Received Sylff fellowship in 2025
Academic Supervisor: Prof. Ephraim Shoham-Steiner
Current affiliation: Ben-Guion University of the Negev
Roi Ehrlich Geva is a doctoral student at Ben-Guion University of the Negev, where he completed both his B.A. and M.A. with distinction. His doctoral research focuses on a scholarly biography of Rabbi Eliezer bar Nathan Ravan), a leading twelfth-centuy Ashkenazi legal scholar and poet — a biography that has yet to be witten — alongside a broader exploration of Ashkenazi Jewish life and legal thought in medieval Europe.
Roi's academic journey is deeply intertwined with his personal commitments. Trained as a teacher, he has taught Bible studies and History at the middle school level, and remains passionate about shading knowledge across a variety of settings — from academic institutions to schools and community frameworks. Alongside his doctoral studies, he is enrolled at Beit Midrash Harel in Jerusalem, a liberal Othodox rabbinical seminary, pursuing rabbinic ordination. This dual path reflects his conviction that scholarship and religious leadership can work hand in hand to foster a more open and pluralistic Jewish public life in Israel.
Roi sees his combined training as a scholar, teacher, and future rabbi as a unique platform for enriching Jewish education and contributing to meaningful religious and social change in Israeli society.
Academic Achievements, Social Engagement Initiatives
Academic Achievements:
I completed my M.A. with distinction in June 2026, graduating with honors and receiving the Dean's Excellence Award for the academic year 2023-2024. I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Ben-Guion University of the Negev under the supervision of Prof. Ephraim Shoham-Steiner.
Social Engagement:
By training I am a qualified teacher, and until recently taught Bible studies and History at the middle school level. During my undergraduate studies and the early years of my teaching career, I resided at the Ashalim Student Village, un by the Aylim Association, where I was actively involved in operating a second-hand store and volunteering at a local elementary school. During my M.A. studies in Beer Sheva, I participated in the Hatman Institute's Hazon Program, which included joint community volunteering activities. I am currently enrolled at Beit Midrash Harel in Jerusalem, a rabbinical seminary, motivated by a deep commitment to fostering liberal religious change in Israeli society. I am also an active member of my local synagogue community in Jaffa.
Bief Summary of Support Program Activities
Archival research at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, examining Hebrew manuscripts attributed to Rabbi Eliezer bar Nathan (Ravan) and his contemporaries, alongside comparative Jewish and Christian sources from twelfth-century Ashkenaz, in support of a doctoral biography of Ravan.
