Rabbi Rebecca T. Alpert is associate Professor in the Departments of Religion and Women's Studies and the chair of the Department of Religion at Temple University.Her specialization is in American and especially Jewish American religious history, and she focuses on issues related to gender, sexuality and race. Alpert's research has focused on explaining and expounding the Reconstructionist tradition, the place of gays and lesbians in Jewish religious history and she is currently writing on the relationships between Jews, blacks and sports during the years 1930-1950. She has also edited several volumes and published articles on a wide range of topics including sexuality in Judaism, the definition of who is Jewish and who is not, gay liberation theology, and Jackie Robinson. She has lectured at a number of colleges and universities, including Columbia, UPenn, Princeton and Swarthmore and is an active public intellectual who writes for mainstream publications and frequently speaks at rallies and on panels in the Philadelphia region and beyond. Alpert is also a passionate teacher and the recipient of Temple's College of Liberal Arts distinguished teaching award. She has recently taught courses on religion in American public life, Jews, America and sports, and sexuality in world religions.