Edna Nahshon is Professor of Hebrew at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York and a Senior Associate at Oxford University's Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. A recognized authority on Jews and performance she is the recipient of prestigious academic grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Memorial Foundation, YIVO and the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation, and the American Academy for Jewish Research. In her many publications she has focused on Yiddish theatre in America, the representation of Jews in late nineteen and early twentieth century theatre, and the nexus of religion and theatrical performance. Her books include: Yiddish Proletarian Theatre: The Art and Politics of the Artef, 1925-1940 (1998), From the Ghetto to the Melting Pot: Israel Zangwill's Jewish Plays (2005), and Jews and Shoes (2008). She is currently working on a book titled Countering Shylock that examines Jewish responses to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
