group of students in a small group presentation

Study Jewish Culture at Illinois

Jewish Studies events

View all events

Jewish Culture & Society News

Dick Abrams Fellowship
Funding opportunities for undergraduate students
The Program in Jewish Culture & Society announces a call for applications for the Dick Abrams Scholarship, which provides two $1,300 stipends. The scholarship will be awarded to full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students in good academic standing enrolled at the...
Funding Opportunities for Graduate Students
The Program in Jewish Culture & Society announces a call for applications for the Gendell/Shiner Family Fellowship and the Dara Goldman Memorial Scholarship.
Applicants must be degree-seeking graduate students in good academic standing enrolled at the University of Illinois. The Gendell/Shiner Family Fellowship provides a stipend of $14,000 and a waiver of tuition and some fees. Preference will be given to students at the ABD level in either Jewish...
Hilit Surowitz-Israel
The Jewish Studies Podcast Project is out!
The Jewish Studies Podcast Project is out! We interview our faculty, visiting scholars, and guest lecturers about their new projects and recent books. Follow us on Spotify for a new episode every third Thursday of the month.The first episode is dedicated to Dara Goldman, May Her Memory Be a...
Joshua Kravitz photo

Alumni spotlight: Joshua Kravitz

Joshua Kravitz received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a undergraduate minor in Jewish Culture and Society here at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has always been interested in Jewish studies, especially after completing a semester abroad in 2019 at Tel Aviv University. Joshua has been a great leader and has vocalized his support to Israel by being a part of Chabad and being the Philanthropy chair at Zeta Beta Tau fraternity here on campus. After graduating in the Spring of 2020, Joshua began preparing for his dream to attend law school in the Chicago land...

Featured Courses: Fall 2026
HIST 400

Making of the Jewish Nation

"Making of the Jewish Nation" traces the development of different forms of Jewish nationalism (diaspora nationalism, Zionism, territorialism, etc.) and the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
JS 399

American Jewish History: The Case of Central Illinois

The course offers an opportunity to learn the nuances of archival work using the collections available locally—the University of Illinois Library!
GER 261

The Holocaust in Context

Examines cultural representations of the Holocaust in literature, film, and critical essays.