A Program of Stony Brook University Hillel 

Sunday, April 7, 2024
10:45 a.m.
Charles B. Wang Center
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 

Jewish University for a Day brings together leading authors, academics, rabbis, public figures, journalists, and others in a day-long series of mini-courses and presentations centered around Jewish themes. The event, sponsored by Stony Brook Hillel, is now entering its 13th year and draws hundreds of attendees over the years.

This year, Dr. Sarit Kattan Gribetz, JTS Fellow and Associate Professor of Classical Judaism, Fordham University will be presenting, “How did Helena of Adiabene Become Queen of Jerusalem?” Other presenters include ambassador Dennis Ross on what’s next for Israel and the Mideast; a special panel discussion on antisemitism led by Bard Center for the Study of Hate’s Kenneth Stern; and much more. Proceeds from the event directly support Jewish life on campus.

“How did Helena of Adiabene Become Queen of Jerusalem?“

Dr. Sarit Kattan Gribetz, JTS Fellow and Associate Professor of Classical Judaism, Fordham University 

According to the first-century historian Josephus Flavius, Queen Helena of Adiabene traveled from northern Mesopotamia to Jerusalem because she loved the Jewish God and wished to worship in the temple. Helena became a beloved patron of Jerusalem, feeding its residents during famine and erecting monumental buildings, including a palace and a mausoleum.

Late antique rabbinic and Christian writings continued to tell her story. But by the medieval period, she was remembered as queen of Jerusalem during the life of Jesus and the adjudicator between Judaism and Christianity. How did Helena of Adiabene become queen of Jerusalem—and why? This talk will explore the long legacy of Queen Helena and how this figure helps us to think about the transmission of traditions, the construction of memory, interreligious relations, and the history of Jerusalem.