J e f t: Created page with "== About me == I’m Josh, a Conservative Jew and a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at the number-1 public academic research institution in the United States. I contribute to Halachipedia to make normative halakhic literature more accessible to interested folks online, particularly those who may be unfamiliar with Hebrew, Aramaic, so-called Jewish English, or the organization of classical Jewish legal texts. Although my perspective is informed by my Conservative Jewis..."

2026-10-28T16:14:31Z

Created page with "== About me == I’m Josh, a Conservative Jew and a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at the number-1 public academic research institution in the United States. I contribute to Halachipedia to make normative halakhic literature more accessible to interested folks online, particularly those who may be unfamiliar with Hebrew, Aramaic, so-called Jewish English, or the organization of classical Jewish legal texts. Although my perspective is informed by my Conservative Jewis..."

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== About me ==
I’m Josh, a Conservative Jew and a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at the number-1 public academic research institution in the United States. I contribute to Halachipedia to make normative halakhic literature more accessible to interested folks online, particularly those who may be unfamiliar with Hebrew, Aramaic, so-called Jewish English, or the organization of classical Jewish legal texts. Although my perspective is informed by my Conservative Jewish identity, I aim to present each authority and tradition on its own terms rather than treating my personal practice as normative (especially given the Orthodox commitment of the site).

== Scientific work ==
My primary research area is the clinical epidemiology of respiratory viruses, especially influenza and other vaccine-preventable respiratory infections. I study how aging affects immune function and vice versa, susceptibility to infection, and vaccine response, drawing on epidemiology, immunology, geroscience, molecular biology, and epigenomics. My research uses DNA methylation analyses to investigate biological responses to vaccination and age-related differences in immunity. Specifically, I want to understand whether routine vaccination is associated with slowing of the biological aging clock.

== Editorial interests ==
My editing generally focuses on:
* verifying claims against primary halakhic sources;
* adding precise, stable links to texts on [https://www.sefaria.org Sefaria] when available;
* identifying rabbinic authorities by their full commonly used names at first mention;
* defining unfamiliar Hebrew and Aramaic terms;
* distinguishing ''Halakha'' from custom, recommendation, interpretation, and minority opinion;
* preserving relevant differences among Jewish legal and communal traditions;
* improving grammar, organization, transliteration, and MediaWiki reference formatting; and
* helping folks engage directly with sources rather than relying on unsupported summaries.

I prefer citations that identify the authority, work, and precise location. I avoid linking to a general work when a passage-level link is available, and I flag sources or claims that I cannot verify.

== Current Halachipedia interests ==
I am currently interested in articles concerning:
* the Jewish morning
* nighttime practices and customs associated with sleep
* accessible explanations of Hebrew terminology
* the verification and presentation of primary halakhic sources

== Contact ==
Please feel free to leave a message on my talk page about an edit, source, citation, or formatting question. When raising a source issue, it is helpful to provide the work, section, edition, page number, or a stable online link. If a more detailed discussion is sought, request my email.

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