David Kraemer
Professor, Librarian
Jewish Theological Seminary

David Kraemer is Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian (Director of The Library) at The Jewish Theological Seminary, where he has also served as Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics for many years. As Librarian, Prof. Kraemer is at the helm of the most extensive collection of Judaica—rare and contemporary—in the Western hemisphere. On account of the size and importance of the collection, Prof. Kraemer is instrumental in setting policy and establishing vision for projects of international importance.

Prof. Kraemer is a prolific author and commentator. His books include The Mind of the Talmud (1990), Responses to Suffering in Classical Rabbinic Literature (1995), The Meanings of Death in Rabbinic Judaism (2000), and Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages (Routledge, 2007, 2009), among others. His most recent book is A History of the Talmud (Cambridge U. Press, 2019). His new book, Defending Diaspora, will be published by Oxford U. Press in 2023.

Selected Publications

A History of the Talmud, Cambridge University Press, anticipated publication: 2019.

Rabbinic Judaism: Space and Place, Routledge, 2016.

Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages, Routledge, 2007, 2009.

The Meanings of Death in Rabbinic Judaism, Routledge, 2000.

Responses to Suffering in Classical Rabbinic Literature, Oxford University Press, 1995.

The Mind of the Talmud: An Intellectual History of the Bavli, Oxford University Press, 1990