Brandeis Magazine

By Julian Cardillo ’14

Even as a youngster attending Camp Ramah in the 1960s, Jonathan Sarna ’75, GSAS MA’75, H’25, was nicknamed “Professor” by his fellow campers, who must have sensed his scholarliness.

They were right. Sarna, a University Professor and the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Emeritus, at Brandeis, became a student of American Jewish history — and arguably its greatest chronicler.

On the heels of receiving an honorary degree and delivering the undergraduate keynote address during this year’s Commencement exercises, and on the 50th anniversary of his graduation from Brandeis with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Near Eastern and Judaic studies, Sarna is retiring.

Slowing down, however, he is not. Though small and wiry in stature, the beloved teacher and mentor to generations of Brandeis students is a powerful champion of the Jewish experience.

Seen by many as the voice of authority on American Jewish history, Sarna has given countless interviews to media outlets; penned more than 100 scholarly articles; and authored 32 books, including the award-winning “American Judaism: A History” (which was featured as a clue in a Jerusalem Post crossword puzzle) and “Lincoln and the Jews: A History.”

He is currently writing a book (with Benjamin Shapell) on Mark Twain, the Jews and late-19th-century American antisemitism, exploring how Twain, like many prominent 19th-century figures, grew up with little or no contact with Jews, only to find himself in an increasingly pluralistic society.

“One of the great fears for a scholar is running dry, feeling as though you are no longer creative,” says Sarna. “Fortunately, American Jewish history remains a wide-open field, with many areas still insufficiently researched.” 

Scholars often depict American Jewish history in linear terms, Sarna says, “where everyone started Orthodox and eventually assimilated. But, early in my career, I challenged that idea. I believe the real story of American Jewry is one of ups and downs — cyclical, with periods of revival.”

As a Jewish historian, Sarna feels a particular responsibility to safeguard the Jewish experience.

“History has shown that persecuted peoples — those who have good reason to fear for their civilization — feel a deep sense of responsibility to preserve their traditions,” he says. “Jews have had that fear for centuries, even before the Holocaust. But the Holocaust and, now, Oct. 7 have heightened that concern. There’s a strengthened sense of duty to keep the tradition alive.” 

Sarna will continue to lecture near and far, and serve as the chief historian of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, in Philadelphia. He will also continue to serve as a fellow at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy for Jewish Research.

On campus, his impact on countless students like Elisha Gordon ’25, one of Sarna’s most-recent teaching assistants, will no doubt endure.

“He’s a wonderful man — warm, truly responsive, always willing to lend a hand,” says Gordon, whom Sarna helped land a summer internship as a research consultant at the Weitzman. “Despite his many commitments, he remains deeply engaged in the field.

“It’s hard not to be his fan.”