Jonathan Sarna elected Massachusetts Historical Society fellow

Jonathan Sarna, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, recently joined the ranks of John F. Kennedy, Ralph Waldo Emerson and John Adams as an elected fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS).

Since its founding in 1791, the Massachusetts Historical Society has elected distinguished scholars and civic leaders to shape the society’s policies and act as ambassadors to the community.   

Other current fellows on the Brandeis faculty include historian and author David McCullough and Kathy Lawrence, senior lecturer in literature. Morton Keller, professor emeritus of history, also served as a MHS Fellow.

Sarna said he is honored by the election, especially as a scholar of Jewish history.

“The society's founders probably never envisaged that an American Jewish historian would one day sit in their midst,” Sarna wrote via email on his way to Jerusalem. “The society has been at the forefront of promoting historical scholarship in this state and I look forward to assisting its efforts.”

Conrad Wright, the Worthington C. Ford Editor and Director of Research at the MHS, said the society is excited to welcome Sarna.

“Jonathan is one of the great scholars of the history of American Jews and he will bring that extraordinary expertise to the society,” Wright said.