Born Ellen T. Zubrack,[1] Charry grew up in Philadelphia[2] and earned a BA in social work at Barnard College.
[2] After her children were born, she returned to study, graduating with both an MA and PhD in religion from Temple University.
[3] Her 1987 dissertation, supervised by Paul van Buren (himself a student of Karl Barth), was titled Franz Rosenzweig and the Freedom of God.
[4] From 1989 to 1991, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale Divinity School with a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.
[3][5] Charry's research has focused on how religious commitments and theological convictions contribute to human flourishing, and interfaith understanding between Judaism and Christianity.