Our senior associate director Dr. Shayna Weiss was interviewed by Lilith Magazine for their article, "Podcasts for Comfort, Education, Distraction," published Jul 29, 2024. See the article for her recommendations recommendations.
News
Media Inquiries: Please contact news@brandeis.edu.
Check out the first edition of our annual newsletter
Our first issue features the accolades and accomplishments of our fellows, faculty and alumni, addresses the historical and cultural ramifications of ongoing conflicts and tragedies, profiles our Summer Institute for Israel Studies and the Institute for Advanced Israel Studies initiatives and showcases upcoming events.
Schusterman Center News
Alexander Kaye quoted in the Times of Israel and in Harvard Magazine
December 12, 2024
Read what our director had to say at Harvard University's December 10 conference, “Antisemitism on Campuses: Reflections From Jewish Studies Faculty at Major American Universities.” Prof. Alexander Kaye is quoted in articles published December 12 in The Times of Israel (read it here) and in Harvard Magazine (read it here). He joined faculty from eight other institutions to share their insights about on how the field of Jewish studies (Prof. Kaye teaches in the Near Eastern and Jewish Studies department at Brandeis) and other aspects of the academic experience have changed in the post-October 7 world.SIIS Fellow and Founding Director of the Schusterman Center Win the 2024 Bernard Lewis prize from ASMEA
We are delighted to announce that Cary Nelson’s "Hate Speech and Academic Freedom: The Antisemitic Assault on Basic Principles" & Ilan Troen’s "Israel/Palestine in World Religions: Whose Promised Land?" have each received the 2024 Bernard Lewis prize from ASMEA, the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa.
Cary Nelson is Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a Summer Institute for Israel Studies 2014 Fellow. Ilan Troen is the founding Director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies and the Chair of its Publications Commitee. He is also emeritus of both the Stoll Family Chair in Israel Studies (Brandeis, 2017) and the Lopin Chair of Modern History (Ben-Gurion University, 2007).
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky writes about Israel and the Trials of Liberal Solidarity
October 23, 2024
Read analysis by our own Prof. Yehudah Mirsky on Israel's current political solidarity challenges amid increasing tensions between liberal and conservative forces. He discusses how recent conflicts expose fractures within Israeli society, particularly among Jews in Israel and the diaspora. Mirsky argues that unity remains fragile as ideological divides deepen, testing the resilience of Israel's democratic values and its broader cultural cohesion. Read the article on the Unheard website.Listen to Tel Aviv Review's special series finale
October 21, 2024
Check out the final episode in the Tel Aviv Review's special series, "Democracy and Its Alternatives: The Origins of Israel’s Current Crisis." This episode, "Jewish and Demographic," features Institute for Advanced Israel Studies 2023-24 fellow Dr. Nimrod Lin, discussing his upcoming book, "People Who Count: Zionism, Demography and Democracy in Mandate Palestine." The five-part series shares insights from our April 2024 conference, and is a collaboration among the Schusterman Center, the Center for Jewish History in New York City and the Tel Aviv Review.Schusterman Doctoral Fellow receives research grant
Congratulations to Schusterman Scholar and Doctoral Fellow Inbar Shifrin, who has just been awarded a research grant from Yad Ben-Tzvi (Ben-Zvi Institute) for her MA thesis project, in Women's and Gender Studies and Musicology. The research focuses on Mizrahi / Arab-Jewish women musicians Ofra Haza and Margalit (Margol) Tzan'ani. The Yad Ben-Tzvi grants support research on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews. Inbar will give a talk about her research at the upcoming scholarship award ceremony. Kol hakavod, Inbar!
Listen to the latest episode in Tel Aviv Review's special series
August 26, 2024
Check out the latest episode in the Tel Aviv Review podcast's special series, Democracy and Its Alternatives: listen to Early Israel’s ‘Emotional Regime’. The series, conceived to share insights from our eponymous April 2024 conference with a wider audience, features interviews with several of our Institute for Advanced Israel Studies 2023-24 felllows. This episode features Prof. Orit Rozin, of Tel Aviv University, discussing her new book "Emotions of Conflict: Israel 1949-1967." This special series is a collaboration among the Schusterman Center, the Center for Jewish History in New York City, and Tel Aviv Review.
Congratulations to our newest graduate: Dr. Maham K. Theisen!
August 20, 2024
Congratulations to our newest graduate, Dr. Maham K. Theisen! Our 26th Schusterman doctoral fellow graduate successfully defended her dissertation "Rights, Revolution, and Nationhood: Israeli Supreme Court Cases After the Basic Law of Human Dignity" in July, earning her PhD from the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. We are so proud of her and excited to watch her academic career unfold . Learn more about our Schusterman Doctoral Fellowships in Israel Studies and how you can apply.Dr. Shayna Weiss interviewed by Lilith Magazine
July 29, 2024
Alumnus Shay Rabineau wins Shapiro book award
June 5, 2024
We are thrilled to announce that former Schusterman Doctoral Fellow Shay Rabineau PhD '13, NEJS is a co-recipient of the prestigious Shapiro Best Book in Israel Studies Award for 2024 for his "Walking the Land" (Indiana University Press, January 2023). The award, bestowed by the Association for Israel Studies, is doubly gratifying, as the book is part of our Perspectives on Israel Studies series. Dr. Rabineau is an associate professor of Israel studies and the associate director of the Center for Israel Studies at Binghamton University in Albany, New York. Read about "Walking the Land." Congratulations, Dr. Rabineau!
The award committee writes that the book "is a fascinating original investigation of the history of Israel’s hiking trails. Based on a variety of sources and an interdisciplinary approach, meticulously contextualized and researched, and lucidly written, this book masterfully uncovers the complex ways in which the shaping of Israel’s marked hiking trails system relates to the country’s history, culture, sociology and politics. Shay Rabineau’s work exposes how even a seemingly innocuous endeavor such as marking hiking trails is premised on questions of national identity and a relationship to the environment." Read Binghamton University's article for a glimpse into this fascinating scholarship on an unexpected and intriguing subject.
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky quoted in The New York Times
January 22, 2024
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky was quoted in the The New York Times article, titled 'Critics Protest Harvard’s Choice to Lead Antisemitism Task Force'. Read the article.New book by doctoral fellowship alum Dr. Eric Fleisch
January 12, 2024
Congratulations to Schusterman Center doctoral fellowship alumnus Dr. Eric Fleisch PhD '14 on his new book, "Checkbook Zionism: Philanthropy and Power in the Israel-Diaspora Relationship" Rutgers University Press (January 2024). Our former director, Professor Jonathan D. Sarna, called it "one of the best-researched, most illuminating studies of American Jewish philanthropy ever written." Dr. Fleisch is an assistant professor in Jewish studies at Pennsylvania State University, where he teaches Jewish history, Zionism, and Middle East studies. Read about and order the book. Congratulations, Dr. Fleisch!Dr. Shayna Weiss quoted in J.
December 29, 2023
Our associate director Dr. Shayna Weiss was quoted in J., The Jewish News of Northern California, about how the Israeli sketch comedy hit show "Eretz Nehederet" (Wonderful Country) is joining the serious conversation about antisemitism on American campuses through its recent, viral, comedy sketch video. Read the article.Summer Institute for Israel Studies alumna honored among "The Seven Powerful Jewish Feminist Moments of 2023"
December 20, 2023
Congratulations to Dr. Keren McGinity, named one of Seven Powerful Jewish Feminist Moments of 2023 in Lilith Magazine. Dr. McGinity, a 2018 Summer Institute for Israel Studies alumna, is listed between Barbara Streisand and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Read about how her courage and how she earned her place on this list amidst such fine company. Congratulations, Dr. Keren McGinity!In Memoriam: Professor David Ellenson
December 7, 2023
With deep sadness, the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University announces the passing of Rabbi David Ellenson, PhD, who was director of the Center, and visiting professor in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University, from 2015-2018. Continue reading .
Dr. Shayna Weiss interviewed in Forward
December 4, 2023
Dr. Shayna Weiss '07 was interviewed for a December 4th article in Forward, "Why the No. 1 song in Israel represents a radical shift in Israeli pop music." Read the article.
Summer Institute for Israel Studies alum publishes his first book
November 14, 2023
Congratulations to Adrián Krupnik, 2007 alumnus of our Summer Institute for Israel Studies, on the publication of his first book: "Between Two Homelands: Argentine Migration to and from Israel" (University of Alabama Press, November 2023). Read about and order the book. You can also watch him discuss the book. Congratultions, Dr. Krupnik!
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky in Italian newspaper
October 30, 2023
Our own Prof. Yehudah Mirsky was interviewed in la Reppublica, a major Italian newspaper, about the mob that stormed the Dagestan airport to assault newly arrived Jewish passengers, and the revived hatred against Jews that it demonstrates. View the article. (Note: it is in Italian and behind a paywall.)
Dr. Shayna Weiss quoted in Popsugar
October 29, 2023
Our Executive Associate Director Dr. Shayna Weiss was asked by Popsugar to contribute to a list of "11 Books and Films About Israel and Palestine, Recommended by Scholars." Dr. Weiss recommended "Art of Leaving," "Our Boys," and "Salt Houses." View the full list.
Yehudah Mirsky interviewed on Estonian Public Television
October 23, 2023
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky was interviewed on Estonian Public Television about the Hamas attacks, Netanyahu, and Israel's intelligence failure. The interview begins around 4:50 in. Watch the recording. (in English with Estonian subtitles).Founding director Ilan Troen on WBUR's On Point
October 19, 2023
Schusterman Center founding director Prof. Ilan Troen, whose daughter and son-in law were murdered in the October 7 Hamas attacks, was a guest on WBUR's On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti, in an episode entitled, "Roundtable: Jewish Americans share their perspectives on conflict in Gaza." Listen to the recording. Also in the roundtable were Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of the Deep Shtetl newsletter; Cora Galpern, a graduate student at the University of Michigan and former president of J Street U National Board; and Maital Friedman, of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America.Director Alexander Kaye in the Wall Street Journal
October 19, 2023
Our director, Prof. Alexander Kaye, was quoted in today's Wall Street Journal, in an article entitled "Speak Out on Israel-Hamas War or Stay Quiet? Both Are Risky, Colleges Find." Read the article. He was approached about the program the Schusterman Center cohosted with the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, "Teach-in: War in Israel - Reflections from Brandeis Faculty," on October 12. The program, which was held in person and broadcast live on Zoom, was put together swiftly but thoghtfully in response to the shattering events of October 7th and their aftermath. “We realized pretty quickly that our responsibility as educators was to help people try and make sense of this in the best way that we could,” Prof. Kaye says in the article. Watch the recording.Prof. Yehudah Mirsky interviewed on TV about the Hamas attacks
October 15, 2023
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky was interviewed on LiveNOW from FOX twice this past week. Watch the October 12th interview, about the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel. Watch the October 15th interview, in which he discusses the latest developments and Israel's response to the attacks. On October 11, Prof. Mirsky was interviewed on Roifield Brown's Mid-Atlantic podcast, in an episode entitled "Hamas Attacks Israel: Voices From Both Sides," along with Dr. Ibrahim Horoub, a Palestinian professor from Bethlehem University; Moav Vardi, a prominent Israeli journalist; and Mohammad Manasrah, Deputy Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority. Listen to the episode.
Prof. Alexander Kaye's Interview "What's next for Israel"
October 11, 2023
Our director, Prof. Alexander Kaye, was interviewed by Brandeis University's Jarret Bencks about the attacks and what the future may hold for Israel. Read the interview.Deepest Condolences to the Troen Family
October 8, 2023
The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies extends our deepest condolences to Professor Ilan Troen, our founding director, to his wife Dr. Carol Troen, and to their entire family. Debbie Shachar Troen Matias and Shlomo Matias, daughter and son-in-law of Carol and Ilan, were murdered in their home in Kibbutz Holit on October 7. They died protecting their son, Rotem, who was injured but survived. Rotem's two sisters also survived the attacks.The Troen family tragedy is deeply felt by all of us at the Schusterman Center, which was shaped by years of his wise leadership, and by the field of Israel Studies more broadly. For decades, Ilan has devoted himself to founding and leading a number of the field's most significant institutions and publications. He is beloved by countless colleagues and students.
We wish Ilan, Carol and the family strength, comfort and an end to suffering.
Dr. Shayna Weiss quoted in Wall Street Journal
September 18, 2023
Schusterman Center associate director Dr. Shayna Weiss quoted in Wall Street Journal. Read the article, "Orthodox Jews Are Finally Having Their Pop Culture Moment" Read the article.Prof. Alexander Kaye speaks at American University
September 11, 2023
Prof. Alexander Kaye, the Schusterman Center's director spoke Monday, September 11 at a 2-day conference held at American University. The conference was entitled "A Nation Torn: Recognizing the Gaps & Building Bridges in Israel’s Society" and Prof. Kaye participated in a panel examining the "secular/religious divide.” View the conference program.Prof. Yehudah Mirsky interviewed on Israeli radio
August 20, 2023
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky was interviewed on Israeli radio about Rav Kook, his life, and the lessons his teachings hold for us today. Prof. Mirsky is one of the foremost scholars and experts on Rav Kook, and has authored books in both English and Hebrew. Listen to the (Hebrew language) interview.
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky on religious Zionism vs. liberalism
July 20, 2023
New Lines Magazine published an essay by Prof. Yehudah Mirsky, "In Israel, Religious Zionism Keeps Flexing Its Muscles Amid the Ongoing Battle with Liberalism: A long-developing movement emerges as a key part of the Netanyahu government while the left struggles for definition." Read the essay.Former Schusterman doctoral fellow Mika Hackner publishes chapter
July 11, 2023
Former Schusterman doctoral fellow Mika Hackner, PhD '23, Politics, has a chapter, "Democratic Whack-A-Mole: The implications of Militant Democracy," in "The Handbook on Democracy and Security", Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023, edited by Nicholas A. Seltzer and Steven Lloyd Wilson. The book chapter expands on the banning of political parties in Israel.
Former Schusterman doctoral fellow Gangzheng She publishes article
June 26, 2023
The article, "Changing focus while maintaining balance: Strategic adjustments behind the developing Sino-Saudi relations," was published on Jun 26, 2023. Dr. She is an associate professor in the department of International relations and director of the Center for Overseas Security at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Read the abstract.
Founding director Ilan Troen receives lifetime achievement award
May 23, 2023
Schusterman Center founding director Ilan Troen has been named co-recipient the Association for Israel Studies (AIS) Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations, Prof. Troen!
From the AIS announcement: "Prof. Troen has made unique, pioneering contributions to the advancement of Israel Studies throughout the world. He has mentored dozens of graduate students and emerging scholars, while he himself has produced numerous books, articles, and edited collections on Israel’s history and society. As founder of the journal Israel Studies, Troen enabled the dissemination of articles by hundreds of scholars representing a wide variety of disciplines and approaches. Troen was the founding director of Brandeis University’s Schusterman Center, which is one of the largest centres for Israel Studies in the world and has unparalleled depth and breadth. The Center features the Schusterman publication series in Israel Studies and the Brandeis Summer Institute for Israel Studies, which furthers the growth of Israel Studies globally while developing innovative pedagogies in the field. In 2016, Troen founded the book series “Perspectives on Israel Studies” published by Indiana University Press, which has already published 17 books, making it one of the most prolific outlets for novel research on Israel. Professor Troen has been also an active member of the Association for Israel Studies for over two decades. He was the organization’s president between 2015 and 2017."
Former Schusterman PhD's article published
April 30, 2023
Former Schusterman doctoral fellow Mika Hackner, Ph.D. '23, Politics had an article published in the April 2023 volume of the journal "Ethnopolitics". The article is entitled "Conflicting Identities? Self-Identification in Conflict Settings – Evidence from Israel and Arab States". Dr. Hackner co-authored the article with Ibrahim Khatib, Aviad Rubin, and Daphna Canetti.Schusterman Center alumnus's essay published
April 19, 2023
The Spring 2023 issue of the Jewish Review of Books features "Dead Sea Walking" – a highly engaging essay by Shay Rabineau, Ph.D. '13. Read the essay here.
Dr. Rabineau is a former Schusterman Center doctoral fellow and was the Israel Institute Post-Doctoral fellow at the Center for 2013-2014 academic year. His doctoral dissertation, “Marking and Mapping the Nation: The History of Israel’s Hiking Trail Network,” was the first to examine Israel's 10,000-kilometer trail network as a space on which Israelis articulate their relationship to the Land of Israel. Currently, he is associate professor of Israel Studies and associate director of the Center for Israel Studies at Binghamton University, where he has taught since 2015. His book, "Walking the Land: A History of Israeli Hiking Trails" (Indiana University Press) came out in January 2023.
Elon University celebrates its professor's selection to SIIS
February 21, 2023
Elon University's Today at Elon newspaper has written a news article to inform and celebrate Waseem bin Kasim, the assistant professor of History at Elon, for his selection to the 2023 Schusterman Center’s Summer Institute for Israel Studies (SIIS). Read the article here.SIIIS '10 Alumna's new book is out
February 7, 2023
We are excited to announce the publication of a new book by Paula J Birnbaum, an alumna of the 2010 Summer Institute for Israel Studies: Sculpting a Life: Chana Orloff Between Paris and Tel Aviv (Brandeis University Press, February 7, 2023; Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Series on Jewish Women). This is the first book-length biography of sculptor Chana Orloff (1888-1968). Sculpting a Life tells the amazing story of a fiercely determined and ambitious woman who fled antisemitism in Ukraine, emigrated to Palestine with her family, then travelled to Paris to work in haute couture before becoming an internationally recognized artist.
Dr. Birnbaum is currently a Professor and the Academic Director of Museum Studies at the University of San Francisco. Check out her website for upcoming book talks, including a Zoom talk on March 15, 7pm EST with the Brandeis Sandra Seltzer Silberman HBI Conversations Series.
SIIS '18 Alumna's new book is out
February 2, 2023
Summer Institute for Israel Studies 2018 alumna, Dr. Susan Kahn, has published a new book, “Canine Pioneer: The Extraordinary Life of Rudolphina Menzel." This book is about the story of Rudolphina Menzel, who was a Viennese-born Jewish scientist whose pioneering research on canine psychology, development, and behavior fundamentally shaped the ways dogs came to be trained, cared for, and understood. In the book, Kahn and her fellow contributors tease out the complexities and contradictions of Menzel and her remarkable accomplishments in the mid-twentieth-century world of dog breeding and training. The book is available for free through JSTOR or university libraries. You can purchase the book now on either Amazon or here.
Former Schusterman PhD presents at the AJS Conference
December 18, 2022
Former Schusterman doctoral fellow Shirah Malka Cohen, PhD '23, NEJS, presented a paper entitled “Musical Skeletons and Technological Ghosts: Musical Horror Imagery and the Discourse on Modern Jewish Identity in Hebrew Literature” at the Association for Jewish Studies conference in December 2022.Former Schusterman PhDs article got published in journal
December 16, 2022
Former Schusterman doctoral fellow Shirah Malka Cohen, PhD '23, NEJS had an article, "Music Caught Between Cultures: A Comparative Analysis of Works by Nagai Kafū and Uri Nissan Gnessin," published in the journal "Studies on Jewish Life and Culture" volume 36, in December 2022.Introducing our new director!
December 15, 2022
On January 1, 2023, the Schusterman Center will welcome a new director: Alexander Kaye, the Karl, Harry, and Helen Stoll Chair in Israel Studies and Associate Professor in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. The fourth to take the Center's helm, Prof. Kaye succeeds University Professor Jonathan D. Sarna, whose firm direction during the Covid crisis led to an expansion in the Center’s national and international reach. Please join us in congratulating Prof. Kaye as he prepares to assume stewardship of the Schusterman Center, and in thanking Prof. Sarna for his exemplary leadership over recent years. Read more.
Dr. Shayna Weiss' newsletter launch
December 8, 2022
Dr. Shayna Weiss and her colleague, Dr. Melissa Weininger, have launched "It’s No Ibiza," a newsletter devoted to Israeli popular culture, spanning celebrity gossip to serious reviews of TV, music, film, and more. "It’s No Ibiza" offers Dr. Weiss' and Dr. Weininger's insights into new developments in contemporary Israeli life, and they hope it will be useful to anyone teaching courses on the topic. Read the first edition and subscribe.SIIS Alumna publishes first-of-its-kind book in Turkey
December 1, 2022
Summer Institute for Israel Studies 2022 alumna, Dr. Tuğçe Ersoy Ceylan’s edited book, “Israel: ldentity, Politics, Foreign Policy, Security,” comes out at the end of December. This reference book is the first of its kind in Turkey, and marks a step further for Israel Studies in that country. Dr. Ersoy Ceylan teaches international relations at İzmir Democracy University in Turkey.
Celebrating two new graduates!
November 28, 2022
Congratulations to our newest Schusterman doctoral graduates, Dr. Rima Farah (NEJS) and Dr. Maya Dworsky-Rocha (Anthropology). On November 21, 2022, Dr. Farah successfully defended her dissertation, "A Predicament of the National Identity of Arabic-speaking Christians in Israel: 1980-2014." Then on November 28, 2022, Dr. Dworsky-Rocha successfully defended hers, “It Takes a Nation; Telescopic Temporality and Childhood in Israel." We are very proud of them and look forward to their continued growth and success.
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky quoted in The New York Times
November 16, 2022
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky was quoted in The New York Times article, "As Netanyahu Nears Power, the Far Right Wants to Oversee the Army," published on November 16, 2022. Read the article.Prof. Yehudah Mirsky quoted in Wall Street Journal
November 6, 2022
Prof. Yehudah Mirsky was quoted in the Wall Street Journal article, "Behind Benjamin Netanyahu’s Win in Israel: The Rise of Religious Zionism," published November 6, 2022. Read the article.
Dr. Shayna Weiss is teaching a Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning class
October 12, 2022
On October 12 & November 16, 2022, our associate director Dr. Shayna Weiss is teaching a Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning class: Israeli Current Events, in-person at Temple Emanuel of Newton. Topics will include the upcoming elections in Israel, the impact of the war in Ukraine, Orthodoxy and the state, and more! Register online. Questions? Contact opencircleregistration@hebrewcollege.edu.Dr. Shayna Weiss quoted in EJewish Philanthropy
September 30, 2022
Schusterman Center associate director Dr. Shayna Weiss is quoted in EJewish Philanthropy, in the article, "Chabad and YU are partnering to teach college classes and Israel advocacy," published September 30, 2022. Read the article.Schusterman Center named as a leader in the field of Israel Studies
September 23, 2022
In his opinion piece, “The unique value of Israel studies,” published September 23, 2022 in EJewish Philanthropy, Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro names the Schusterman Center as a leader in the field of Israel Studies and a model for how to “foster a space where Israel can be studied and taught with rigor, nuance and sophistication.” Read the article.Happy New Year! Shanah Tovah!
September 20, 2022
Happy New Year/Shanah Tovah from the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies! On the threshold of a new academic year, we're excited to share with you our 2021-2022 year in review. This was a momentous year for us. Read on to learn why.Our first graduate of the academic year!
September 19, 2022
Congratulations to our newest Schusterman doctral fellow graduate, Dr. Iddo Haklai! On September 19, 2022, he successfully defended his dissertation, "'To Hear the Calling Voice of God' - The Religious Thought of the Religious-Zionist Labor Movement in Mandatory Palestine, 1922-1948." Dr. Haklai graduated from the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. We are proud of him and look forward to his continued growth and success. Learn more about our Schusterman Doctoral Fellowships in Israel Studies.Dr. Shayna Weiss responds to controversial New York Times article
September 16, 2022
As part of her role in the the Haredi Research Group, Dr. Shayna Weiss wrote a blog post for a forum, “Hasidic Education in New York: A Clash of Law, Politics, and Culture,” published on September 16, 2022. The forum is a response to a controversial September 11 New York Times article about Hasidic education in New York. Dr. Weiss’s piece is about what the article means for Hasidic girls and women. Read the forum. The Haredi Research Group is an international collaborative of scholars committed to the study of Haredi history, culture, and life in the United States, Israel, Europe, and elsewhere.Dr. Shula Mola give opening lecture in Harvard's Black & Jewish Voices series
September 12, 2022
On September 12, 2022, our post-doctoral fellow Dr. Shula Mola presented the first lecture in the 2022-23 Black & Jewish Voices series at Harvard University, presented by the Center for Jewish Studies and the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. Her presentation, entitled "'I was not black, I became black here': Formation of Blackness in Israel," was recorded. Watch the recording.Prof. Mirsky's series on Rav Kook for the Avi Chai Foundation
September 4, 2022
During September 4-8, 2022, Professor Yehudah Mirsky presented a five-part series, in Hebrew, on Rav Kook for the Avi Chai foundation. Watch the recordings. Prof. Mirsky is one of the world’s foremost experts on the pivotal figure. His highly-praised "Rav Kook: Mabat Hadash" (Kinneret-Zmora-Dvir, 2021) is the revised Hebrew edition of his widely-acclaimed volume, "Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution" (Yale University Press, 2014).Meet our new doctoral fellow, Skyler Inman
September 1, 2022
We are excited to welcome our newest Schusterman Scholar, doctoral fellow Skyler Inman. A PhD student in Anthropology, her research interests include ethnicity and migration, nationalism and the self, as well as family, identity, belonging, and the political and ideological formation of young people. She received a BA in English from Yale University, and an MA in International Development Studies from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Before coming to Brandeis for her doctoral studies, she worked as a multimedia storyteller, writing, photographing, and producing radio pieces about a range of topics. Her dissertation will look at identity and belonging amongst non-Jewish youth in South Tel Aviv—primarily the children of asylum seekers and foreign workers—who are coming of age in Hebrew-speaking social and educational environments while grappling with their identities as the Israeli national "other." See all our Schusterman Scholars.Prof. Yehudah Mirsky on Israeli TV
August 30, 2022
Israeli public television's Kan 11 interviewed (in Hebrew) our own Prof. Yehudah Mirsky on the 87th anniversary of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook's death (on the Hebrew calendar), about his book "Rav Kook: Mabat Hadash" (Kinneret-Zmora-Dvir, 2021). The book is the revised Hebrew edition of his widely-acclaimed volume, "Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution" (Yale University Press, 2014), and like the original English edition, it is drawing wide praise. Watch the interview.Join our team!
August 8, 2022
Are you looking for a dynamic position that will challenge and inspire you? Join our welcoming team! The Schusterman Center is searching for a Program Administrator to plan and implement the logistics for all Center events -- virtual, hybrid and in-person -- including our flagship Summer Institute for Israel Studies. This position also handles the Center’s financial transactions, such as payments and deposits. You will join a small but mighty team of dedicated professionals, working with scholars and speakers from all over the world in a stimulating and collaborative atmosphere. Learn more and apply today!Shayna Weiss quoted in the Times of Israel
August 5, 2022
Our associate director Dr. Shayna Weiss interviewed for and quoted in The Times of Israel article, "The Maccabiah Games are dead; long live the Maccabiah Games," on August 5, 2022. Read the article, which offers a sociocultural and historical analysis of the world’s largest Jewish athletic competition, which takes place every four (4) years in Israel, often referred to as "the Jewish Olympics."Celebrating two new graduates!
July 14, 2022
Congratulations to our newest Schusterman doctral fellow graduates, Dr. Karen Spira and Dr. Yair Bar-Zuri! Dr. Bar-Zuri defended his dissertation "Embracing Contradiction in the Writings of Aharon David Gordon and Yosef Haim Brenner" on June 23, 2022. Then on July 14, 2022, Dr. Spira defended hers, "Disadvantaged and Orphaned Jewish Children in Palestine, 1881-1939." Both of the freshly minted PhDs graduated from Brandeis' Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. We are so proud of them, and look forward to their continued growth and success. Learn more about our Schusterman Doctoral Fellowships in Israel Studies.Abraham Accord country faculty attend Summer Institute for Israel Studies
June 29, 2022
For the first time since its inception in 2004, the Summer Institute for Israel Studies (SIIS) hosts five participants from institutions in the Abraham Accord countries of Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).While the program has hosted participants from Muslim-majority countries before, this is the first time, thanks to a generous grant, that faculty from North African and Gulf State institutions will participate. These trailblazers teach at the National Defense College in the UAE, Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech, and Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, among others. Joining them at the program this summer are another 18 faculty members, who teach in colleges and universities in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. The 2022 Summer Institute runs from June 29 - July 10 at Brandeis, and continues July 11-21 in Israel. Read more about this exciting development in the Boulder Jewish News.Center prepares Fulbright-Hays participants for Israel
June 27, 2022
During June 25-27, 2022, the Schusterman Center hosted a 3-day orientation for Israel-bound participants in the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program for secondary school educators, in preparation for their five-week seminar in Israel. We provided a crash course on Israeli culture, history, innovation, the conflict, a mini Hebrew and Arabic ulpan (immersive language learning) and more. Participants ranged in age from 29 to 64 and teach in California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. We are honored that the U.S. Department of Education chose us for this task, and proud to have been part of these educators' Fulbright experience.Jonathan Sarna on The Mapping Project
June 23, 2022
Our director Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna is quoted in the Jewish Journal's story, "The ‘Mapping Project’: How worried should Jews be?" originally published on June 23. Read the article.