UVA's home for researching and teaching Jewish Studies. Students who have studied in the program have gone on to pursue a variety of paths.
The Jewish Studies Program at the University of Virginia is an interdisciplinary program that explores all aspects of Jewish society, literature, language, culture, and history in coursework with over 25 faculty members from diverse departments and in extracurricular lectures, colloquia and cultural programs. As such, the JSP is a crucial intellectual meeting point for the College of Arts and Scie
06/12/2026
Three UVA Jewish Studies Professors and one Friedman Family Graduate Fellow recently published articles in a GlobalEurope Journal issue on Eurovision, with topics ranging from Israel's engagement with the contest to the diplomacy of participation and more! Read their articles: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/uva-jewish-studies-faculty-and-fellows-publish-articles-eurovision
06/11/2026
Last April, Jewish Studies Director Jennifer Geddes gave a presentation entitled “‘…for three lines in history’: Why Reading Holocaust Testimonies Matters,” to the Richmond Jewish Women’s Club. Learn more: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/director-jennifer-geddes-speaks-richmond-jewish-womens-club
06/10/2026
Learn more about the inaugural Undergraduate Jewish Studies Conference we hosted back in March with the College of William and Mary and the University of Maryland: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/jewish-studies-hosts-inaugural-undergraduate-conference
06/09/2026
UVA Jewish Studies is preparing to launch the first UVA Alumni Seminar, an online class that opens up lifelong liberal arts education to UVA Alumni and members of the broader public. Religious Studies and Jewish Studies Professor Martien Halvorson-Taylor will teach the first course in fall 2026, "Discovering the Book of Job". Learn more: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/uva-jewish-studies-announces-new-alumni-seminars-beginning-fall-2026
06/08/2026
Catch up with UVA Jewish Studies' spring events and news in the Summer 2026 issue of our newsletter. Learn about our new alumni seminars, read about former director James Loeffler's Grob Lecture, check out our first Undergraduate Fellows conference, and more:https://mcusercontent.com/60983c125af3163d1dfb8ebc5/files/c532fd85-02e7-99d4-c85f-c86d1fe0cf31/JSP_Summer_Newsletter.01.pdf
06/05/2026
Just after graduation this year, several Jewish Studies faculty attended the second Annual Faculty Writing Retreat in nearby Short Pump, VA. Learn more: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/uva-jewish-studies-attend-writing-retreat
06/03/2026
Get to know our Fall 2026 Visiting PhD Fellow Bilal Akar and his research on the political implications of Kurdish Jewish dancer Leila Bederkhan's performances. Learn more: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/meet-fall-2026-visiting-phd-fellow-bilal-akar
06/01/2026
Congratulations to Sigal Yona, the inaugural UVA Jewish Studies Visiting PhD Fellow, for successfully defending her dissertation at the University of Ghent! You can learn more about Sigal and her dissertation on 20th century Tel Aviv movie-going here: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/former-visiting-phd-fellow-sigal-yona-defends-her-dissertation
05/28/2026
Recent Jewish Studies graduate Grace Theriot was awarded the Levin Family Prize at graduation this year for her outstanding contribution to Jewish Studies at UVA, particularly for the research she conducted as the inaugural UVA Undergraduate Research Fellow in Holocaust Studies at the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research. Learn more about Grace and watch this recent interview with her about her research: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/sisisky-undergraduate-fellow-grace-theriot-awarded-jewish-studies-levin-family-prize
05/26/2026
On Friday, May 15, UVA Jewish Studies bid a fond farewell to 18 graduating fellows. Learn all about the ceremony and our graduates: https://jewishstudies.as.virginia.edu/uva-jewish-studies-honors-18-fellows-graduation-ceremony