David Orenstein successfully defended his dissertation “A Contemporary Analysis of Shifting Contours of Jewish and Christian Identities” in Durham, NC on March 22, 2021 via Zoom. Dr. Laura Lieber (Duke) and Dr. Yaakov Ariel (UNC-Chapel Hill) co-chaired his committee, on which Drs. David Morgan and Joseph Winters (both from Duke) also served. Not only was Orenstein awarded The Leonore and Louis Piser Prize in Jewish Studies, Faculty Award, Robert A. and Sandra S. Born Merit Scholarships, Percy Family Scholarship, and Brandeis University Merit Scholarship and recognized as an Indiana University Founder’s Scholar, but also was a champion at funding his doctoral work, as evidenced by the following list of various sources from which he managed to secure funding:
The Kenan Institute for Ethics Joseph Shatzmiller Fellowship in Jewish Studies, funded by the Duke Center for Jewish Studies (2020-present)
Jewish Studies Perilman Fellowships and summer research stipends (2015-present)
Bass Instructor of Record and Teaching Assistant Fellowships (2019-2020)
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah-Yeshivat Maharat Mind the Gap Program Fellowship (2020-present)
We here at the Graduate Program in Religion wish David all the best in his future endeavors.