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Jewish Studies Program

Study Jewish history, culture, and traditions.

Jewish Studies at 鶹ƽ

Do you want to know more about antisemitism, the Holocaust and its film and literature, Jewish comedy, Fiddler on the Roof, politics (American, Jewish, and Israeli), the Bible, Jesus, and how to order a falafel in Hebrew? If so, then 鶹ƽ’s 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 USHolocaust Memorial Museum, at the many Jewish communal agencies headquartered in the nation’s 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.

Courses Fall 2025

CORE-105: Jerusalem: Myth, History, Modernity

Tu/Fri 11:20AM – 12:35PM, Martyn Oliver

This course proceeds chronologically, beginning with the earliest archeological evidence of settlement in what is now Jerusalem and then turns to how the city plays a role in the mythic imagination of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As the story of Jerusalem plays out over time, students examine the tension between the physical city and its real-world inhabitants versus the many imperial projections about the city, from the Assyrians and Babylonians, the Persians, the Romans, the empires of medieval Europe and the Ottomans, the British, the Arabs and finally to the modern State of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. At every turn students explore how Jerusalem so often serves as a proxy for disputes over identity, culture, language, and religion. In addition to creating their own representations of Jerusalem, students visit local museums and institutions, hear from a variety of guest speakers, and develop an appreciation for the complexity of a place that, too often tragically, remains central to contemporary geo-politics and personal identity.

CORE-105: Antisemitism: Enduring Hatred

Wed 11:20AM – 2:10PM, Pamela Nadell

Hatred of the Jewish people and Judaism appeared in antiquity and continues to this very day. The phenomenon puzzles scholars, pundits, politicians, Jews, and people around the world. This course studies this complex problem, focusing on specific episodes of this hatred in the past and present, emphasizing its long history in the United States. Students read different genres of literature—history (secondary and primary sources), fiction, and nonfiction--to grapple with the multifarious dimensions of antisemitism, the world's oldest and longest hatred.

JWST 205: Ancient & Medieval Jewish Civilization

M/Th 9:45AM – 11:00AM, Lauren Strauss
Fulfills HOM Socio-Historical Inquiry for 鶹ƽ Core

Examines the independent Jewish states that flourished in Palestine, the rise of the most important Jewish communities outside the ancient Jewish homeland, and the foreign influences that shaped not only the political life of the Jews but also their internal organization and their creativity.

HEBR-116: Hebrew, Elementary Modern 1

M/Th 11:20AM – 12:35PM, Sarit Lisogorsky

Focuses on the acquisition of basic vocabulary and grammatical structures in culturally authentic contexts through speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension. Designed for students with no prior experience with Hebrew.

HEBR-216: Hebrew, Intermediate Modern 1

M/Th 9:45AM – 11:00AM, Sarit Lisogorsky

Focuses on the refinement of basic language skills in a cultural context. Expansion of vocabulary and grammatical structures and development of communicative skills.
Prerequisite: HEBR-117.

ISR-300-001: Foodways and Identity: Israel

Wed 2:30PM – 5:20PM, Lauren Strauss

This course uses food culture to study migration, identity, and intergroup relations in Israel. The histories of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and other communities are explored. The course employs an interdisciplinary approach based in history, economics, and material culture, also drawing on food resources in DC, from local restaurants to cookbook authors.

ISR-317-001: Israeli Politics & Public Policy

Tuesday/Friday 11:20-12:35, Dan Arbell

This course provides an overview of the geopolitical history of Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict from the pre-state era until the present as well as an analysis of the principles that guide Israel's political system and the cleavages in Israeli society which greatly affect developments and trends in politics and policy. It is mostly conducted as a lecture/discussion course, but also includes reading academic articles, watching films, listening to guest lectures, holding class debates, and discussing current news and developments.

HIST 419: Holocaust

Tu/Fri 11:20AM – 12:35PM, Instructor TBD

Traces the history of anti-Semitism and the development of racism that led to the Holocaust. Examines the historical development of the Final Solution. Considers the variety of responses to Jewish persecution by the Nazi perpetrators, the Jews, and the nations of the world.

HIST 443: History of Israel

M/Th 4:05PM – 5:20PM, Michael Brenner

Traces the development of modern political Zionism in nineteenth-century Europe; the historical background leading to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948; and the history of Israel since then, including patterns of Jewish immigration and its relationship to the Arab world.

RELG-105: Religious Heritage of the West

Tu/Fri 12:55PM – 2:10PM, Instructor TBD
Fulfills HOM Socio-Historical Inquiry for 鶹ƽ Core

Traces the history of anti-Semitism and the development of racism that led to the Holocaust. Examines the historical development of the Final Solution. Considers the variety of responses to Jewish persecution by the Nazi perpetrators, the Jews, and the nations of the world.

JWST 481: Senior Thesis in Jewish Studies I

Course has no meeting time, Lauren Strauss
Fulfills 鶹ƽ Core Capstone Integrative Requirement.

Completion of senior thesis on a topic selected after consultation with the student's advisor.

Prerequisite: JWST 481.

JWST 482: Senior Thesis in Jewish Studies II

Course has no meeting time, Lauren Strauss

Completion of senior thesis on a topic selected after consultation with the student's advisor.

Prerequisite: JWST 481.

JWST491:Internship in Jewish Studies (1-6 credits)

Course has no meeting time, Lauren Strauss

Provides students an opportunity to enrich organizational skills and gain experience in community relations, religious, Israel-centered, or social welfare agencies.Requires permission of instructor and/or program director.

Understanding Antisemitism:
A Guide

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

Past Programming

Antisemitism: A Political Tradition

Fall 2024


See the full 2024 or more about the series:

  • Dr. Michael Brenner, "How Jew-Hatred Became a Political Weapon: From Anti-Judaism to Antisemitism"
  • Dr. Pamela Nadell, "Understanding Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism: A Guide for the 鶹ƽ Community"
  • Dr. Julie Keresztes, "Antisemitism in Times of Crisis: The Case of Hitler’s Photographer"
  • Dr. Lauren Strauss, "Walking on a Tightrope: How Antisemitism Shapes the Image and Self-Image of America's Jews"
  • Dr. Nathalie Japkowicz, "Combatting Antisemitism in Extremist Social Media"
  • Dr. Robert Williams, "Antisemitism and its Dynamics during Pandemics and Public Health Crises"

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 鶹ƽ Jewish Studies past events series on .

Graduate Students

Andrew Sperling, PhD candidate in History, is currently working on his dissertation, "American Jews Against Antisemitic Extremism.” 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 American South," which will appear in the forthcoming edition ofAmerican Jewish History.Additionally, Sperling published "Creative Power: A Jewish Refugee in the Jim Crow South, 1939-46" in the peer-reviewed journalSouthern Jewish History.Sperling is also the recipient of a number of fellowships and grants from the American Jewish Archives, the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives, and the American Academy for Jewish Research.

Rachael Davis, a third-year PhDstudent in History, is researching Jewish women in the American 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— see our , attend an event, or join our scholarly endeavor.

News & Notes

Join the Department of History and the Jewish Studies Program for the annual Brandenburg Lecture & Annual Awards Ceremony, April 9, 5:00 – 7:30, in McDowell Formal Lounge. This year we will feature Dr. Julie Keresztes and her recently published book, Photography and the Making of the Nazi Racial Community. We will also recognize the achievements of History and Jewish Studies students from the last academic year. Awards Ceremony will begin at 5:00 and the lecture will begin at 5:30.

now available.

PhD Candidate Andrew Sperlingrecently published "'Living on a Sort of Island': Jewish Refugee Farmers in the American South, 1938-1946" in the journalAmerican Jewish History, as well as an article inThe Conversation. Congratulations, Andrew! Read the, and .

Dr. Pamela Nadellreceived a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholars Award to write a book on the history of American antisemitism.

Dr. Pamela Nadell addresses the long history of American antisemitism as the White Housereleases the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitismin an article forThe Conversation. .

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

鶹ƽ conducted an interview withDr. Pamela Nadellregarding the current state of antisemitism in America. Read the full interview.

Quick Links

Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies

Dr. Pamela NadellandDr. Michael Brennerwere both invited to a White House Listening Session on the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.

The Jewish Studies Program recently concluded a new series:Acts of Remembrance: Shaping Holocaust Memory in the 21st Century.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 .

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.

AlumnaMeredith R. Weiselwas recently named the Regional Director of the DCoffice of the Anti-Defamation League. Read more about.

Andrew Sperling (history PhD student)won the2021 Mark and Ruth Luckens International Prize in Jewish Thought and Culture for his essay"Living on a Sort of Island’: Jewish Refugee Farmers in the American South."

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

Dr. Pamela Nadellspoke toBYU Radioon antisemitism in the real world and online.

"Jews of Color: American Jews, Race and History"Event:If you missed it, check out this amazing virtual event held via Zoom! Thank you toLaura Leibman, Kelly Whitehead, Lewis Gordon, and Lauren Strauss for an amazing conversationabout the.

Dr. Pamela Nadell publishedAmerica’s Jewish Women: A History From Colonial Times to Today, which won the Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year in the2019 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 Leffhas been appointed Director of the Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

See videos from the 2022Israeli Writers Series.

Viewauthor/book detailsand watch past event videos of the 2022 Webinar Series:.

Watch alumnaon her award-winning book, The Ravine: A Family, A Photograph, A Holocaust Massacre Revealed.

Watch the 2020-21 Antisemitism Series,.

Photo at top of page: 1987 Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jews; courtesy of the American Jewish Historical Society.