Yossi Chajes

J. H. (Yossi) Chajes (Ph.D., Yale University 1999) is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Department of Jewish History of the University of Haifa. A former recipient of Fulbright, Rothchild, Wexner, and Hartman Fellowships, Chajes was also Visiting Professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. His book, Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003) was a Koret Jewish History Book Award finalist. He is currently writing a book on the "Magic Taboo" in Jewish culture as well as a book on cosmological cartography in early modern Judaism. The latter project was awarded a three year grant by the Israel Science Foundation in 2008. Chajes, a classical pianist, was also a student of R. Shlomo Carlebach's, and performed with R. Carlebach for many years. Today Chajes is in demand as a Carlebach Hazzan and is invited to congregations around the world to lead weekends of prayer, devotional study, and lectures. Yossi lives in Zichron Yaakov with his wife Julie; he has four children, ages 12-20.