About & Contact

Mission of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies

The Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Texas at Austin serves as a hub for faculty, students, staff, and members of the public—from Texas, the Americas, and across the globe—who join in collaborative, interdisciplinary study of Judaism and Jewish cultures, histories, and societies.

About the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies

The Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies (SCJS), housed in the College of Liberal Arts, connects members of the UT Austin community and the public at large for the study and understanding of Judaism and Jewish cultures, histories, and societies. SCJS supports research and facilitates collaborative networks among faculty and students interested in Jewish Studies. Building on UT Austin’s significant faculty, library, and archival resources, and its strengths in the study of the Americas, SCJS houses the international Gale Collaborative on Jewish Life in the Americas as well as Israel Studies and the Texas Holocaust Scholars Network. SCJS has numerous fruitful collaborations with academic units throughout the university, among them the Department of Religious Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies. SCJS engages audiences beyond the classroom by collaborating with campus and community partners through lectures, conferences, exhibits, and cultural events.

The Schusterman Center offers undergraduate students a major in Jewish Studies, with an option in Israel Studies, minors in Jewish Studies and Holocaust and Genocide Studies, an internship program focused on social justice, and study abroad experiences. The Jewish Studies program cultivates an intimate learning environment, with personal attention from faculty and staff, in the context of a large public research university. Students in our undergraduate programs and affiliated graduate students are eligible for generous scholarships and fellowships in Jewish Studies and Israel Studies. Faculty affiliated with the center teach courses on topics ranging from the Dead Sea Scrolls to representations of Jewish women on television to conversational Yiddish. In both classroom and experiential learning settings, Jewish Studies courses aim to broaden students’ knowledge while fostering leadership skills, professional networking, and civic responsibility. Students in Jewish Studies programs are trained to undertake original research and to think critically about the dynamic world in which they live and the historical and social circumstances that have shaped this world.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion strengthen us in all our activities, with each member of our community bringing unique perspectives, expertise, and experiences to our work. We welcome members of all academic and personal backgrounds, identities, interests, and worldviews.