Tuesday, May 23, 2023 — 1pm (EDT)
Talia Hurwich
Presentation Summary: Comic book and graphic novel adaptations of the Bible and other holy texts have existed since the 1940s and as a medium are uniquely positioned to bridge a classic text with popular culture. In this session, Talia Hurwich will provide a brief overview of the breadth of comic book and graphic novel adaptations of the Bible and rabbinic writings. Starting with an introduction to this body of work, she will then share some of her work on how the medium can be used — and is used by Jewish Modern Orthodox adolescents — to navigate between contemporary and traditional conceptions of women’s roles in religion and society.
Bio: Talia Hurwich is an education researcher whose work has spanned Jewish education, STEAM, adn ELA education. Dr. Hurwich completed her Ph.D. at NYU. There, she studied graphic novel adaptations of traditional Jewish texts as a site to probe readers’ autonomy and their literacy practices, particularly when considering gender’s role in Jewish life. She is completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Drexel University in training graduate students’ capacity to undertake creative interdisciplinary teamwork in research. Dr. Hurwich is a former Hebrew and Jewish Studies teacher for grades 5-8 as well as a former middle school Writing Instructor and curriculum mentor for gifted students.
