Ziva R. Hassenfeld is a Associate Faculty Fellow of Pardes North America. Ziva is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Assistant Professor in Jewish Education at Brandeis University, and Director of Research for the Mandel Center. She studies reading comprehension from a sociocultural perspective, focusing on how children develop interpretations of the Hebrew Bible as a case of student reading development. She uses a variety of qualitative methods including ethnographic observation, stimulated recall interviewing, and think-aloud interviewing. These investigations connect her to the worlds of biblical hermeneutics, both contemporary and rabbinic, as well as literary theory and criticism. In addition to her research, Ziva is a passionate educator. She has taught Hebrew Bible in a variety of settings including high school, pre school and adult education. Most importantly, she is a Pardes Alum (06-08).
