The American Academy of Religion awarded Prof. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS), Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, the 2011 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion.

According to the AAR's website, the Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion was established in 1996. The award recognizes extraordinary strides and contributions to the public's understanding of religion. The notable contribution can be of any medium, so long as it is scholarship based in religion. The AAR puts stress on the fact that "the award is given to those whose work is eloquent and relevant, not only to scholars, but to the public as well."

In a phone interview with the Justice, Sarna expressed his excitement about receiving the award. "I am very honored to have won this award. While I am grateful to even have been nominated, I am largely honored because of the list of honorees, [which] includes some of the most significant names of those who have studied religion in America. These are all very important people in my field."

Among those previously bestowed with the Marty Award are: Martin E. Marty, professor at the University of Chicago; Cornel West, professor at Harvard University; and Diana Eck, Harvard University, among others.

Sarna is a graduate of Brandeis University, the Hebrew College, Mercaz HaRav Kook and Yale University. He obtained his doctorate in 1979 from Yale. Sarna has authored and edited more than twenty books, some of which have been turned into television documentaries. Among some of his other credentials, Sarna is chief historian of the new National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. He is considered an influential person in his field, and writes widely about issues affecting the American Jewish community. He also is chair of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis.

In a phone interview with the Justice, Sarna disclosed that he became interested in religious studies because it seemed to him that most of those who study American Jews look into peoplehood and ethnicity. He was especially interested in looking at Jews from the perspective of American religion. He also revealed that his largest influence was one of his Yale professors, Sydney Ahlstrom.

When asked how this award would affect Sarna's career, he said that winning the award is too recent to have had any significant effects on his career. However, Sarna said that he "hopes having won will lead to more people reading and being influenced by my work. That would honestly be the ultimate gratification. I also hope it serves as a reminder that Judaism is a big part of American religion."