Aaron Koller

Aaron J. Koller (born in Baltimore, Maryland, 1978) is an American scholar of Hebrew and Semitic languages. He was a student of Professor Richard C. Steiner at Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, and later co-edited a volume in honor of Steiner. ^[1] He also studied Near Eastern Studies at the University of Pennsylvania under Jeffrey H. Tigay and Barry L. Eichler; Arabic and Columbia University; and Egyptian hieroglyphs at the Brooklyn Museum. Lawrence Stager was on his dissertation committee. ^[2] Koller began teaching at Yeshiva University in 2008, rising to become Professor of Near Eastern Studies. ^{[3] [4]} In April 2025, he was announced as the next Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge, England. ^[5] He is the first Jewish person to hold the chair that was established by King Henry VIII. ^{[6] [7]}

While at Yeshiva University, Koller argued that traditional Jewish law needed to be flexible enough the accommodate the full acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. ^[8] His position was condemned by many senior rabbis in the institution ^[9] but found support among many students. ^[10] Yeshiva has adopted a policy of barring LGBTQ+ students from forming a student club. ^{[11] [12]}

Selected works

• Koller, Aaron J. (2012). The semantic field of cutting tools in biblical Hebrew: the interface of philological, semantic, and archaeological evidence. Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series. Vol. 49. Washington, DC: Catholic Biblical Association of America. ISBN   978-0915170487.
• Koller, Aaron J. (2014). Esther in ancient Jewish thought. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-1107048355.
• Koller, Aaron J. (2020). Unbinding Isaac: the significance of the Akedah for modern Jewish thought. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society. ISBN   978-0827614734.

References

1. Koller, Aaron (2020). Semitic, Biblical and Jewish Studies in Honor of Richard C. Steiner (co-edited with Mordechai Z. Cohen and Adina Moshavi). Jerusalem and New York: Bialik. ISBN   978-965-536-277-0.
2. Koller (2009). "The ancient Hebrew semantic field of cutting tools: A philological, archaeological, and semantic study". repository.yu.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
3. "Aaron-Koller". Yeshiva University. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
4. "Aaron Koller - Curriculum Vitae". yeshiva.academia.edu. 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
5. Escoffery, Naidine (16 April 2025). "Aaron Koller joins AMES". Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
6. "Aaron Koller breaks barrier as first Jew in historic Cambridge role". The Jerusalem Post. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
7. Adams, Richard (2 June 2025). "Cambridge University appoints first Jewish professor of Hebrew". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
8. "On Halakha and LGBT". The YU Observer. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
9. Avrohom Gordimer (12 September 2019). "On Halacha and LGBT – Responding to Dr. Aaron Koller".
10. Anonymous YC Student (15 September 2019). "Engaging in Serious Debate: A Response to the Reduction of Professor Koller's Position".
11. Liam Stack (12 May 2025). "Yeshiva University Reverses Itself and Bans L.G.B.T.Q. Club".
12. Louis Keene (17 June 2025). "A groundbreaking agreement for LGBTQ+ Orthodox Jews collapsed after 50 days. What happened?".