Japanese Rabbi-scholar, Convert to Judaism, Joins Miami University Staff

Rabbi A.O. Hiroshi Okamato. a Japanese scholar in the field of comparative religions and a convert to Judaism, has joined the University of Miami’s religion department as assistant professor, it was announced by Dr. W. Ivay Hoy, department chairman. Rabbi Okamato will teach courses on major world faiths, Hebrew scriptures and Oriental religions. In 1958, he won the S.H. Scheuer Fellowship through the Fulbright program, enabling him to study at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1958 to 1964, where he earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Hebrew letters. During his studies for his Master’s degree he received honors in Rabbinics and in 1964 was ordained a rabbi. Rabbi Okamato returned to Tokyo for two years as rabbi and director of the Tokyo Jewish Seminar. During this period he taught comparative religions at the Jewish Community Center School of Tokyo. He also taught Hebrew for English-speaking students at Hebrew Union College and advanced Japanese in Oxford’s Oriental Institute. The 43-year-old rabbi-professor is a graduate student at Oxford University since 1967 and expects to receive his Ph. D later this year. His special interests are in Japanology and comparative ethics as reflected in the Hebrew-Aramaic-Syriac and Sino-Japanese translations of the Bible.