HARTLEY LACHTER, PhD

Hartley Lachter is the Philip and Muriel Berman Professor of Jewish Studies, and Director of the Berman Center for Jewish Studies at Lehigh University, where he is also the Chair of the Religion Studies department. He holds a B.A. in philosophy and Jewish Studies, and an M.A in biblical interpretation from McGill University. He also holds a Ph.D. in medieval Jewish mysticism from New York University. Dr. Lachter’s research focuses on the development of Kabbalah in relation to Jewish- Christian polemics in western European culture. He is the author of a book entitled Kabbalistic Revolution: Reimagining Judaism in Medieval Spain. Dr. Lachter has offered many adult education courses, and he has lectured widely in North America, Europe and Israel. He lives in Allentown, PA, with his wife Jessica Cooperman, and his two daughters, Zoe and Mollie.