Brandeis Summer Institute for Israel Studies

Since 2004, the Summer Institute for Israel Studies (SIIS)—the flagship program of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University—has prepared 269 professors from approximately 200 institutions across the U.S. and the world to teach Israel Studies in an array of disciplines, ranging from literature and the arts to politics, history, international relations, sociology, and more. Enriched by the scholarship, pedagogical insights, and experiential learning that the Institute provides, SIIS fellows have taught over 22,000 students at small liberal arts colleges, large research universities, Jewish and Christian academic institutions, historically black colleges, all four U.S. military academies, and the Ivy League, with courses developed at SIIS imbued with the nuance and sophistication that this complex area of study necessitates.

During the Summer Institute’s intensive two-week seminar at Brandeis University, world-class faculty from Israel and the U.S. share their expertise in a broad spectrum of fields and engage the fellows in discussion on a deep intellectual level. Through a multidisciplinary, rigorous examination of the complexities of Israel, fellows acquire the crucial tools they need to teach about Israel in a meaningful, balanced, and thoughtful manner. Fellows also receive valuable feedback from the group and from key Summer Institute faculty members as they develop and “workshop” syllabi for courses they will teach. Through this process, fellows are able to integrate their new knowledge with the pedagogical practices vital not only to teaching effectively, but to truly educating their students.

I found the entire program to be incredibly rich, both informationally and experientially. The fulsome slate of academic content was one of the most comprehensive that I have ever experienced. Our access to some of Israel’s leading scholars, topical authorities, and politicians is unmatched and to be commended
– Randall Rogan, Wake Forest University

Following the immersive Brandeis seminar, fellows spend ten days on a study tour of Israel—an opportunity to see, to meet, to interact with, and to hear for themselves the diverse voices and peoples that constitute modern Israel. Fellows get rare access to government officials, politicians, public intellectuals, community leaders, think tank experts and important cultural figures from Jewish, Arab, religious, secular, military, and civil, sectors of Israeli society. A vital component of the Summer Institute, the study tour transforms what they have studied in the classroom into authentic experiences that ground and illuminate their understanding of Israel, enabling these faculty to breathe life and substance into their teaching.

The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies maintains a life-long relationship with fellows, offering opportunities for continued professional development through conferences, workshops and webinars, and access to a trove of online resources—syllabi, articles, archives, podcasts—and an ever-growing network of Institute alumni that spans the globe. These scholars now are deeply invested in promoting good teaching about Israel in the classroom and responsible and serious scholarship relating to Israel in the Academy.

The Summer Institute gave me the courage and confidence to teach my first course in Modern Israeli History, which succeeded beyond my expectations. The Brandeis seminar taught me the range of major topics and debates in the field, and the unforgettable week in Israel enabled me to meet with the widest variety of experts and cultural figures. One of the most important lessons of the SIIS was that the field of Israel Studies encompasses much more than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that contemporary Israeli society is even more vibrant, diverse, and complicated than I thought it was.
– Bruce Thompson, University of California, Santa Cruz

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded six grants totaling more than $2.4 million over ten years to Brandeis University’s Schusterman Center for Israel Studies for the Summer Institute for Israel Studies.