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The art of retelling ancient stories: A Q&A with Steven Weitzman
Steven Weitzman standing upright and smiling, facing forward, in the Library at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, next to a wall with books on display

Steven Weitzman is the Ella Darivoff Director of the Katz Center of Advanced Judaic Studies.

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  • Q&A

    • The art of retelling ancient stories: A Q&A with Steven Weitzman

    In his new book, the Penn professor and scholar of religion examines how the biblical story of the 10 plagues has been reshaped by people across time and culture to make sense of their experiences and find meaning in disasters.

    3 min. read

    How a postwar research push changed Penn
    Three men and one woman look at an item through a microscope in a HUP laboratory.

    Researchers look through a microscope in a lab at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania around 1940.

    (Image: Courtesy of University Archives)

    How a postwar research push changed Penn

    In the second of a limited series, “Chapters of Change” showcases another transformational moment in Penn’s past shaped by changes in society—World War II—during which the U.S.’s drive for knowledge sparked massive investments in research.

    5 min. read

    How does medicine come to be?
    A bowl of dried ginger root for traditional Chinese medicine.

    Image: LightStock via Getty Images

    How does medicine come to be?

    By tracing substances from their roots to how they’re used today, a team including Hsiao-Wen Cheng of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations aims to answer questions about how medical practices evolve.

    From Omnia

    2 min. read

    A look inside the political economy of early America
    A 1700s etching of Boston

    A 1700s etching of Boston, seen from the southeast, by engraver John Carwitham.

    (Image: Library of Congress)

    A look inside the political economy of early America

    Penn economist Fernando Arteaga shares insights into the factors that led to the American Revolution and the later institutions that created the strong U.S. national economy.

    3 min. read

    Historian, scholar, and best-selling author Michael Beschloss to speak at Penn’s 270th Commencement
    Michael Beschloss

    Award-winning presidential historian and scholar Michael Beschloss will be receiving an honorary doctor of letters degree at Penn’s 270th Commencement.

    (Image: Stephen Voss)

    Historian, scholar, and best-selling author Michael Beschloss to speak at Penn’s 270th Commencement

    At the Commencement ceremony on Monday, May 18, Beschloss will receive an honorary degree, along with the other 2026 Penn honorary degree recipients.

    5 min. read

    Exploring Black America: A historian’s unique path of inquiry
    Marcia Chatelain

    Marcia Chatelain’s next book, coming out this fall, is a narrative history of the women who played roles in the 1963 March on Washington.

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    Exploring Black America: A historian’s unique path of inquiry

    Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marcia Chatelain, a Penn Presidential Compact Professor of Africana Studies, takes a unique approach to history, from the impact of fast food to the leadership of the Civil Rights Movement.

    4 min. read

    Chapters of Change: The blossom of Penn’s professional schools in the 19th century
    Penn’s campus in 1891.

    A view of campus on May 20, 1891, looking northeast toward the corner of 34th and Walnut streets.

    (Image: Courtesy of University Archives)

    Chapters of Change: The blossom of Penn’s professional schools in the 19th century

    “Chapters of Change” highlights key moments of change in Penn’s history, adapting to shifts in society. In the 19th century, the University faced industrialization and more by creating some of its first professional schools.

    6 min. read

    A look at Revolutionary War nursing
    Meg Roberts and Jessica Martucci looking at the Nursing the Revolution exhibition wall.

    Curator Jessica Martucci, left, and guest curator Meg Roberts discuss the “Nursing the Revolution” exhibit at the Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing.

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    A look at Revolutionary War nursing

    A new exhibit at Penn’s Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing documents the long trajectory of nursing in America, going back to the Revolutionary War.

    3 min. read