Penn State Jewish Studies Program

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Penn State Jewish Studies Program

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During the academic year, join us for a range of talks, film screenings, and other cultural activities that highlight many different facets of Jewish culture and history, often co-sponsored with other organizations.

08/22/2026

Calling at Penn State students and faculty! Join us for our annual Jewish Studies kick-off party on Tuesday September 1 at 6:00 pm in the Pasquerilla Center’s Garden Room.

Hope to see you there!

Click here to RSVP: https://forms.gle/vNCYWpTg5yXxQT3FA

08/19/2026

This week - as we prepare for the new academic year - the Jewish Studies faculty met at the scenic Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park to discuss goals and strategies for the future.

We are all so excited to welcome students back to campus for another year of excellent classes, public lectures, study abroad experiences, and social events!

08/18/2026

The Jewish Studies Program has a full schedule of public lectures this semester!

Join us for a series of fascinating events featuring world-renowned experts and highly engaging topics!

08/06/2026

The Jewish Studies Program understands the value of learning beyond the classroom and of helping students prepare for their future careers.

Last year, our faculty connected one of our student, Josh Reiff, with the Eberly Family Special Collections Library to help process the archive of a historic Jewish community and synagogue in rural Pennsylvania.

Check out Josh’s story here:
https://www.psu.edu/news/university-libraries/story/penn-state-seniors-archival-project-preserves-pennsylvania-jewish

From the article:
"This kind of engagement strengthens collaboration across departments while providing students with valuable, career‑shaping learning opportunities. The process deepens subject‑area knowledge and provides students with the opportunity to experience different roles within the library and gain hands‑on exposure to archival practice," D**e said. “This collaboration was mutually enriching — I learned a great deal from Josh. He was always willing to answer my questions, our conversations enhanced my understanding of Jewish culture, and the exchange exemplifies one of my favorite aspects of my work: continually learning about subjects I previously knew little about.”

08/03/2026

As we approach the start of the Fall semester, we are excited to announce the first lecture in the 2026-27 Jewish Studies Speaker Series!

Benjamin Ratskoff (Occidental College) was the recipient of our first Penn State Jewish Studies Junior Scholar Article Prize. We are thrilled that he will be here to give a lecture based on his winning article entitled “Prosthetic Trauma at the Nova Exhibition: Holocaust Memory, Reenactment, and the Affective Reproduction of Genocidal Nightmares.”

See the photo for details about the event. If you would like to attend via Zoom, you can scan the QR code or find the registration link here: https://events.la.psu.edu/event/prosthetic-trauma-at-the-nova-exhibition/

07/27/2026

We’re excited to be chatting with prospective students today about the amazing opportunities associated with the Jewish Studies Program at the annual Spend a Summer Day resource fair!

06/09/2026

Congratulations to recent graduate Max Lustig, who completed a Holocaust and Genocide Studies certificate with the Jewish Studies Program, in addition to double majoring in History and African Studies!

Max will be pursuing a legal career as an intern with Major League Baseball and as a student at Brooklyn Law School.

“The College of the Liberal Arts is underrated,” he said. “It teaches you communication, empathy, how to explain things to people and how to analyze text. It makes you more open-minded and well-rounded. Those are all essential skills for a lawyer.”

To learn more about Max, his time at Penn State, and his next steps: https://www.psu.edu/news/liberal-arts/story/history-and-african-studies-graduate-charts-path-legal-career

05/29/2026

Daniel Falk (Jewish Studies & CAMS) gave a paper today entitled “Prayer Performance in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism” at the annual conference of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies in Sackville, New Brunswick.

The session was organized by Rob Jones, assistant director of Jewish Studies.

04/28/2026

We had a great time celebrating our excellent students and their many great academic achievements at the Jewish Studies awards ceremony this evening! Thank you to our students, faculty, and staff for another wonderful academic year! Good luck to all the graduating seniors!

04/10/2026

Three of our Jewish Studies majors will be presenting at the Lycoming University Humanities Research Conference this weekend!

Congratulations and good luck to Tori Korman, John Weisser, and Oli Patchell! Excellent work!

Address

103 Weaver Bldg. Penn State University
University Park, PA
16802

Website

https://jewishstudies.la.psu.edu/

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