay away.

The reading list was extremely manageable, which meant that you actually found it possible to attend class having read all the assigned passages. Two papers or one longer paper. One final exam. Frequent quizes ensured that we learned the material, and enabled us to better prepare for the periodic long exams.

Take-home midterm, research paper (20 pages), final

Brilliant professor, interesting lectures, completely intimidating. If you ask a question, he's likely to attack you. But obviously knows is stuff, and lectures are organized, easy to follow.

Yerushalmi has the speaking ability of a Roman orator, the piercing brilliance of a philosopher, and the dignity of an aged statesman. Whatever you think of history entering a Yerushalmi course, you will leave it finding that everywhere are elements of majesty, grandess, tragedy, and greatness. It is unlikely that Yerushalmi will teach "Anti-Semitism" again, but do not let this stop you from signing up for whatever he is teaching this semester . There is one caveat: while there are no listed prerequisites, a lack of background in Jewish history could make for a struggle, though certainly not an insurmountable one.

Professor Yerushalmi is not only a scholar of renowned knowledge, but also a lecturer of great ability. He manages to get across a general feeling for his subject while making sure all details are provided in a concise manner. Yerushalmi often focuses on causation and includes background, though he never gets far off track from the core of the lecture. He has a talent for dry wit that is appreciated by the majority of his students. Lectures, though intense, are enjoyable and make for easy note-taking. Yerushalmi comes highly recommended by all who have taken his courses, and I must agree. He is not to be missed by anyone with an interest in history.