Schusterman Center for Israel Studies

Summer Institute for Israel Studies

The Schusterman Center's Summer Institute for Israel Studies is a one-of-a-kind program dedicated to expanding Israel studies on a global scale. To date we have prepared 372 professors at 262 institutions across North America and around the world to teach Israel Studies in their respective disciplines. Our Summer Institute alumni have taught 1,520 courses about Israel to more than 33,774 students worldwide. 

Thanks to a generous donor, we can offer special consideration to candidates who grew up in the Middle East or North Africa and who are living and working in Abraham Accord countries (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, or Sudan).

The Summer Institute for Israel Studies welcomes full time equivalent (FTE) faculty from the U.S. and around the world to a two-week residency at Brandeis. During this time, Summer Institute for Israel Studies fellows attend seminars taught by distinguished Israel studies scholars and develop syllabi for courses they will teach upon returning to their home institutions. Participants may design a new course or develop a substantive Israel component to integrate into an existing course. The residency is followed by a 10-day tour of Israel, featuring encounters with Jewish and Arab intellectuals, politicians and community leaders.

After completing the program, Summer Institute for Israel Studies alumni continue their relationship with the Schusterman Center, returning for conferences and workshops, and with each other, through an ever-growing network of peers that spans the globe.

Since 2004, the Summer Institute for Israel Studies has been building a community of scholars who are integrating Israel studies into their institutions all over the world.

“An extraordinary opportunity to engage deeply with a broad range of communities and concerns in contemporary Israel.”

Susan Kahn (SIIS 2019)

Harvard University Law School