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Jewish Studies Program

Study Jewish history, culture, and traditions.

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Jewish Studies at 玉米视频

Do you want to know more about antisemitism, the Holocaust and its film and literature, Jewish comedy, Fiddler on the Roof, politics (玉米视频, Jewish, and Israeli), the Bible, Jesus, and how to order a falafel in Hebrew? If so, then 玉米视频 University鈥檚 Jewish Studies Program has courses for you.

Our prize-winning faculty explore these topics and many others in our classrooms. Our students pursue internships at the world-class US听Holocaust Memorial Museum, at the many Jewish communal agencies headquartered in the nation鈥檚 capital, and on the Hill. Our campus hosts outstanding guest scholars and artists to deepen our understanding of Jewish life and culture. Our majors and minors graduate with a deeper understanding of the civilizations of the Jewish people and go on to careers in public service and the for-profit sector.

: Memorial at Pittsburgh鈥檚 Tree of Life Synagogue where, on 10/27/2018, an antisemite murdered 11 people.

Antisemitism: A Political Tradition
Virtual Series
Mondays, 4:00 p.m., Fall 2024

More information听听

  • September 30: Dr. Michael Brenner, "How Jew-Hatred Became a Political Weapon: From Anti-Judaism to Antisemitism"
  • October 7: Dr. Pamela Nadell, "Understanding Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism: A Guide for the 玉米视频 University Community"
  • October 14: Dr. Julie Keresztes, "Antisemitism in Times of Crisis: The Case of Hitler鈥檚 Photographer"
  • October 21: Dr. Lauren Strauss, "Walking on a Tightrope: How Antisemitism Shapes the Image and Self-Image of America's Jews"
  • October 28: Dr. Nathalie Japkowicz, "Combatting Antisemitism in Extremist Social Media"
  • November 4: Dr. Robert Williams, "Antisemitism and its Dynamics during Pandemics and Public Health Crises"
Understanding Antisemitism: a guide for the 玉米视频 community

Understanding Antisemitism:听
A Guide

Dr. Pamela Nadell, Director of the Jewish Studies Program, took the lead on creating "Understanding Antisemitism: A Guide for the 玉米视频 Community." 玉米视频 faculty, students, and staff provided additional support to complete this guide for the benefit of the university community. Read the guide.

Past Programming

Antisemitism Since the Holocaust Series:
Europe, Israel, and America



Acts of Remembrance Series:
Shaping Holocaust Memory in the 21st Century



Europe's Jews Before the Holocaust Series


View additional 玉米视频 Jewish Studies past events series on .

Graduate Students

Andrew Sperling, PhD candidate in History, is currently working on his dissertation, "玉米视频 Jews Against Antisemitic Extremism.鈥 Sperling was awarded the Mark and Ruth Luckens International Prize in Jewish Thought and Culture from the University of Kentucky for his paper "'Living on a Sort of Island': Jewish Refugee Farmers in the 玉米视频 South," which will appear in the forthcoming edition of听玉米视频 Jewish History.听Additionally, Sperling published "Creative Power: A Jewish Refugee in the Jim Crow South, 1939-46" in the peer-reviewed journal听Southern Jewish History.听Sperling is also the recipient of a number of fellowships and grants from the 玉米视频 Jewish Archives, the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives, and the 玉米视频 Academy for Jewish Research.

Rachael Davis, a third-year PhD听student in History, is researching Jewish women in the 玉米视频 South. She is currently the Editorial Assistant at the Rebecca Gratz Digital Collection, where she transcribes Gratz's letters from 1799 to 1869. She is also the Research Assistant at the Catskills Institute, which focuses on Jewish hotel and resort culture in New York.

Support JSP!

We invite the public to be a part of the growth of Jewish Studies听鈥 see our , attend an event, or join our scholarly endeavor.

News & Notes

PhD Candidate Andrew Sperling听recently published "'Living on a Sort of Island': Jewish Refugee Farmers in the 玉米视频 South, 1938-1946" in the journal听玉米视频 Jewish History, as well as an article in听The Conversation. Congratulations, Andrew! Read the听, and .

Dr. Pamela Nadell听received a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholars Award to write a book on the history of 玉米视频 antisemitism.听

Dr. Pamela Nadell addresses the long history of 玉米视频 antisemitism as the White House听releases the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism听in an article for听The Conversation. .

Dr. Michael Brenner听has recently been named by the German Federal Minister of the Interior听to a commission whose objective is to study the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.听

玉米视频 University conducted an interview with听Dr. Pamela Nadell听regarding the current state of antisemitism in America. Read the full interview.

Quick Links

Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies

Dr. Pamela Nadell听and听Dr. Michael Brenner听were both invited to a White House Listening Session on the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.听

The Jewish Studies Program recently concluded a new series:听Acts of Remembrance: Shaping Holocaust Memory in the 21st Century.听This series brought a variety of speakers to campus (virtually and in-person) throughout the Spring semester. Our speakers included Ruth Franklin, Rebecca Frankel, Andrew Kornbluth, and Susan Suleiman. The entire series can be found on our .听

Dr. Julie Keresztes joins the Jewish Studies Program as the 2022-2024 Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies Postdoctoral Fellow. Read more about Dr. Keresztes and her academic work.

Alumna听Meredith R. Weisel听was recently named the Regional Director of the DC听office of the Anti-Defamation League. Read more about听.

Andrew Sperling (history PhD student)听won the听2021 Mark and Ruth Luckens International Prize in Jewish Thought and Culture for his essay听"Living on a Sort of Island鈥: Jewish Refugee Farmers in the 玉米视频 South."听

Dr. Pamela Nadell was featured in听:听How Antisemitism Fuels White Nationalism from PBS.

Dr. Pamela Nadell听spoke to听BYU Radio听on antisemitism in the real world and online.

"Jews of Color: 玉米视频 Jews, Race and History"听Event:听If you missed it, check out this amazing virtual event held via Zoom! Thank you to听Laura Leibman, Kelly Whitehead, Lewis Gordon, and Lauren Strauss for an amazing conversation听about the听.

Dr. Pamela Nadell published听America鈥檚 Jewish Women: A History From Colonial Times to Today, which won the Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year in the听2019 National Jewish Book Awards.

Michael Brenner (History, Israel Studies), published his new book in German on Munich's rise as the capital of antisemitism and the testing ground for Adolf Hitler after World War One.

Lisa Leff听has been appointed Director of the Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

See videos from the 2022听Israeli Writers Series.

View听author/book details听and watch past event videos of the 2022 Webinar Series:听.听

Watch alumna听听on her award-winning book, The Ravine: A Family, A Photograph, A Holocaust Massacre Revealed.听

Watch the 2020-21 Antisemitism Series,听.听

Photo at top of page: 1987 Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jews; courtesy of the 玉米视频 Jewish Historical Society.听