Rate My Professor Abraham Lavender

Abraham Lavender, Professor Emeritus of Sociology in the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University, contributed extensively to the field of Social Science through his academic career spanning several institutions. A native of South Carolina, he earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1963 and an M.A. in Psychology from the same university in 1965. He completed his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Maryland in 1972, with a dissertation on generational changes in Jewish identity in the United States. Lavender served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1968, stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and Izmir, Turkey, as part of NATO operations. Before joining FIU in 1990, he was a professor of sociology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the University of Miami, retiring from FIU in 2018. He was also affiliated with the Global Jewish Studies Program and Sephardic Studies at FIU.

Lavender's research specializations encompassed Judaic Studies, with a particular emphasis on Sephardic (Spanish and Portuguese) Jews and descendants of the secret Jews (Crypto-Jews) from Spain, Portugal, and Italy; broader ethnicity studies including Hispanics, Blacks, and others; Crypto-Judaic languages and literature; Jewish-Arab comparisons; social, national, and religious DNA comparisons; reincarnation from various cultural perspectives; and the history and social life of Miami Beach. He served as the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian Crypto-Jews (JOSPIC-J), editing volumes 1 through 8 from 2009 to 2016, supported by FIU's School of International and Public Affairs, the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, and the Martin Sosin Foundation. Among his key publications are A Coat of Many Colors: Jewish Subcommunities in the United States (1977, edited), Miami Beach in 1920: The Making of a Winter Resort (2002), French Huguenots: From Mediterranean Catholics to White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (1990), and Jewish Farmers of the Catskills: A Century of Survival (1995, with Clarence Steinberg). Lavender held influential leadership positions, including founding president of the Miami Beach Historical Association, president of the South Florida Association of Phi Beta Kappa, and president of the Men’s Club at Temple Beth Tov in West Miami. His work bridged academia and community engagement, reflecting deep commitments to genealogy, DNA research, and multicultural understanding.