Fredric Brandfon was brought up in Queens, New York and went to college at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He received his Doctorate in History of Religions from the University of Pennsylvania after getting a Masters Degree in Folklore and Folklife. He also has a Law Degree from UCLA.
From 1973 through 1988, he helped conduct archaeological excavations at Tel Beer Sheba, Tel Michal and Tel Gerisa in Israel. The excavations were conducted under the auspices of Tel Aviv University, the University of North Carolina, Brigham Young University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Minnesota, the University of California, Berkeley, Macquarrie University of Sydney, Australia, and the Wisconsion Lutheran Seminary. Fredric Brandfon joined with Ze’ev Herzog and Anson Rainey in the publication of Beer-Sheba II, The Early Iron Age Settlements and contributed to Beer Sheba III and the Final Report on Tel Michal. He is a regular contributor to Tablet Magazine. His latest article “The Jews and the Pope, Looking at the Ambiguous, Still Evolving Jewish Relationship with the Vatican” was co-authored with Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, Chief Rabbi of Rome.
During his career as an archaeologist, he was assistant professor at Central Michigan University, Stockton University in New Jersey and the College of Charleston. He also received a Mellon Grant to research modern Philosophy of History as it pertains to archaeology. After receiving his law degree in 1991 he has practiced bankruptcy law in Los Angeles, California. He currently lives with his partner, Shirley Loeb in Santa Monica, California.
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Joy on Paper Interview
Listen to PatZi from “Joy on Paper” on Fredric Brandfon about Intimate Strangers