Jonathan D. Sarna ’75, GSAS MA’75
Photo Credit: Heratch Ekmekjian
Doctor of Humane Letters
University Professor Jonathan D. Sarna ’75, GSAS MA’75, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, is a world-renowned historian and long-serving member of the Brandeis faculty.
During his career, he led a number of programs, departments and centers at the university, including the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program, the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department and the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies. In 2014, he received the Dean of Arts and Sciences Mentoring Award.
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009, Sarna has written or edited more than 30 books on American Jewish history and life, including “American Judaism” (2004), widely considered the definitive history of American Jewry, which earned the Everett Jewish Book of the Year Award from the Jewish Book Council. He is also the author of “When General Grant Expelled the Jews” (2016) and “Coming to Terms With America: Essays on Jewish History, Religion and Culture” (2021).
Sarna serves as the chief historian of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia; co-chairs the Academic Advisory and Editorial Board of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati; and is a past president of the Association for Jewish Studies.
In September, Sarna received the Emma Lazarus Statue of Liberty Award from the American Jewish Historical Society, which praised his “rich contributions to American Jewish scholarship and legacy.” He has received numerous other awards, including the Lincoln Prize in 2016, the American Jewish Committee Akiba Award in 2005 and several honorary doctorates.
Sarna will officially retire from Brandeis at the end of this year, after 46 years in the academy, and 35 years of dedicated and passionate service on the Brandeis faculty.