Penn State Jewish Studies Program

10/12/2026

More Spring 2027 classes!

Do you want to learn more about Israeli and Palestinian societies and the historical context of the Israel-Palestine conflict? Our professors have deep knowledge of the region and its history and offer classes to help students better understand current events and the pressing issues facing society.

09/30/2026

Congratulations to one of our professors, Kobi Kabalek, on the publication of his co-edited special issue (with Stefanie Fischer) of the journal Holocaust and Genocide Studies on Emotions in Holocaust Studies!

To learn more about this project and read the articles: https://academic.oup.com/hgs/article-abstract/40/1/2/8362493

09/29/2026

We are co-sponsoring an event commemorating October 7 with our friends at Penn State Hillel next week. We will be joined by Omer Shem Tov, who was taken hostage by Hamas and held captive for 505 days before his release. Omer will share his story of resilience, hope, and the power of human connection.

The event will be held on Monday October 5 at 7:00 p.m. at Penn State Hillel (180 S. Garner St.). Pre-registration is required. You can learn more and register here:

Penn State Hillel is honored to welcome Omer Shem Tov to campus for a meaningful conversation with our community. Omer, who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and held in captivity for 505 days before his release, will share his story of resilience, hope, and the power of human connection...

09/28/2026

More Spring 2027 classes! Do you want to learn more about the Bible in its historical context? Are you interested in archaeology? We have an excellent line-up of courses that will help you explore the origins of Judaism and Christianity!

09/25/2026

Would you like to study abroad over Spring Break?

The Jewish Studies Program is organizing an embedded trip to Greece (Thessaloniki and Ioannina) for students enrolled in JST/HIST 426, an upper-level course on Holocaust history.

If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, just us for an information session on Monday October 5 at 6:00 p.m. in 102 Weaver Building! You can also read more about the trip on the flyer!

09/24/2026

Preparing to register for Spring 2027 courses?! We have an impressive line-up of courses designed to help you make sense of the past and better understand current events!

For the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting some of our upcoming courses. Today, we’re promoting our courses on the Holocaust, genocide, and antisemitism. All of these courses count toward the Jewish Studies major, minor, and the Holocaust and Genocide Studies certificate. To learn more about these degree programs, reach out to our assistant director Rob Jones, you can find his info our our website! (https://jewishstudies.la.psu.edu/)

09/22/2026

Last week, Shayla Mendelsohn (Jewish Studies major) moderated a moving conversation with Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann at Penn Hillel. It was an honor to co-sponsor this event. We are grateful to Sami for sharing his story and to Shayla for facilitating such an excellent conversation.

09/14/2026

Check out the video recording of our online event last year featuring Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe (Freie Universität Berlin), discussing his recent book on Polish mayors and the Holocaust with a response by Jan Grabowski (University of Ottawa).

Polish mayors were an important group of officials in the administrative apparatus of the General Government in Nazi-occupied Poland. Together with the German county governors and city governors, they shaped local politics and played an important role in the persecution and murder of Jews, as well as in the exploitation of the General Government. Based on extensive archival research and new contextualizations, this book shows how Polish mayors behaved during WWII. The analysis includes towns, medium-sized cities, and the metropolis Warsaw. Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe provides an indispensable basis for research on local government during the Holocaust.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuu97_iBQZ4&t=3299s

Online lecture and book discussion featuring Grzegorz Rossoliński-L...

09/10/2026

One of our excellent Jewish Studies undergraduate majors (Shayla Mendelsohn) is hosting a conversation with Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann at pennstatehillel next week.

Register here to participate: http://pennstatehillel.org/survivor/

09/09/2026

Excellent lecture tonight by Ben Ratskoff (Occidental College), the winner of our first annual Junior Scholar Article Prize in Jewish Studies!