He is working on a book about Shakespeare and traditions of female impersonation on the early modern English stage. According to Shapiro, Christians in the Middles Ages believed that Jews descended from the devil, and this belief caused Jews to become the subject of a number of peculiar myths and misunderstandings. In the same time period, Shapiro said, religious restrictions on Christians and societal restrictions on Jews frequently left Jews with no alternative but the occupation of money lending at interest. The Drobny program offers the services of 10 U. of I. faculty members who can speak to synagogues, churches, libraries and other interested groups on a variety of topics concerning Jewish culture and society. Mindy Basi, assistant to the director at the Drobny program, said that the new bureau advances part of the mission of the program, which is to provide outreach to the general public.
Groups pay only a modest fee and travel expenses for the speaker.