Ruth R Wisse

Ruth R. Wisse was Professor of Yiddish literature and Comparative Literature at Harvard University from 1993-2014 and before that, helped found the Jewish Studies Department at McGill University. Currently a senior fellow at the Tikvah Fund and recipient of its Herzl Prize, she has written widely on cultural and political subjects for the Wall Street Journal, Commentary, National Affairs , and other publications. Her books include The Schlemiel as Modern Hero, The Modern Jewish Canon: A Journey...See more

Ruth R. Wisse was Professor of Yiddish literature and Comparative Literature at Harvard University from 1993-2014 and before that, helped found the Jewish Studies Department at McGill University. Currently a senior fellow at the Tikvah Fund and recipient of its Herzl Prize, she has written widely on cultural and political subjects for the Wall Street Journal, Commentary, National Affairs , and other publications. Her books include The Schlemiel as Modern Hero, The Modern Jewish Canon: A Journey Through Literature and Culture, No Joke: Making Jewish Humor, If I Am Not for Myself: The Liberal Betrayal of the Jews , and Jews and Power . In 2007, she was awarded the National Medal for the Humanities, and in 2004, an Honorary Degree by Yeshiva University. See less