Acknowledgments
This project would not have come together without the help of the many people who have supported me and offered critical feedback along the way. Thank you to the current editors of the Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism (JSJS), René Bloch and Karina Martin Hogan, who have kindly helped me through the process of transforming my dissertation into a book. Also, to Benjamin G. Wright III with whom I first discussed publishing my study with JSJS. And to Loren Stuckenbruck who published an earlier version of Chapter 2 from this study in the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha and granted me permission to include the article within this manuscript. I am also grateful for the publishers at Brill, specifically Marjolein van Zuylen and Theo Joppe, who assisted in getting this work from a word file to a printed hardcopy.
My PhD committee members, Judith Newman, Katherine Blouin, and John Marshall were an incredible team helping me frame and re-frame my project from its earliest beginnings to its final draft. Judith encouraged and challenged me to continually refine my thinking about Judaism and biblical narratives in Egypt and she read multiple articulations of the project. Katherine inspired me to think critically about water and its impact on ancient cultures. This project began in a course on water in Egypt taken with Katherine in the first year of my PhD and she has subsequently pushed me to think in new ways about how water figured into Jewish life in Egypt. John has always given me practical advice on balancing writing and teaching. He asked me many thought-provoking questions that challenged me to articulate my understanding of Judaism in different ways. Also, I would like to thank Kyle Smith, who was my internal examiner and raised many important questions about the significance of my work.
This project began in Toronto and ended in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. I benefited greatly from the rich intellectual environment at the University of Toronto where I completed by doctoral studies in the Department for the Study of Religion and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. Since moving to Newfoundland, I have found a new home at Queen’s College, an affiliate of Memorial University of Newfoundland. Through the opportunities provided by Rick Singleton and David Bell I have been able to grow professionally as a writer and teacher. I am thankful for the support and encouragement from all of the faculty and students of Queen’s College.
The information presented in this manuscript was shaped by many in the field of biblical studies. James Kugel, whom I met in a course he taught on Jubilees while visiting Toronto, and his work on biblical interpretation gave me a framework for thinking about the transmission of texts in antiqiuty. Also, Hindy Najman’s Mosaic Discourse and work with genre theories has given me tools for thinking about the transmission and categorization of biblical texts. Colleen Shantz and Rodney Werline, whose work on embodiment and experiences is pushing traditional boundaries of the field. I also learned a great deal from my time spent in Oxford as a Polonsky Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies (University of Oxford) in 2016. The project group, organized by Sarah Pearce and Alison Salvesen, brought together scholars working on the Jews in Egypt from the biblical to Medieval periods. Being a part of this group gave me a larger picture of Jewish life in Egypt, beyond my particular period of study.
I would also like to thank my friends and colleagues for reading and providing feedback on different sections of this project. Specifically to Amy Marie Fisher, Ian Brown, Rebecca Bartel, Youcef Soufi, and Aldea Mulhern for their feedback on the earliest articulation of my methodology in our reading group. Caroline Cormier gave me insightful comments on my introduction and critical feedback on the use of place theory in the project. My colleagues, John Screnock, Jonathan Vroom, and Carmen Palmer who read parts of this work and helped me with articulating a hero narrative within my writing. Also, to Emily Springgay and Anna Cwikla who provided editorial support and helped to point out aspects of my writing that needed attention. And thank you to Emily Springgay and Nicky Williams who helped me with the maps in this book.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for their constant support for the many years that it took me to get to this place. My sister Nicole who listened and supported me throughout this process. My parents, Mark and Cammie, for their unconditional love and who encouraged me to keep going and to always do my best. Also, to my mother-in-law Karen for her determined spirit who inspired me to get the manuscript done. My grandparents, Emile and Leona LaCoste, who taught me to be attentive to detail and are always curious to hear more about my research. Also, Don and Marlene Heim, who loved talking to me about the Bible and examining new theories of interpretation. Last but not least, to my partner Dave for helping me throughout my academic career and encouraging me to always strive for excellence. I could not have done this without his constant support.