Rachel B. Gross | Department of Jewish Studies

Assistant Professor

John & Marcia Goldman Chair in American Jewish Studies

Email:

Phone:

(415) 338-1316

Building: Humanities Building

Room Number: Room 446

Education

JS 280 Introduction to Jewish Studies
JS 301 Judaism: An Introduction
JS/HIST 449 American Jewish History
JS/HIST 421 Food Fights: The Politics of American Jewish Consumption, 1654–present
JS/HIST/HUM 441 American Jews and Popular Culture

“Jews, Schmaltz, and Crisco in the Age of Industrial Food.” In Feasting and Fasting: The History and Ethics of Jewish Food, edited by Aaron S. Gross, Jody Meyers, and Jordan D. Rosenblum. New York: New York University Press, 2020.
“Table Talk: American Jewish Foodways and the Study of Religion.” Religion Compass 13, no. 4 (March 2019).
"Moving Parts: Contraptions and Jewish Traditions." In Contraption: Rediscovering California Jewish Artists, edited by Renny Pritikin and Mark D. Johnson. Munich, Germany: Hirmer Publishers, 2018.
"People of the Picture Book: PJ Library and American Jewish Religion." In Religion and Popular Culture in America, 3rd edition, edited by Bruce David Forbes and Jeffrey H. Mahan, University of California Press, 2017.
"Field Trip to the Kosher Kitchen: Religion and Politics in the University Dining Hall." Transformations: The Journal of Inclusive Scholarship and Pedagogy 25, no. 1 (Spring/Summer 2014), 128–137.
"‘Draydel Salad’: The Serious Business of Jewish Food and Fun in Postwar America." In Religion, Food, and Eating in North America, edited by Benjamin E. Zeller, Marie W. Dallam, Reid L. Neilson, and Nora L. Rubel. New York: Columbia University Press, 2014

“The Politics of Nostalgia.” Religion & Politics. February 2, 2021.
“How Children’s Books Keep the Jewish American Immigrant Story Alive.” Alma. January 13, 2021.
“How to Pick the Fictional Bubbe and Zayde Who Are Right for You.”In Geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies. December 1, 2020.
“Memory.” In “A Universe of Terms” series, edited by Mona Oraby and Daniel Vaca. The Immanent Frame: Secularism, Religion, and the Public Sphere. May 29, 2020.
“Crisco and Jews: A Story ‘4,000 years’ in the Making.” J. The Jewish News of Northern California. March 2, 2020.
"A Million Matzo Balls." Co-authored with Jessica Kirzane. The Yiddish Book Center's Great Jewish Books Teacher Resources. March 30, 2018.
"Jewish Food Does Not Begin and End with Kosher."JTA, February 15, 2018.
"'An Unjustified S(ch)mear Campaign': Narratives of American Jewish Food." Stroum Center for Jewish Studies E-Journal, University of Washington, November 16, 2017.
“Is the Statue of Liberty a Jewish Woman?”J. The Jewish News of Northern California, July 3, 2017.
“‘Anne ♥ Peter’ and the Rise of Anne Frank Fan Videos.” The Jewish Daily Forward, The Sisterhood blog, November 17, 2015.
“Who Counts as a Jew?” Religion & Politics, October 8, 2013.

Interview: Briallen Hopper. “11 Questions: Beyond the Synagogue by Rachel B. Gross.” Killing the Buddha. February 8, 2021.
Podcast interview: Shalom Hartman Institute. Identity/Crisis. Episode 43, “Nostalgic Religion, Religious Nostalgia.” February 1, 2021.
Public conversation: The Great Big Jewish Food Fest. “What We Talk About When We Study Jewish Food: Scholarly Perspectives.” In conversation with Dr. Jordan Rosenblum. May 20, 2020.
Podcast interview: Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg. Judaism Unbound. Episode 171, “Digesting Judaism.” May 24, 2019.
Radio interview: Deena Prichep. “How A Corporation Convinced American Jews to Reach for Crisco.” NPR Weekend Edition Sunday. December 2, 2018.

CV: