CRDC Board Member
Robert Eisen is Professor of Religion and Judaic Studies and Chair of the Department of Religion 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 Philosophers and the Jewish Bible (University of Maryland Press, 2008) with Charles Manekin. 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 an interest in fostering better relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims throughout the 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. He also serves on the Middle East Advisory Board for Search for Common Ground.