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.
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During the first two weeks, SIIS fellows are in residence at Brandeis and participate in seminars taught by distinguished Israel Studies scholars. These seminars focus on Israel’s society, history, politics, culture, foreign affairs, and diplomacy. Fellows are then required to present syllabi for the courses they plan to teach on their home campuses. Accommodations are in shared suites at the university's newest residence halls.
More about SIIS faculty at Brandeis
On a 10-day study tour in Israel, fellows meet with leading figures in public life, the academy and the arts; including politicians and civil servants, writers, public intellectuals, and Jewish and Arab community leaders. Fellows also visit select historical and cultural sites. Participation in this portion of the Summer Institute is highly recommended but optional. Group flight travel from the US to Israel and back is covered. Accommodations are in single rooms in hotels.
More about Summer Institute Faculty in Israel
- Round trip travel from Boston to Tel Aviv and travel within Israel
- Stipend: $2,500 for US residents; $3,000 for those who reside outside the US. Participants may use their stipend to offset the cost of travel between their home city and Boston.
- Accommodations
- Most meals
After completing the program, Summer Institute for Israel Studies alumni continue to enjoy access to conferences, workshops and webinars – and an ever-growing network of peers that spans the globe.
In recent years, activities for Summer Institute alumni have included:
- our annual spring conferences, including our 2019 Innovation in Israel: Economy and Society conference, cosponsored by Brandeis' International Business School, featuring Karnit Flug, former Governor of the Bank of Israel
- webinars on such topics as: Israeli national security, Zionism, human rights, Christians, Middle Eastern Jews and Arabs, and politics in Israel
Fellows have come from more than 200 universities in the United States and around the world. Institutions range from small liberal arts colleges, to Jewish and Christian academic institutions, U.S. military academies, large research universities, and the Ivy League.
More about participating institutions
Summer Institute fellowships are open to faculty members teaching outside of Israel. Applicants must be actively teaching at a college or university that has approved their plans to introduce a new course on Israel Studies or to substantially integrate it into an existing course.
The deadline to apply for the 2023 Summer Institute is January 17, 2023.
