Schusterman Center for Israel Studies

Rigorous Academic Study

The Schusterman Center is dedicated to supporting and growing the academic field of Israel studies.

Panoramic view of Bahai Gardens in Haifa, a hillside gardens overlooking the city and, beyond it, the sea

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.

Explore the Research Guide

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.

All of our publications

Professor Gannit Ankori speaking to Summer Institute fellows about an art exhibit

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.

Full Summer Institute Information

Promoting exemplary teaching and scholarship on the modern state of Israel

The Schusterman Center is unparalleled in the depth and breadth of its ambition and in the intellectual resources available to realize its goals.

Like the best Israel studies centers, the Schusterman Center is dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of Israeli history, politics, culture and society. But its mission goes far beyond scholarship itself. The center is committed to creating and disseminating knowledge about the modern state of Israel, not just at Brandeis, but to a global audience.

The center is shaping and safeguarding the future of Israel studies by training the next generation of scholars in the field. Through innovative research and teaching programs, lectures, conferences, grants, publications, films and art exhibitions, complemented by a unique online resource site, the center is nurturing a worldwide community of people who are knowledgeable about Israel.

Join us virtually for our Summer Online Series

Pedestrians and cyclists wearing masks on a street lined with stores and Hebrew signage

The final webinar in our Summer Online Series takes place Tuesday, July 21, at 12:00 PM EDT. The series is a quartet of webinars, each exploring a different, timely topic from the Israeli elections to the history of plagues in Israel to Israeli music to the economic, social and political impact of the Coronavirus pandemic in Israel. Each webinar stands alone, so you can jump in at any point in the series. Check out the Series playlist on our YouTube channel to watch recordings, which go up within 10 days of each live event. Our events are free and open to all, wherever in the world you may be. (Please note that advance registration is required. Registrants will receive a Zoom link the day before the event.) Spread the word!

The Invention of Jewish Theocracy by Prof. Alexander Kaye

Image of man side by side with image of book cover

Oxford University Press has published the first monograph by Alexander Kaye, Karl, Harry, and Helen Stoll Assistant Professor of Israel Studies, Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. The Invention of Jewish Theocracy: The Struggle for Legal Authority in Modern Israel "is an intellectual history, based on newly discovered material from numerous Israeli archives, private correspondence, court records, and lesser-known published works... the account of the blurring of the categories of "secular" and "religious" illustrated in the book are relevant to all studies of modern history and to scholars of the intersection of religion and human rights." Watch Prof. Kaye discuss his book in this interview by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, President and Dean of Valley Beit MIdrash in Phoenix, AZ.

Introducing: The Research Guide to Israel Studies

Panoramic view of hillside garden opening to views of a city and, below it, the sea

We are proud to announce our new 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 .

Shayna Weiss featured on Identity/Crisis Podcast

Congratulations to Prof. Gannit Ankori!

We are proud to congratulate core Schusterman Center faculty member Gannit Ankori on her new position as Interim Director and Chief Curator of the Rose Art Museum, which will begin July 1st. Dr. Ankori is Professor of Art History and Theory and Chair in Israeli Art at the Departments of Fine Arts, and the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. She has published and lectured extensively about modern and contemporary art from a global perspective, with emphasis on issues pertaining to gender, nationalism, identity, religion, trauma, exile, hybridity, disability, and their manifestations in the creative arts. Please join us in congratulating Professor Ankori on her appointment. We wish her every success as she assumes this new and exciting challenge!