Dr. Joseph Weinstein

Dr. Joseph Weinstein is an interdisciplinary researcher with widespread interests in science, technology, ancient history, and archaeology. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Princeton University, a Master’s in Jewish Education from Boston Hebrew College, and a Ph.D. in Physics from MIT, and spent most of his professional career in private industry at Bolt, Beranek, and Newman (now Raytheon BBN Technologies) in Cambridge, MA. His activities in archaeology have focused on application of statistics and scientific data analysis techniques to pottery and other artifacts from the Ancient Near East. Participants in the annual SBL/AAR conference will recognize him as the person who usually organizes Shabbat meals and services.

Last Updated: April 17, 2026

Articles by Author

Red Heifer: A Soap Ritual

After contact with a corpse, a person must be sprinkled with a liquid mixture containing the ashes of a red heifer, together with cedar and ezov, alkaline plants that, when burnt, function as the key ingredients in a detergent.

We Were Slaves to the Hyksos in Egypt

The Hyksos, the West Semitic rulers of northern Egypt in the late 16th century B.C.E., are the biblical Pharaohs and their lower-class subjects, the Hebrews. Here is the history behind the exodus.

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