Cambridge University appoints first Jewish professor of Hebrew

‘You can … be enthralled by the poetry and the philosophy without coming across as taking a stand on a contested issue,’ Koller says. Photograph: Danielle Amy/The Guardian

When Henry VIII established a royal professorship in Hebrew nearly 500 years ago, the idea that a Jew would fill the role at Cambridge studying the ancient language of the Israelites was impossible.

“It’s not surprising, if you know that at the time of Henry VIII Jews were banned from England. So that was quite a technical obstacle,” said Prof Aaron Koller, who later this year will become the first Jewish occupant of the post since 1540.