Opportunities

Off-Campus Study Programs

In addition to our Jewish Studies classes on campus, Lafayette provides (and gives college credits for) many educational opportunities to interested students.  The following are several examples for the possibilities open to interested students:

  • Courses in Jewish Studies might be taken at neighboring institutions with which Lafayette maintains close, long-term linkages. Two particular links are through the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent College (LVAIC) and the Berman Center for Jewish Studies with Lehigh University and Muhlenberg College.
  • Students may take Jewish Studies courses, approved for Lafayette credits, at a number of top institutions in Israel, particularly the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, and Haifa University.
  • With the approval of the Chair of the Jewish Studies Programs, students may take courses in numerous institutions of higher learning in the United States and Israel including: the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Yiddish Summer Program at Tel Aviv University (directed by former Lafayette professor, Hana Wirth-Nesher), Gratz College in Philadelphia, and others.

Lectureships and Jewish Studies

The Jewish Studies Program and individual connected with it have been heavily involved in organizing and sponsoring numerous guest lectureships at the Lafayette campus.

For the last 40 years we have brought to the Lafayette campus large number of great speakers, addressing issues of significance for the Jewish Studies Program. The list includes, but is not limited to Arthur Hertzberg, Tony Judt, Elie Wiesel, Nechama Tec, Steve Whitfield, Christopher Browning, David Wyman, Susannah Heschel,  Peter Pulzer, Chaim Potok, Dara Horn, Shlomo Avineri, and many more.

The Jewish Studies Program has been intimately associated with the Howard Marblestone Memorial Lecturship, bringing prominent scholars to campus on a regular basis and commemorating one of our colleagues.

Other Off-Campus Programs

Coexistence in the Middle East (CME): An academic field program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. CME is a summer study abroad program which seeks to promote coexistence through a series of academic field trips and lectures that enable participants to gain first-hand contact and interact with different cultures. Participants can earn 3-6 academic credits through the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, rated among the world’s top 120 universities.

Naomi Prawer Kadar International Yiddish Summer Program at Tel Aviv University: The largest Yiddish summer program in the world, offering intensive Yiddish instruction at five levels, from beginners to advanced. Language instruction is supplemented by an afternoon program of lectures, conversation workshops, films, and tours, and by evening cultural and social events. Scholarships available.

Tel Aviv University, Department of Hebrew Culture Studies, Summer School in Rabbinic Literature: This new intensive 6-week program is tailored for English speaking students and aims at enhancing textual, linguistic and philological skills for advanced students of Jewish and Religious studies interested in acquiring reading skills in Talmud and Midrash.

Association for Jewish Studies
The main professional organization representing Jewish Studies scholars worldwide.

Internships, Grants, Prizes & Fellowships

Jewish Publication Society (JPS) Summer Internships
The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), a nonprofit book publishing organization in center city Philadelphia, is accepting applications for summer internships. JPS is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Judaica in English.

Jewish Women’s Archive
The Jewish Women’s Archive is a virtual archive dedicated to uncovering, chronicling, and transmitting the record of Jewish women’s past and creating an ongoing record of Jewish women’s lives in North America. Based in Brookline, MA, JWA has openings for unpaid summer interns.

National Yiddish Book Center
A nonprofit organization located in Western Massachusetts working to rescue Yiddish and other modern Jewish books. The Center offers the Steiner Summer Internship program for college students, a tuition-free seven-week immersion in Yiddish culture as well as a paid Fellowship Program that brings talented young college graduates who are passionate about Yiddish language and culture to spend a year as full-time Book Center staff..

The Jewish Museum Internships
The Jewish Museum’s internship program provides an opportunity to participate in the day-to-day operations of one of New York City’s leading museums of art and culture. The Jewish Museum offers fall, spring, and summer internships for undergraduate, graduate, and recent college graduates. Internships are unpaid and are available in a wide range of museum departments including curatorial affairs, membership, marketing and communications, and development.

Graduate School Information

MA program in Jewish Studies at Tel Aviv University
The department of Hebrew Culture Studies of Tel Aviv University  offers a program in Jewish Studies tailored for English speaking students. The one-year MA program offers a series of comprehensive encounters with the classical texts of Jewish cultures covering a wide range of periods, methodologies, and scholarly interests, while maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence.