Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies

Check out our wide range of Jewish Studies courses for Fall Semester 2026!

Grad Students, Jewish Studies at The University of Texas at Austin is offering a Seminar on the Holocaust as represented in film this semester!

Do you still have space in your schedule or looking to replace a class you're not excited about? Check out these classes offered in Jewish Studies in the College of Liberal Arts - University of Texas at Austin this spring!

What an amazing semester we’ve had at the Schusterman Center! We’ve hosted multiple book talks on topics from the Jews of the Ottoman Empire to the immigrant workplace experience to the Jewish labor movement in California. We’ve had graduate students give brown bags on their research. And Dr Sarah Abrevaya Stein gave the Fall Gale Lecture, highlighting Jewish joy through photos and videos. We’re grateful for all of the people who gave talks and attended our events. Happy holidays and we hope to see you next semester!

On September 30th, Tehila Hakimi presented her newest book, Hunting in America, at the Schusterman Center as part of the Tarbut: Hebrew Arts and Culture Lecture Series. Hakimi discussed her inspiration for the book, focusing on the representation of work in literature and its juxtaposition with violence. Hakimi answered questions on the translation process, her audience, and the experience of culture shock.

Thanks to the Rapoport Graduate Student Summer Fellowship, over the summer, Shehan McFadden (Anthropology) spent over 2 months in Spain and Morocco, performing preliminary fieldwork, for her research. Her research focuses on the ways in which the history of al-ándalus – the period of Muslim governance in the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492 and considered to contain a Jewish Golden Age of scholarship and culture – is presented, understood, and recreated by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Sevillians. She was able to access documents, form connections, and visit historical sites of great significance to Jewish and Muslim history, including the Jewish cemeteries in both Tetouan and Tangier.

On September 10th, Dr. Jacob Daniels (Assistant Director of the Schusterman Center) presented his recently published book, The Jews of Edirne: The End of Ottoman Europe and the Arrival of Borders, at the Schusterman Center. The talk, followed by a discussion, covered the experience of Jews in Edirne from the turn of the century to the start of the Turkish nation. What a great way to kick off the year!

With funding from a Rapoport grant, Dr. Daniels went to Bulgaria and Greece this summer to learn about local Jewish life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In search of primary sources written in Ladino (also known as Judeo-Spanish), he visited libraries and archives in Plovdiv, Sofia, Athens, and Thessaloniki. Here are some of the highlights of his research trip.

Association for Jewish Studies The Association for Jewish Studies is a learned society and professional organization whose mission is to advance research and teaching in Jewish Studies at colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning, and to foster greater understanding of Jewish Studies scholarship among the....

Jewish Studies Majors Elijah Kahlenberg and Lila Katz and Holocaust and Genocide Studies Minor Kolby Phillip were honored on May 7, 2025 at an awards dinner for the 2025 Dean's Distinguished Graduates. The College instituted this award in 1980 to recognize graduating Liberal Arts students who have distinguished themselves in the areas of scholarship, leadership, and service to the College and University community. It is the highest award the College offers and truly reflective of the remarkable caliber of our graduates. This year thirteen Liberal Arts graduates received this award.

Elijah Kahlenberg is graduating with a triple major in Jewish Studies, Middle Eastern Studies (Honors), and Government. Lila Katz is graduating with a double major in Jewish Studies and Humanities Honors. Kolby Phillip is graduating with a major in History (Honors) and minors in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Government. Congratulations Elijah, Lila, and Kolby!

Lila Katz and Elijah Kahlenberg at the Dean's Distinguished Graduates awards dinner