Dr. Daniel Schwartz, associate professor of history and the director of the Judaica Studies Program at George Washington University in Washington, DC, answers “What does it mean to be Jewish?” in our latest #0dot2 video.

Daniel Schwartz specializes in modern Jewish and European intellectual and cultural history.  His first book, “The First Modern Jew: Spinoza and the History of an Image,” traces the shifting image of the 17th ccentury Dutch Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza in modern Jewish culture.  It was co-winner of the 2012 American Academy for Jewish Research’s Salo Wittmayer Baron Prize, and a finalist for the 2012 National Jewish Book Award in History.

Professor Schwartz is currently working on a new research project, a genealogy of the ghetto that traces its evolution as a word, concept, metaphor, and place in both Jewish history and beyond Jewish contexts as such.  His research interests include Jewish historical consciousness, early modern and modern Jewish identities, and Jewish intellectuals.

Schwartz received his Ph.D in 2007 from Columbia University.

B’nai B’rith International has launched the Zero.Dot.Two Initiative (#0dot2) ahead of its 175th anniversary to discuss ideas around Jewish identity, to educate social media users about Judaism as a proactive way to combat anti-Semitism and to promote the Jewish connection to the State of Israel through the voices of many online influencers.  With approximately 14.4 million Jewish individuals alive today, we represent approximately 0.2% of global citizens.

To learn more about this project and hear voices from other Jewish influencers, please visit: http://bit.ly/2pZ3qov