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Israeli professor discusses humor in Bible with Brite students

Athalya Brenner, an Israeli professor of Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, sat with Brite students Monday night giving them the opportunity to talk with her about topics ranging from religion to feminism.

Brenner teaches a three-week class, Humor in the Bible, when visiting from Amsterdam, where she lives and teaches.

“I’m completely not religious; it’s a way of life,” Brenner joked. “And I’m a vegetarian.”

Brenner and her 14 students read from the Hebrew Bible as she points out examples to show that the Bible, and God, can be humorous.

“God in Judaism is funny,” Brenner said. “A little bit of humor won’t hurt anyone.”
Christina Garcia-Alfonso, a student in Brenner’s class, said it is great to have her here and that it’s exciting.

“She’s a well-known scholar and we get the privilege to know her,” Garcia-Alfonso said.

— Catherine Pillsbury