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Ayelet Margolin
"Jewish Studies at Rutgers provided me with the solid, well-rounded foundation to contribute successfully to the greater Jewish dialogue in America and to participate actively in the Jewish communal professional community."

Prospective Students in Jewish Studies

Rutgers is the only university in New Jersey to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jewish Studies. The university launched the department in 2000, and now approximately 1,300 students enroll in Jewish Studies classes each year.

The Department of Jewish Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of all aspects of the Jewish experience. Courses offered by the department address the historical, social, cultural, religious and political life of the Jewish people from ancient times to the present, including courses on the Bible, rabbinic literature, medieval and modern philosophy, modern Jewish history, and Jewish literature, media, and film. Drawing on faculty from eight academic departments at Rutgers, along with visiting fellows sponsored by the Bildner Center, the Jewish Studies curriculum offers more than 60 interdisciplinary courses. Israel Studies is an area of special strength at Rutgers. The department has several faculty members whose area of expertise is Israeli history, society, culture, and politics. Visiting professors from Israel are regularly invited to teach undergraduate courses in the Department.

Both Hebrew and Yiddish language instruction is offered by the Department; students studying Hebrew can take advantage of courses from beginning to advanced literature levels.

Jewish Studies students study abroad in the major research institutions in Israel and Europe. The Department supports an internship option, in which students intern at national museums and organizations in New Jersey and New York City.

Jewish Studies is offered as a major at the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick/Piscataway.

A sampling of courses includes:
  • Holocaust Literature in Translation
  • Jewish Power and Politics
  • Women in the Hebrew Bible
  • The Dead Sea Scrolls
  • Israeli Culture
  • Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah
  • Jewish American Women: Contested Lives
  • The Arab-Israeli Conflict

Jewish Studies graduates have entered the fields of law, Jewish communal service, education, the rabbinate, and academics.

triangle yellowSee http://admissions.rutgers.edu/majors.

 
  • ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS
 
Professor Amy Cohen
Prof. Amy Cohen
"Jewish Studies at Rutgers was a central part of my undergrad experience and intellectual formation."
 
Rabbi Michael Schwab
Rabbi Michael Schwab
"My courses in the Jewish Studies Department took my Judaic learning to the next level."
 
Jonathan Kobrinski
Jonathan Kobrinski
"My minor in Jewish Studies was a great complement to my other undergraduate studies. The Jewish Studies department offered close interaction with talented and diverse faculty and visitors as well as the opportunity to work with and get to know other intelligent and motivated students. This made for a great dynamic within the department, having the effect of making a big school like Rutgers seem a lot smaller."