Why Does It Matter?

WHY DOES IT MATTER? SCHUSTERMAN CENTER FOR ISRAEL STUDIES

It was only when I began studying the modern State of Israel that I realized how many more questions I had about Israeli society and how much I still had to learn.

HANNAH KOBER ’16 2015 FRANCES TAYLOR EIZENSTAT ’65 UNDERGRADUATE ISRAEL TRAVEL GRANT AWARDEE

WHY DO WE NEED ISRAEL STUDIES?

The story of Israel is fascinating and highly complex.

Since its establishment more than 60 years ago, the country has been an important subject of political, cultural and religious discourse, and it remains a central focus of regional and global interest. It is also a land of universal significance and attraction — not only for the Jews, Muslims and Christians who live there but for people all over the world.

Too often, though, Israel is the subject of polarizing debate that precludes a deep and nuanced understanding of the country. Understanding Israel requires inquiry and exploration firmly anchored in scholarship. Yet, until the late 20th century, there was no academic home for the comprehensive study of the Middle East’s most modern state.

WHY IS BRANDEIS THE IDEAL HOME FOR AN ISRAEL STUDIES CENTER?

RELATED CENTERS AT BRANDEIS CROWN CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST STUDIES

HORNSTEIN JEWISH PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

MAURICE AND MARILYN COHEN CENTER FOR MODERN JEWISH STUDIES

JACK, JOSEPH AND MORTON MANDEL CENTER FOR STUDIES IN JEWISH EDUCATION

NEAR EASTERN AND JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT THE TAUBER INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF EUROPEAN JEWRY

HADASSAH-BRANDEIS INSTITUTE

Brandeis University prides itself on its commitment to academic excellence. Since its founding, the same year as the state of Israel, the university has been home to the world’s leading scholars of Judaic and ancient and modern Middle East studies.

It is also home to a wide range of interdisciplinary centers and departments focusing on the Near and Middle East and on Jewish education. At Brandeis, the field of Israel studies lies at the heart of this thriving, collaborative ecosystem.

Today the study of Israel in all its dimensions is more crucial than ever.

We must cultivate and deepen our ability to examine this state — its singularity, its achievements and its challenges — in as dispassionate and balanced a way as possible.

Given this university’s distinctive heritage and its tremendous resources in Near East and Judaic studies, it is only natural for a premier center for Israel studies to live under the banner of Brandeis.

DAVID ELLENSON DIRECTOR OF THE SCHUSTERMAN CENTER FOR ISRAEL STUDIES

HOW DOES SCHUSTERMAN STAND OUT AMONG ISRAEL STUDIES CENTERS?

The Schusterman Center is unparalleled in the depth and breadth of its ambition and in the intellectual resources available to realize its goals.

Like the best Israel studies centers, the Schusterman Center is dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of Israeli history, politics, culture and society. But its mission goes far beyond scholarship itself. The center is committed to creating and disseminating knowledge about the modern state of Israel — not just at Brandeis, but to a global audience.

The center is shaping and safeguarding the future of Israel studies by training the next generation of scholars in the field. Through innovative research and teaching programs, lectures, conferences, grants, films and art exhibitions, complemented by a unique online resource site, the center is nurturing a worldwide community of people who are knowledgeable about Israel.

TRAINING THE

NEXT GENERATION OF SCHOLARS

DEPARTMENTS AND DISCIPLINES OFFERING COURSES IN ISRAEL STUDIES ANTHROPOLOGY FILM, TELEVISION & INTERACTIVE MEDIA FINE ARTS HEBREW AND ARABIC LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE HELLER SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND MANAGEMENT HISTORY MIDDLE EAST STUDIES NEAR EASTERN AND JUDAIC STUDIES POLITICS SOCIOLOGY

The Schusterman Center trains the world’s future teachers and scholars at the under­ graduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.

Taught by faculty from a variety of depart­ ments, undergraduate courses are multidisci­ plinary, drawing on expertise in areas such as art, history, politics, literature, theology, and Hebrew and Arabic languages.

The center’s global reputation for teaching and research is reflected in its doctoral candidates, called Schusterman Scholars, who come to Brandeis from countries around the world, including Egypt, Pakistan and China.

Schusterman Scholars enrich the campus with the remarkable diversity of their backgrounds, whether they are Mormon, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim or Jewish.

In addition, the center supports a dynamic cohort of postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars as they pursue their research and teach in a variety of disciplines, from history and anthropology to political science and philoso­ phy. Postdoctoral fellows and scholars present their research at the center’s biweekly Schusterman Scholars Seminars.

Introducing my students to Israeli culture opens their eyes, their minds and their hearts.

They gain a critical understanding of the complexity and diversity of Israel’s multiethnic and multicultural society, which disrupts preconceived notions and undermines stereotypes.

GANNIT ANKORI PROFESSOR OF ART HISTORY AND CHAIR OF ISRAELI ART, DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR ISRAEL STUDIES

MULTIPLIER EFFECT 250 FACULTY FROM 200 INSTITUTIONS TEACHING 745 COURSES REACHING 22,000 STUDENTS

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.

The Summer Institute for Israel Studies welcomes tenure-track 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.

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 Insti­ tute for Israel Studies alumni continue to enjoy access to a trove of resources — syllabi, articles, archives, podcasts, conferences, workshops and webinars — and 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.

My emotionally powerful and intellectually challenging experience as a Summer Institute Fellow has literally been at the center of every project I have worked on since then. It has redefined my life.

CARY NELSON SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR ISRAEL STUDIES 2014; EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANACHAMPAIGN; FORMER PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS

ISRAEL EDUCATION PROJECT

ENHANCING ISRAEL EDUCATION FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTORS PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATORS JEWISH COMMUNAL PROFESSIONALS

The topic of Israel requires an approach that is evenhanded, nuanced and informed. Yet, over­ simplification and misinformation increasingly distort the discussion. The Israel Education Project (IEP) aims to improve understanding of Israeli history, politics, culture and society among professionals and educators, both Jewish and non-Jewish, so that they can appre­ ciate the country in all its complexity. The IEP’s ultimate goal is to establish a growing corps of Israel-literate educators and commu­ nity leaders who will enrich public discourse on Israel.

In addition to professional development work­ shops and online outreach, a major component of this initiative is a diagnostic tool. Developed with the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, this evaluation measures Israel literacy — the gap between an individual’s current understanding and the core knowledge consid­ ered essential for meaningful engagement with others about Israel.

Another key component is the forthcom­ ing publication of “Essential Israel: Readings for the 21st Century.” This book consists of 14 essays by preeminent scholars who have sought to convey, in a readable manner, the fundamental ideas and historical framework of Israel literacy.

In a world in which ideas are often truncated to 140 characters, our approach is countercultural: We are asking what it means to be literate about Israel in the 21st century. To answer that requires that we transmit complex ideas in an accessible manner extending beyond the academy.

RACHEL FISH ’13 ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, SCHUSTERMAN CENTER FOR ISRAEL STUDIES

IDEAS ON THE PAGE

SAMPLE ESSAYS FROM “ESSENTIAL ISRAEL: READINGS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY” (INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2016) ZIONIST SETTLEMENT IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL/PALESTINE NEGOTIATING THE ISRAEL/ARAB CONFLICT ISRAEL AS A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY JEWISHNESS IN ISRAEL: ISRAEL AS A JEWISH STATE ISRAEL AND PEOPLEHOOD RELATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF ISRAEL IN CHRISTIANITY RELATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF ISRAEL IN ISLAM

The Schusterman Center supports a flourishing publishing enterprise, producing scholarship that advances Israel studies discourse and teaching.

The multidisciplinary journal Israel Studies, co-published by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, is produced three times a year and contains the latest scholarship on Israeli culture, politics and history.

The Schusterman Series in Israel Studies publishes original scholarship of exceptional significance on the history of Zionism and the State of Israel. It draws on disciplines across the academy, from anthropology, sociology, political science and international relations to the arts, history and literature. It seeks to further an understanding of Israel within the context of the modern Middle East and the modern Jewish experience. It also aims to develop publications that enrich the university curriculum and enlighten the public at large.

Our publications are transforming knowledge of Israel. The Israel Studies journal reaches more than 3,000 universities worldwide.

The center’s books, including the National Jewish Book Awardwinner “Israel: A History,”

by Anita Shapira, enrich a large readership.

ILAN TROEN ’63 KARL, HARRY AND HELEN STOLL PROFESSOR OF ISRAEL STUDIES, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY; PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR ISRAEL STUDIES

Collaboration, collegiality, the engaged student community and an excellent collection of materials in English and Hebrew make Schusterman one of the best places outside Israel to engage in Israel studies.

SHAY RABINEAU, PHD’13 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ISRAEL STUDIES AND ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR ISRAEL STUDIES, BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY

At Schusterman, I’m immersed in a diverse and intellectually stimulating community of scholars. Without the center, my work on non-Jews in Israel would be impossible.

DINA SHVETSOV, MA/MPP’14 SCHUSTERMAN SCHOLAR

Productive conversations with the Schusterman Center’s Summer Institute for Israel Studies network of scholars and seminars gave me valuable incentives for doing complex area studies.

ROHEE DASGUPTA, PHD CONVENER, JINDAL CENTRE FOR ISRAEL STUDIES, O.P. JINDAL GLOBAL UNIVERSITY, INDIA

At the center, my intellectual experience is watered from a spring of knowledge that illuminates my perception of the Jewish/Israeli other.

MOSTAFA HUSSEIN SCHUSTERMAN SCHOLAR

Since Schusterman Center’s Summer Institute for Israel Studies, two professors and I have successfully introduced courses about Israel at ELTE, one of Hungary’s most prestigious universities.

ZSOFIA KATA VINCZE JUNIOR PROFESSOR OF JUDAIC STUDIES, ELTE UNIVERSITY, BUDAPEST

As a Schusterman Scholar I’ve pursued innovative research on the history of Mormons in Palestine and Israel, contributing more broadly to America-Holy Land Studies.

AMBER TAYLOR, MA’12 SCHUSTERMAN SCHOLAR

HOW CAN WE ENSURE THE FUTURE OF ISRAEL STUDIES AT BRANDEIS? In just a few years, the Schusterman Center has measurably advanced and expanded the field of Israel studies. Indeed, one of its flagship pro­ grams, the Summer Institute for Israel Studies, has been called “a field leader” by the Jim Joseph Foundation, an early supporter of the center. According to the foundation, “Scholars leave the institute — and its immersive Israel learning experience — equipped with new knowledge and strategies to engage students in high-quality, meaningful Israel education.”

More than ever, Israel demands and deserves scholarly inquiry of the highest caliber. If the Schusterman Center is to continue to be a polestar for the finest professors and students in Israel studies, it will need the support of individuals and institutions who appreciate the universal importance of informed, enlightened, high-impact scholarship in the field.

Do Your Part.

BRANDEIS.EDU/ISRAELCENTER SCHUSTERMAN CENTER FOR ISRAEL STUDIES BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY 415 SOUTH STREET, MS 060 WALTHAM, MA 02453 781-736-2166 SCIS@BRANDEIS.EDU

OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS © BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY 2016 G118 PHOTOS: RAN ZISOVITCH, MIKE LOVETT, CATHERINE KARNOW, NOAM CHEN, DANA FRIEDLANDER AND ISRAELI MINISTRY OF TOURISM WWW.GOISRAEL.COM

Deepening and broadening our understanding of Israel is vital — not only to the country and the Jewish people but to the world community as well. I endowed this center at Brandeis because no other university in the U.S. has a stronger connection to Israel, a richer pool of resources or a more impressive roster of scholars in the field. I hope that others will recognize the importance of furthering this crucial work by supporting the center.

LYNN SCHUSTERMAN CHAIR OF THE CHARLES AND LYNN SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION, FOUNDING DONOR OF THE SCHUSTERMAN CENTER FOR ISRAEL STUDIES

BRANDEIS.EDU/ISRAELCENTER