Rigorous Academic Study
The Schusterman Center is dedicated to supporting and growing the academic field of Israel studies.
Featured Content Slideshow
Research Guide to Israel Studies
We created a guide for scholars, educators, students, and anyone wanting to learn more about Israel. With expert-recommended resources and tips for effective research, this is a one-stop shop for Israel Studies queries, needs, and information.
Publications
We sponsor publications that seek to enlighten both a scholarly and non-scholarly audience with the latest research on the modern State of Israel.
The Summer Institute for Israel Studies
Our Summer Institute for Israel Studies equips higher-education faculty with the resources they need in order to take a rigorously academic approach to teaching about modern Israel on college campuses.
Inspiring Research, Advancing Education, Sparking Conversations
The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies (SCIS) supports, creates, and promotes new scholarship and trusted information about Israeli history, politics, culture, and society at Brandeis University and beyond. Our academic environment is centered on mutual respect, advancing open, non-judgmental conversations and cultivating dialogue that is committed to deepening genuine understanding and empathy. We approach all our work with an attitude of compassion and curiosity. We firmly believe that while this work isn’t easy nor simple, it is crucial to the future of Israel Studies.
The Schusterman Center offers:
- Support for courses for undergraduate and graduate students at Brandeis University
- Professional development for scholars and professors
- Public programs including lectures, panel discussions, performances, and conferences
featuring world-class scholars and our own faculty experts - Publications and journals representing the latest research on all aspects of Israeli history,
society, politics, and culture
Book launch: "The Un-Chosen Body: Disability Culture in Israel"
Join us Thursday, March 19 to celebrate the release of Ilana Szobel's new book, "The Un-Chosen Body: Disability Culture in Israel" (Wayne State University Press). The volume outlines the production and performance of a range of projects by poets, filmmakers, and performers in Israel/Palestine, to examine how they reframe or reimagine accessibility in artistic, cultural, and political spaces through creative expression. Exploring disability justice, gender, and creativity, Szobel illustrates how these artists create new possibilities through their work. The launch will feature Ilana Szobel in conversation with Julia Watts Belser, followed by a Q&A. Stay afterwards for lunch and discussion with the author! Learn more and register.
Read our annual newsletter
Explore our 2025-26 newsletter and read about migration and identity in Israel, how climate change ignores borders, mapping the Hebrew novel, borderlands and contact zones in Israeli society, and much more. Plus, learn about the fellowships and programs we offer, and how to connect with us from wherever you are. Discover how the Schusterman Center creates an academic environment that centers mutual respect, advances open, non-judgmental conversations, and cultivates dialogue that deepens genuine understanding and empathy.
Artist in residence wins major literary prize
We are thrilled to share major news from the literary world. Israel's Ministry of Culture and Sports announced poet Amichai Chasson as the winner of the prestigious Yehuda Amichai Poetry Prize for 2025. Chasson was a 2024-25 Schusterman Center artist in residence. The 60,000 NIS prize was awarded for his striking third collection, "Liminal Poems" (the English translation of the book's title). This is a fantastic recognition of his talent. Please join us in congratulating Amichai Chasson on this significant achievement!
Advanced Institute fellow wins major book award
Rachel Feldman - a 2025-26 fellow of the Institute for Advanced Israel Studies (IAIS) - has won the American Academy of Religion 2025 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion: Analytical-Descriptive Studies, for her "Messianic Zionism in the Digital Age: Jews, Noahides, and the Third Temple Imaginary" (Rutgers University Press). Feldman is an associate professor of religion at Dartmouth University. Learn more about the book and the award.
Visiting scholar Romy Neumark's podcast: My Home Fronts
Journalist and educator Romy Neumark, who specializes in the intersections of media and education, has created a four-part documentary podcast spotlighting the generational rift among American Jews during the Gaza war. In "My Home Fronts," In this four-part series, Neumark follows the founder of Harvard Jews for Palestine through the Gaza war. Her family’s story opens a window onto the generational divide within the Jewish American community - and how it’s reshaping views on Israel. Learn more and listen to the podcast.
Introducing our new doctoral fellow
We are thrilled to introduce our 2025-26 doctoral fellow: Gal Dafadi, a first-year doctoral student in Anthropology. Her research interests lie at the intersection of law, ethics, and reproductive technologies, and include cultural, medical, and science anthropology, as well as gender and sexuality. Learn more about her here.
Meet our 2025-26 visiting scholars
We are excited to introduce our new visiting scholars for 2025-26: Legal studies scholar and researcher Aviram Shahal and journalist and educator Romy Neumark. Shahal's research spans the history of Zionism, legal and constitutional history, Holocaust studies, and comparative law. Neumark's expertise bridges journalism, mentorship, and academia, with a special focus on the role of media in shaping inclusive civic discourse. Learn more.
Your Research Guide to Israel Studies
Looking to learn, research, or teach about Israel? Explore our Research Guide to Israel Studies, a one-stop shop for Israel Studies queries, needs, and information. This free guide contains resources for researchers of every kind. From the high schooler writing a class report, to a journalist looking for reliable information, to a senior academic with thirty years' experience, everyone - especially those now working from home - will find it invaluable. Produced with the Israel Studies faculty at Brandeis University, in conjunction with other leading scholars, and edited by our associate director, Dr. Shayna Weiss, this is the most comprehensive guide of its kind available. Explore the Research Guide to Israel Studies.
Watch event recordings on our YouTube channel
Did you miss an event you had hoped to attend? Looking for a resource to support your lesson plan or to offer as an extra credit assignment? Visit our YouTube channel to access recordings of select Schusterman Center events, including lectures, panel discussions and seminars on a wide array of topics in Israel studies. Subscribe to be notified when new videos are available. Consider sharing this resource with others you know who want to learn more about Israel. (Photo: clockwise from top right, Neta Elkayam, Caron Tabb, Dr. Shayna Weiss, and Prof. Yuval Evri.)