SPOTLIGHT ON: TAUBE CENTER FOR JEWISH STUDIES

Did you know that the Taube Center for Jewish Studies is one of the top centers in the world for scholars of Jewish education, history, language, literature, politics and religion?  Marie-Pierre Ulloa, Associate Director of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, shares some recent innovations and how they support Stanford students:

Director Steve Weitzman and I are very enthusiastic about the programs, activities and experiences in Jewish Studies available through the Taube Center. Our program coordinates the study of the Jewish experience at Stanford, supports scholarly work and community service in the field of Jewish Studies, and designs courses attended by hundreds of undergraduates.  Here’s just a few examples of recent developments: 

Lectures:

Each year, we present lectures on a wide range of Jewish-related topics, bringing celebrated academics and intellectuals to campus. These lectures present opportunities to hear and engage with outstanding speakers, such as the Russian-born writer Gary Shteyngart, the author of Absurdistan and Super Sad True Love Story, and Stanford alumnus, screenwriter Michael Green, who wrote the TV series King David.

Courses:

Historically, the Center has focused its efforts on graduate fellowships, and has now trained and produced two generations of professors in various universities. The Center is internationally praised as a leading place for graduate research in Jewish history, religion, and culture. Now, the Center is trying to develop an undergraduate program, while a major and a minor in Jewish Studies are currently offered through the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE).

Professors Noah Rosenberg and Steve Weitzman premiered a one-unit course with Biology this fall, “From Generation to Generation: Scientific and Cultural Approaches to Jewish Genetics.” In addition to experts at Stanford, the course included speakers from the Rambam Medical Center in Israel, Duke University, Harvard University, UC Berkeley and more.  Topics ranged from “Jews and the Science of Race at the Fin-de-Siecle” to the provocative “Are Genes Jewish?: The Conceptual Ambiguities of the New Genetic Age.” The course was extremely popular with both students and community members, so stay tuned because we plan to extend the conversation!

Also in the fall quarter, I taught a new course “Beyond Casablanca: Exploring North African Cinema and Literature.”  We read from Memmi, Camus, Derrida, Kummer, Stora, and explored the different fates of Jews in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, with a special focus on the Nazi occupation of Tunisia during World War II. I will teach it again next fall.

Internships:

With help from the Koret Foundation the Taube Center will support two undergraduate summer internships. Noam Rosenthal will intern for the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and Simone Hudson will intern for Bend the Arc, an organization committed to creating economic opportunities and promoting social justice.

Travel Opportunities:

For the first time in 25 years, the Bing Overseas Studies Program has given the green light to a program in Israel. Steve Weitzman is leading the seminar (June 18-July 7) that will take 15 students to Israel to explore the nature and history of sacred space, with visits to Jerusalem, Galilee, Haifa and Tel Aviv, and day trips to the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea.

Publications and Print Resources:

Our library collection is always open, with much of our impressive archive of documents for Tel Aviv digitized and available online. We are also proud to note that two of the major publications in the field, Jewish Social Studies: History, Culture, and Society, published by Indiana University Press and Stanford Studies in Jewish History and Culture, published by Stanford University Press, are based at the Taube Center.

We encourage all students, Jewish and non-Jewish, to consider engaging in Jewish Studies, whether that means coming to an event, taking a course, or minoring or majoring in the field.  Jews are found around the globe, and their multi-lingual culture combines elements of religion and ethnicity. There are many fascinating texts to study—from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the poetry of Yehuda Amichai and journalism of Sayed Kashua.  Plus, Jewish Studies is a great way to study other cultures—ancient and modern, Western and Eastern European, North African, Persian and American. But it is not just about culture and texts; it is also about the real world—the challenges of sustaining a minority culture, the relationship between secular and religious culture, and the impact of prejudice and ethnic conflict.

Stop by the Taube Center anytime and discover our supportive and enriching community of students and scholars. Learn more by visiting our website or contacting me (mpulloa [at] stanford.edu (mpulloa[at]stanford[dot]edu)), Center Director Steve Weitzman (sweitzma [at] stanford.edu (sweitzma[at]stanford[dot]edu)), or Center Manager Linda Huynh (lindamh [at] stanford.edu (lindamh[at]stanford[dot]edu)).