Amy-Jill Levine, a scholar of New Testament and Jewish studies, was announced earlier this month as the newly elected president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, making her the organization’s first Jewish leader. The announcement prompted antisemitic criticism on social media, with detractors questioning her appointment, making anti-Jewish statements, and raising objections to her religion and scholarly perspectives.
Levine has spent decades working at the intersection of Christian and Jewish scholarship, authoring multiple books and collaborating extensively with Christian scholars, including presenting a co-authored work to Pope Francis. The Catholic Biblical Association, comprising both Catholic and non-Catholic scholars dedicated to advancing biblical study within a faith context, emphasized that Levine was selected based on her scholarly excellence and significant contributions to Catholic-Jewish dialogue. The association’s leadership and numerous past presidents issued statements condemning the antisemitic backlash and reaffirming the values of respect and understanding that the organization upholds.
Leading Catholic figures have supported Levine’s appointment. Bishop Joseph Bambera, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committee on interreligious relations, congratulated her, noting that her election reflects the Vatican’s commitment to fostering deeper understanding and mutual respect between Catholics and Jews. The appointment comes amid what observers characterize as rising antisemitism in the country.
Levine, an adherent of Orthodox Judaism, has emphasized common ground between Christian and Jewish traditions. While she does not accept Christian theology regarding Jesus’ divinity, she views him as an early rabbinic teacher and argues that the gospels draw heavily from Jewish tradition and would have resonated with ancient Jewish audiences. As president, she intends to promote biblical scholarship excellence while working to ensure that religious education materials do not convey antisemitic messages and to strengthen Jewish-Catholic relations.
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