Wolfson, Elliot R.

Elliot R. Wolfson (born November 23, 1956) is a scholar of Jewish mysticism, comparative religion, and philosophy. From 2014 to 2024 he was the Marsha and Jay Glazer Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he now serves as Distinguished Professor of Religion Emeritus. He was previously the Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University (1987–2014). Wolfson earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in philosophy at Queens College of the City University of New York, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Near Eastern and Judaic studies from Brandeis University, where he trained under the supervision of Alexander Altmann. Described as "one of the most prominent living scholars in the field of religion," Wolfson is considered an authority on the history of Jewish mysticism known for his application of frameworks in philosophy, literary criticism, and feminist theory to the study of Kabbalistic texts. He is also considered to be "the leading scholarly interpreter" of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, seventh leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty.