A selection of public engagement efforts and recorded lectures can be found below.
Please do Get In Touch if you are looking for a guest speaker for your organization or digital content. I can cover a range of topics related to Christian art, drama & film; antisemitism and anti-Judaism; Jewish daily life in the Roman era, and the cultural context of the New Testament; and more.
Teaching & Training
I work with schools, religious institutions, and charitable organizations to deliver training sessions, lectures, and workshops centered around aspects of the study of Christianity and Judaism, religion, ancient history, and the humanities more broadly, and understanding culture through different media.
Recent engagements include:
RE Teacher Training | Teaching Christianity with Respect to Judaism
Delivered to: Faculty, Parish Primary School; Heads of RE, Aquinas Education Trust
This hour-long session introduces teachers to some common misconceptions about Judaism, and its relationship to Christianity, that they may inadvertently replicate in RE lessons. This includes old anti-Judaic and antisemitic tropes imbedded in our culture, and thus often hard to spot. The session aims to help teachers improve their instruction of both Christianity and Judaism, free from prejudice.
Lecture Series | Jewish Identity & Culture During the Second Temple Period
Organized by: North Shore Jewish Center, New York
This series of two lectures provided an introduction to Jewish life in Judea (and surrounding areas) from the 1st century BCE - 1st century CE, including the architecture, music, art, clothing, and broader cultural environment, with an overview of the archaeological and literary evidence.
Workshop | Domestic Life in Ancient Rome
Delivered to: Year 4 classes, Harris Primary Academy Shortlands
This hour-long session, designed to support the history curriculum, covered household structure, differences in homes across social classes, Roman bathrooms and kitchens, and children's toys. Learning incorporated object handling, the opportunity to try (reproduction) Roman clothing, and a virtual exploration of a Roman villa in Pompeii.
Interviews
Biblical Time Machine, Episode 48: What Would Jesus Wear?
Interviewed by Biblical Time Machine, a podcast "exploring the people, places, and events of the Old Testament, New Testament, and everything in between". The interview included discussion of how Jewish people living in the Greco-Roman world would have dressed, and why there is so little scholarship on the topic.
The Two Cities, Episode #134
Interviewed by The Two Cities, a podcast about theology, culture, and discipleship, as part of their series on 'Jesus Films'. The interview included discussion of ancient Jewish clothing in the New Testament period, how and why this differs from the typical costuming in Jesus films, and how film costume has an exegetical function.
Ancient Afterlives, Season 3 Episode 2
Interviewed for the second season of Ancient Afterlives, a podcast series on the ancient world and the importance of these ideas for our modern lives. The interview included discussion of the difference between historical clothing and film costume, expectations of "accuracy" in film costume, and some of the difficulties in casting.
The interview is in two parts.
Lectures
To Divide and Disparage: Representing 'Jews' and 'Christians' in Christian Art & Drama
A lecture given to the Council for Christians and Jews: Oxford as part of their Illustrated Art lecture series, introducing some of the key motifs used in Western Christian depictions of "Jews", from the early medieval period to today.
Victorian Palestinians as Biblical Jews: How Long-Standing Christian Bias Impeded Knowledge of Ancient Jewish Dress
A lecture addressing some of the reasons why the biblical past is visualized in the manner we are most familiar with. Given as part of the workshop series "Picturing Jewish Dress: Researching Belonging and Identification Through Historical Visual Sources" (2020).
'The Shoe is the Sign!' Costuming Brian and Dressing the First Century
A lecture on the importance of costume and costume design in so-called 'Jesus films'. Given as part of the Jesus and Brian conference hosted by King's College, London (2014).