About
Dr. Elliot Ratzman is a social ethicist working at the intersection of religious studies, political theory, and community organizing. At the Wallenberg Institute, he will be completing his first book, Zipporah’s Knife: A Jewish Reckoning with Race, which examines the dynamic of antisemitism and antiracism after 1967 in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. Ratzman is also researching the theology and networks of American Jewish pacifists after the rise of Nazism; considering theoretical approaches to ‘resistance’ and rescue, acquiring materials on modern moral perfectionism and spiritual disciplines; exploring testimonies of the self in extreme situations: as hostage, prisoner, convert, organizer. Most of his interests originate in the problem of bystanders and rescue, and the strategies and tactics that moderns have developed to coordinate moral commitment with practical action. Ratzman is also involved with interreligious efforts for Middle East peace, racial justice, anti-militarism, immigrant dignity, and health care equity. He is a board member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Extend Programs: Educating for Justice in Israel/Palestine, and the Jewish Peace Fellowship.
