Robert Eisen
Title — Department Chair, Professor
Address — 2106 G Street NW
Office — Room 303B
Phone — 202-994-6327
E-mail — eisen@gwu.edu
Areas of Expertise —
Judaism, History of Jewish Thought, & Jewish Ethics
Background
Robert Eisen is Professor of Religion and Judaic Studies at George Washington University in Washington D.C. He received his B.A. at Yale University in 1983, and his Ph.D. in Jewish thought at Brandeis University in 1990. His areas of interest include medieval and modern Jewish philosophy, biblical interpretation, religious ethics, and comparative religion. He is author of three books, Gersonides on Providence, Covenant, and the Chosen People (State University of New York Press, 1995); The Book of Job in Medieval Jewish Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2004); and The Peace and Violence of Judaism: From the Bible to Modern Zionism (Oxford University Press, 2011). He has also co-edited two volumes: Philosophers and the Jewish Bible (University of Maryland Press, 2008) with Charles Manekin, and Just Peacemaking in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Pilgrim Press, forthcoming) with Glen Stassen and Susan Thistlethwaite. Professor Eisen has also received a number of grants and awards to support his research, including a Fulbright research grant at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1999-2000. He was also given a teaching award in 2005 from George Washington University in recognition of his contributions in the classroom.
Professor Eisen has also been active in adult education initiatives. He served from 1991-2008 on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Jewish Studies which brings lecturers to Washington from academic institutions all over the world. He has also lectured and taught widely in the Jewish and non-Jewish communities in Washington and elsewhere.
Professor Eisen is also active as a consultant on issues of religion and international conflict with a particular interest in fostering better relations between the West and the Islamic world. He has participated in a number of high-level dialogues and consultations in Washington and abroad concerning this issue. He is a member of the C-1 Committee, an organization of Muslim and Christian leaders that grew out of the World Economic Forum and is devoted to improving relations between Muslims and Christians throughout the world. He is on the advisory board of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. He has also worked with the United States Institute of Peace in Washington.