Her chief academic interests are religions and sports and sexuality in Judaism, and she says that her beliefs were transformed by a Sabbath prayer book (Siddur Nashim) that refers to God as 'She'.
Her thinking about many of these issues was shaped by her teachers, who included Elaine Pagels and Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism.
Thereafter she served in several capacities at Temple University: as Director of Adult Programs, Director of the Program in Women's Studies, a faculty member in the departments of religion and women's studies, Senior Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts, and in June 2022 Professor Emerita.
[2] Alpert's research has focused on explaining and expounding the Reconstructionist tradition, the place of gays and lesbians in Jewish religious history, and the relationships between Jews, blacks, and sports during the years 1930–1950.
[4] She has also edited several volumes and published articles on a wide range of topics including sexuality in Judaism, the definition of who is Jewish and who is not, gay liberation theology, and Jackie Robinson.
In 2022 Alpert retired from her position as a professor in the Departments of Religion and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at Temple University, and Senior Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
"[10] An anthology, co-edited with Arthur Remillard, Gods, Games, and Globalization: New Perspectives on Religion and Sport was published by Mercer University Press in 2019.