2019-05-15
- 2018-2019 Filler Award Winners
Yoav Margalit
Yoav Margalit looks to both philosophy and Jewish studies as a way to understand things. But learning about Judaism is, like philosophy, so much more than just learning about one thing. Yoav has learned about other perspectives that he...
2018-12-04 - Following Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba in 1998, Fidel Castro Ruz convened a symposium to examine religious life in Cuba. Representatives from different religious communities were invited to attend and share their experiences and perspectives. During that event, members of Beth Shalom Congregation (a.k.a El Patronato)—one of three major synagogues in contemporary Havana—invited Fidel to visit...- 2018-10-29 - On Friday night, several members of the UIUC faculty and staff joined students and community members for a Shabbat dinner. It is a tradition that began a few years ago, and it allows us to connect with the Jewish community on and around campus. Friday night was another enriching experience: it showcased the diversity of people connected with Jewish life on campus and allowed us to...
2018-10-26 - The series that has become “Mad Creative” is the first in what I hope will become an HGMS annual tradition. It generated through a perhaps atypical origin story. I saw on Facebook a posting from one of the wonderful Comparative and World Literature and now HGMS graduate students, Meagan Smith. I’ve been a fan of Meagan’s writing ever since her exams some years ago and I read her post during a...
2018-10-26 - We are now halfway through our 21st Century Jewish Writing and the World series. We have been treated to some amazing events with two very thoughtful writers who care deeply about the world we inhabit and the relationship of Jewish people with that world. On October 8th, we launched the series with the visit of Ruby Namdar. I had the privilege of sitting down with Ruby to discuss his latest...
2018-10-04 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Program in Jewish Culture and Society has organized a lecture series, “21st Century Jewish Writing and the World,” for the 2018-19 academic year that features four award-winning Jewish writers. Each writer will visit both the...
2018-09-26 - On the occasion of Yom Kippur, WILL Radio’s “The 21st” hosted an episode reflecting on religion and racism. The host interviewed Rabbi Ari Naveh (Illini Hillel) and our own Professor Brett Ashley Kaplan (Comparative & World Literatures and Director of Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies). The conversation centered on the life and work of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and what we can learn...
2018-09-24 - As Director of the Program in Jewish Culture & Society, I attended the convocation ceremony for new students at State Farm Center on Friday, August 24th. In his remarks, Chancellor Richard J. Jones highlighted a number of noteworthy students in the history of the university and their accomplishments. Among these, he specifically cited Rosalyn Yalow, a Nobel Prize winning physicist who...
2018-09-02 - The Program in Jewish Culture & Society partnered with Illini Hillel on September 2nd to co-host the first “Sandy’s Bagel Brunch” of the Fall semester. The bagel brunch is a regular event at Hillel, at which students can mix, mingle, and have a nice nosh. Last week’s brunch provided an opportunity for students and Jewish Studies faculty to get to know one another in a more informal setting as...
2018-08-21 - During her undergraduate days at Illinois, Meirav Malter had a common problem faced by curious people: She wanted to study pretty much everything. That’s how she wound up double majoring in global studies and Jewish studies with a minor in history—including courses on Hebrew, Arabic, Judaism, and Middle Eastern statehood, not to mention her research on Bedouin tribes of the Sinai Peninsula. Part...
2018-08-17 - Dov Weiss, Assistant Professor of Religion, recently discussed his award-winning book, "Pious Irreverence", on the "Judaism Unbound" podcast: ...
2018-05-01 - The Fred S. Bailey Fellowship for Community Leadership, Service, and Activism supports University of Illinois Urbana campus graduate and professional students who have shown passion, creativity, innovation, and commitment through community organizing, activism, and/or service in one or more of the following areas: social justice, environment, global engagement and/or interfaith cooperation.
2018-04-25 - On April 23, 2018, the UIUC campus and beyond got a sneak-preview of Sayed Kashua’s newest novel, Track Changes. Sayed is a prolific and internationally lauded Palestinian-Israeli journalist, novelist, columnist, and screenwriter. So far, Track Changes is only out in Hebrew (and recently on the Israeli best seller list). Sayed read part of the soon-to-be-...
2018-04-25 - We are delighted that three affiliated faculty of the Program in Jewish Culture & Society or the Initiative in Holocaust, Genocide, Memory Studies are included in the newest news from LAS!
2018-04-18 - Ellie graduated with a minor in Jewish Studies in 2011, went on to earn an MSW, and has been with the Chicago-based, vision-driven Jewish group Mishkan for three and a half years. Mishkan seeks to build Jewish community through holding shabbat and high holy day services and to foster social justice through organizing for refugees and providing other services. A new and important aspect of Mishkan...