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Jewish studies
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Jewish studies (or Judaic studies) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (especially Jewish history), religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages (Jewish languages), political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies. Jewish studies as a distinct field is mainly present at colleges and universities in North America.
Related fields include Holocaust studies and Israel studies.
Jewish tradition generally places a high value on learning and study, especially of religious texts.
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Encyclopedia
Jewish studies (or Judaic studies) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (especially Jewish history), religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages (Jewish languages), political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies. Jewish studies as a distinct field is mainly present at colleges and universities in North America.
Related fields include Holocaust studies and Israel studies.
History
The Jewish tradition generally places a high value on learning and study, especially of religious texts. Torah study (compromising study of the Torah and more broadly of the entire Hebrew Bible as well as Rabbinic literature such as the Talmud and Midrash) is considered a religious obligation.
Since the Renaissance and the growth of higher education, many people, including people not of the Jewish faith, have chosen to study Jews and Judaism as a means of understanding the Jewish religion, heritage, and Jewish history.
Religious instruction specifically for Jews, especially for those who wish to join the rabbinate, is taught at Jewish seminaries (and in Orthodox Judaism, yeshivas). Among the most prominent are the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary and the Reform Hebrew Union College. For the majority of Jewish students attending regular academic colleges and universities there is a growing choice of Jewish studies courses and even degrees available at many institutions.
The subject of the Holocaust and the associated phenomenon of antisemitism, as well as the establishment of the modern State of Israel and the revival of the Hebrew language have all stimulated unusual interest in greater in-depth academic study, research, reading and lecturing about these core areas of knowledge related to current events. In the United States, the unique social position that American Jews|Jewish Americans have held within the nation's complex social structure has created substantial scholarship, especially with regards to topics such as interfaith marriage, political activism and influence on popular culture.
The political situation in the Middle East, especially the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has raised the profile of Jews, Judaism, and Zionism on campuses, spurring many on to study this subject for non-degree as well as for credits in obtaining a Bachelor of Arts or Master of Arts degree. A growing number of mature students are even obtaining Ph.D.s in Jewish studies judging by the quantity of courses and programs available. Many hope to obtain employment in the field of Jewish education or in Jewish communal service agencies.
Many Christians are searching for an understanding of the Jewish background for Jesus and Christianity and for the source of monotheism that sprang from Judaism. There are those who are seeking an understanding of the complex and volatile relationship between Islam and Judaism. Others are searching for spirituality and philosophy and therefore seek classes in Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) and Jewish philosophy. There are also those who have a genuine concern and attachment to modern Israel as Christian Zionists and therefore seek to learn more about the subjects related to their beliefs.
The following are only a few significant examples of places where Jewish studies are offered and flourish in an academic setting:
Albany, State University of New York
The Judaic Studies (JST) department at UAlbany offers undergraduate courses at elementary and advanced levels, many of which are cross-listed with other departments. Practicum credit may be earned by assisting with course instruction and Internship credit through community service. A major and minor in Judaic studies is offered. Many students take advantage of the SUNY-wide Israel study program for a semester or year overseen by the JST department. Students may apply for department sponsored scholarships.
American Jewish University
The American Jewish University, formerly the separate institutions University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute, is a Jewish, non-denominational and highly eclectic institution. Its largest component is its Whizin Center for Continuing Education in which 12,000 students are enrolled annually in non-credit granting courses. A prominent program of the Center is the university's annual speaker series, featuring luminaries like Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Colin Powell, and other political and diplomatic leaders. AJU's academic division includes the College of Arts and Sciences, leading to a B.A. degree in majors such as Bioethics (pre-med), Business, Communication Arts & Advocacy, Jewish Studies, Political Science and Psychology. In addition, AJU offers graduate degrees through the the Fingerhut School of Education, The David L. Lieber Graduate School, and the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, a Conservative Jewish rabbinical seminary. AJU is host to two "think tanks," the Center for Israel Studies (CIS) and the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust. Through the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, the University has oversight over Camps Ramah, Alonim, and Gan Alonim.
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel, has the world's largest school of Jewish Studies, which includes 14 teaching departments, 21 research institutes, some 300 faculty members and over 2,000 students). The school publishes 11 journals and the only internet journal in Jewish Studies - "Jewish Studies" . Flagship projects of the Faculty of Jewish Studies include: the Responsa Project which is the largest data base of classical Jewish sources throughout the ages; The "Mikraot Gdolot Haketer" which is the most accurate edition of the Mikraot Gdolot; The Ingeborg Rennert Center of Jerusalem Studies ; and the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project , the excavations of the site of biblical Gath of the Philistines.
The Lown School of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, one of the most comprehensive centers for Judaic studies outside Israel, reflects Brandeis's special commitment to scholarship that illuminates issues of concern to the Jewish community, scholars in religion, and students of the ancient and modern Near East. It houses the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, the Maurice and Marily Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry, the Jacob and Libby Goodman Institute for the Study of Zionism, the Bernard G. and Rhoda G. Sarnat Center for the Study of Anti-Jewishness, and the Benjamin S. Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service. The National Center for Jewish Film and the American Jewish Historical Society are associated with the Lown School.
Birobidzhan Jewish National University
The Birobidzhan Jewish National University works in cooperation with the local jewish community of Birobidzhan. The university is unique in the Russian Far East. The basis of the training course is study of the Hebrew language, history and classic Jewish texts.
In recent years, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast has grown interested in its Jewish roots. Students study Hebrew and Yiddish at a Jewish school and Birobidzhan Jewish National University. In 1989, the Jewish center founded its Sunday school, where children studyYiddish, learn folk Jewish dance, and learn about the history of Israel. The Israeli government helps fund the program.
Columbia University
The Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies at Columbia University remains one of the leading institutions in Jewish studies in the country and the world. Undergraduate enrollment in these courses has historically been robust and continues to grow. Columbia also offers a joint undergraduate degree with the Jewish Theological Seminary with which it is affiliated. Columbia is home to one of the most successful graduate programs in Jewish history and Yiddish studies outside of Israel, and its graduate program in Talmud and Judaism is world renowned.
Cornell University
The Program of Jewish Studies was founded as an extension of the Department of Semitic Languages and Literatures, now the Department of Near Eastern Studies, in 1973 and attained status as an intercollegiate program in 1976. The program has grown out of the conviction that Judaic civilization merits its own comprehensive and thorough treatment and that proper understanding of any culture is inconceivable without adequate knowledge of the language, literature, and history of the people that created it. Accordingly, the offerings in the areas of Jewish languages and literatures have been considerably expanded, and courses in ancient, medieval, and especially modern Jewish history and culture have been added to the program. It is a broadly based, interdisciplinary program, bringing together faculty from various Cornell departments and colleges. The scope of the Jewish Studies curriculum covers Jewish civilization from its ancient Near Eastern origins through its contemporary history and culture in Israel and the diaspora communities around the world. It is a secular, academic program, the interests of which are diverse and cross-cultural. The program recognizes its special relationship to teaching and research in classical Judaica and Hebraica pursued by the members of the Department of Near Eastern Studies. It presently enables students to obtain basic instruction and specialization in the fields of Semitic languages; the Hebrew Bible; medieval and modern Hebrew literature; ancient, medieval, and modern Jewish history; and Holocaust studies. In some of these fields students may take courses on both graduate and undergraduate levels. Faculty throughout the university provide breadth to the program by offering courses in related areas of study.
Fairfield University
The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University was founded in 1994 with an initial endowment of $1.5 million from Carl and Dorothy Bennett of Greenwich, Connecticut. The Bennett Center's goal is to provide Fairfield University students exposure to and contact with Jewish ideas, culture, and thinking. For example, the Bennett Center has brought several world-renowned lecturers to the University, including Nobel Prize-winner Elie Wiesel, Former Ambassador Dennis Ross, and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.
Fairfield University also began offering an academic minor in Judiaic Studies within the Religion Department beginning in 1996. The major objective of the Program in Judaic Studies is to provide a variety of courses that will deepen students' knowledge and understanding of Jewish faith, history, and culture. It seeks to integrate Judaic Studies into the curriculum of the Fairfield College of Arts and Sciences and to offer programs and special events of interest to the University community and to audiences drawn from the Fairfield County, Connecticut community.
Since their inception, Dr. Ellen Umansky has served as both the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies and the Director of the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center.
The George Washington University
Through the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the Judaic Studies Program at The George Washington University offers students the able to study in the proximity to some of the most influential Jewish and Jewish-related institutions in the United States. Because of its location on the Foggy Bottom campus in downtown Washington, D.C., internships with organizations such as the American Jewish Committee, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Embassy of Israel in Washington, the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum are not only easily accessible but also very common.
With study abroad connections at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University, and Haifa University there is also a strong emphasis in the program on learning Hebrew. Professors such as Max Ticktin, Eric H. Cline, Amitai Etzioni, Yaron Peleg, Lauren Strauss, Sergio Waisman, and Mark Saperstein are readily accessible to students and are considered some of the best experts in their field. For example, Dr. Eric H. Cline has appeared in many television documentaries for the National Geographic Channel, the Discovery Channel, the BBC, and the History Channel. Traveling professors such as Jacob Lassner have also taught courses at the program.
Due to its nearly perfect location in downtown Washington,D.C. students also have access to the Library of Congress. The George Washington University's Gelman Library also hosts the I. Edward Kiev Collection - one of the largest Jewish academic archives on the East Coast.
Harvard University
Harvard University was the first major American university to establish a department of Judaic Studies and appointed Dr. Harry Austryn Wolfson as the first head of department: The Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard University is the focal point for the study and teaching of Judaica through publications, fellowships, lectures, and symposia on topics of interest to scholars and to the general public. The Center sponsors visiting scholars and post-doctoral research fellows and coordinates undergraduate and graduate studies on an interdisciplinary basis...Harvard was the first university in America to establish a Chair in Jewish Studies, the Nathan Littauer Professorship of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy (1925). Since then, Harvard's commitment to Jewish Studies has continued unabated, and its efforts to solidify and broaden the presence of this field in the curriculum ultimately resulted in the creation of Harvard's Center for Jewish Studies in 1978. The hope of the Harvard alumni, faculty and administration involved in this project was that the new Center would not only satisfy an unmistakable need for further growth within the University itself but would also benefit the study and teaching of Judaica throughout the country.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Institute of Jewish Studies of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was established in 1924, a few months before the official opening of the university . Widely considered to be the world's premier center of Jewish studies, the Institute currently includes 8 teaching departments and 18 research institutes, oversees the publication of a wide variety of journals and periodicals and has student body of over 1200 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in Jewish studies. In addition, the university has several institutes dedicated to specific subjects of Jewish studies, such as the Institute of Contemporary Jewry , the Institute for Research in Jewish Law , the Institute of Archaeology , the Center for Jewish Art , the Jewish Music Research Center and the Center for Jewish Education . The Jewish National and University Library, which serves as the library of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, houses the world's largest collection of Hebraica and Judaica. The university also benefits from Jerusalem's unparalleled concentration of resources, which include: some 50 museums, most of which are dedicated to, or contain significant exhibits pertinent to, Jewish studies; dozens of independent research institutes and libraries dedicated to Jewish studies; over 100 rabbinical colleges representing all streams of Judaism; and the city of Jerusalem itself, the ancient and modern center of Jewish life, thought and study.
Indiana University
The Borns Jewish Studies Program (JSP) at Indiana University is one of the oldest and most vibrant Jewish Studies programs in the country. With our large and highly accomplished faculty, our diverse and attractive course offerings, our focus on undergraduate education inside and outside the classroom, Indiana University has come to be a university chosen by top high school students and leaders because of the excellence of its Jewish Studies Program
Among the 77 Jewish Studies majors and 100 students pursuing an area certificate students and Hebrew minor in the spring of 2005 were outstanding young people from a wide range of backgrounds, including many with proven leadership experience in international, national, and regional Jewish youth organizations.
Our students are the centerpiece of our program and we make special efforts to provide them with the kinds of educational opportunities they need and deserve: a curriculum of 50 courses a year; significant scholarship support; professional career guidance; and more. To pursue Jewish Studies at Indiana University, in short, is to be part of a comprehensive and unusually caring program of studies, carefully built over three decades, which encourages students to focus rigorous attention on Judaism and the Jews.
Michigan, University of
The Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan was originally formed as an independent program under the leadership of Jehuda Reinharz in 1976 and expanded into its current model in 1988. A strong faculty with a variety of expertise has allowed the interdisciplinary program to grow significantly in recent years. Areas of special interest include numerous faculty with strengths in Rabbinics, Yiddish literature and modern Jewish history. e current director, Dr. Deborah Dash Moore, is the author of GI Jews, chronicling the role of Jews in the United States military and co-editor of the two-volume Jewish Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia. Other leading faculty members include Zvi Gitelman, Todd Endelman, Anita Norich, Yaron Eliav, Madeline Kochen, Mikhail Krutikov, Elliot Ginsberg, Scott Spector and Julian Levinson. Recent arrivals include Ryan Szpiech (Spanish, Sephardic Culture, Medieval Iberia) and Rachel Neis (Rabbinics, Late Antique Judaism).
In Fall 2005, the Frankel Center announced the establishment of a new Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies. The Institute hosts a dozen scholars annually for intensive research. The 2008-09 Frankel Institute theme is titled "Studying Jews" and visiting scholars include Hana Wirth-Nesher, Aharon Oppenhiemer, Regina Morantz-Sanchez, Howard Lupovitch, Chaya Halberstam, and Gabriele Boccaccini.
MJI seeks to provide excellent academic baccalaureate and other degree granting programs that combine an arts and sciences foundation with concentrations in Education, Leadership and General Judaic Studies for career development in applied Judaic disciplines. The Institute offers instruction that keeps abreast of changing technologies and has facilities that allow students to achieve their studies in academic and professional degrees. The Institute is part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
New York University
The Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies offers one of the most comprehensive Jewish Studies programs in North America, encompassing Hebrew language and literature as well as all facets of Jewish history and culture, from the ancient through the medieval to the modern. Courses are taught by faculty whose specialties include ancient Judaism, medieval Jewish history, modern Jewish history, Biblical studies, Middle Eastern studies, Postbiblical and Talmudic literature, Jewish mysticism, Jewish philosophy, and related fields .
Oxford University
This nine-month course offers a chance to study Judaism at many different stages in its history - from its roots as the religion of the Israelites to the 20th century - as well as the opportunity to develop a language important to the knowledge, understanding, practice and interpretation of the Jewish faith (or learn a language from scratch, as I have done). The plethora of choice on the taught courses ensures that students can begin or further and expand their studies in any area which interests them, whatever their experience or background in the subject. The course is a springboard to a variety of future careers: many students choose to build on what they have studied at PhD level; some, like me, use the course to further their learning prior to undertaking formal teacher training. Whether your interest in the subject is personal or academic, the MSt at Oxford offers a challenging and wide-ranging course of study.
Pennsylvania, University of
The Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania is the only institution in the world devoted exclusively to post-doctoral research on Jewish civilization in all its historical and cultural manifestations. Located in its award-winning building on Philadelphia's Independence Mall, the Center was created in the fall of 1993 by the merger of the Annenberg Research Institute and the University of Pennsylvania. The combining of the Center's distinguished scholars and superb library holdings (over 180,000 volumes) with Penn's outstanding and substantial faculty and library resources in Judaic Studies has established the University of Pennsylvania as one of the world's major centers for the study of Jewish civilization .
Princeton University
The Program in Judaic Studies at Princeton University provides students the opportunity to explore over three millennia of Jewish culture, history, and literature from the Bible to contemporary Jewish thought and society. Since its establishment in 1996, the program has offered a variety of courses, lectures, conferences, film series, and exhibitions taking advantage of Princeton’s rich resources in Judaic studies in a range of disciplines and departments. There is no “typical” certificate student; we serve students with a wide range of interests and welcome all who are motivated to deepen their knowledge of Judaic studies.
San Diego State University
The at San Diego State University (SDSU), located in San Diego, California, is an interdisciplinary program serving the students of SDSU as well as the greater San Diego community. SDSU offers a Major in Modern Jewish Studies and a Minor in Jewish Studies and are dedicated to teaching a broad range of topics related to Jewish history, religion and culture from the biblical through the modern period . In addition, SDSU faculty are actively engaged in teaching to the broader San Diego community. SDSU also offers a minor in Hebrew language within SDSU's Department of Linguistics, Asian/Middle Eastern Languages program In addition, SDSU hosts the Archives of the Jewish Historical Society of San Diego as well as the The Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies.
SDSU is ranked #28 in the country in public universities for Jewish students .
SDSU has the largest Jewish student population in San Diego, and the fourth (4th) largest in California.
Touro College
Touro College has facilities that allow students to achieve their studies in academic and professional degrees. The College takes its name from Judah Touro and Isaac Touro, Jewish community leaders of colonial America, who represent the ideals upon which the College bases its mission.
University College London (UCL) houses the largest department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies in Europe. The department is the only one in the UK to offer a full degree course and research supervision in Jewish Studies at the BA Honours, MA, MPhil and PhD levels in every subject of Hebrew and Jewish Studies—philology, history, and literature—covering virtually the entire chronological and geographical span of the Hebrew and Jewish civilisation from antiquity through the Middle Ages to the modern period. As the first university in England to open its doors to Women, Roman Catholics and Dissenters, UCL was also the first to admit Jewish students. This traditional link of the College with the Anglo-Jewish community is very much alive today. Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid (1778–1859), one of the leading figures in the struggle for Jewish emancipation in England, was among the principal founders of University College and the chief promotor of its Hebrew department. At his instigation, Hyman Hurwitz was appointed as the first Professor of Hebrew in 1828. In 1967 the department was renamed the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies and extended to include, in addition to the established courses in Hebrew language and literature, a much wider range of courses with an emphasis on Jewish history. The department acts as host to both the Jewish Historical Society of England (JHSE) and the Institute of Jewish Studies (IJS), which organises annual public lecture series and international conferences on all aspects of Jewish civilisation.
Virginia, University of
Jewish Studies at the University of Virginia allows you to focus on the history, languages, and literature of the Jewish people; the beliefs and practices of Judaism; and the enduring contributions of Jewish wisdom to human civilization. You can take courses in Biblical and Modern Hebrew, Yiddish, Bible, Rabbinic literature, Jewish ancient and modern history, Jewish literature and culture, Holocaust studies, Jewish theology, and Jewish communities and cultures worldwide. As part of your studies, you can study abroad in Israel or in other centers of Jewry beyond America.
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University has one of the largest departments of Jewish studies outside Israel and is the home of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, the leading modern-orthodox rabbinical college in the United States. Its Jewish studies library contains over 300,000 volumes. It also houses the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
See also
External links
- (Provides access to over 600 links to Digitized Jewish Collections, Finding Aids, Archival Material, Library Collections and Research Centers worldwide)
- (Access to over 400 Jewish Studies sites, including library catalogs and databases)
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