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...
2018-04-10 - We were delighted that Julia Phillips Cohen was the 2018 Einhorn lecturer and joined us for two events on the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign campus on Monday, April 9. A packed to capacity noon workshop entitled “The Past as Foreign Country: Sephardi Jews and the Spanish Past” and then a standing room only 5pm lecture entitled “Jews for Jihad? Jewish Citizens in an...
2018-04-10 - Professor Amnon Reichman visited the University of Illinois College of Law on March 8-9, 2018. The visit was sponsored by the Israel Studies Project. Amnon Reichman is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Haifa and Principal Investigator at the Minerva Center for the Rule of Law Under Extreme Conditions. His areas of expertise include separation of powers, theories of judicial...
2018-04-04 - When it comes to choosing a university, average class sizes are a point of anxiety for many prospective students. Getting a great education boils down to making connections with peers and faculty, and many students wish to do so in an environment that promotes these interactions. With an 18:1 student to faculty ratio, a majority of classes within the College of LAS aren’t lecture style, but...
2018-04-03 - I created Dialogue: A Polish-Jewish Film Series about a year ago with the intention of starting a forum for cross-cultural dialogue around Polish-Jewish issues that extend well beyond the scope of this particular cultural space. The goal of the Series is to breakdown perceived binaries between “Polish” and “Jewish” cultures through dialogue and discussion about a film. I was inspired by...