Israel StudiesScholarship & CoursesIsrael Studies at the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies promotes the academic study of the histories, cultures, and politics of the State of Israel, Zionism in its various forms and iterations, and the communities of British and Ottoman Palestine, in regional and comparative perspective.
Through engaging academic programming for campus and community audiences, Israel Studies lends critical insight into unfolding conversations, many with relevance far beyond Israel, about nationalism, liberalism, citizenship, globalization, technology, religion, ethnicity, migration, and the military.
Israel Studies engages and welcomes the participation of people from diverse personal backgrounds, academic disciplines, and political perspectives related to Israel/Palestine, encouraging connections between those who may not normally learn with or from one another.
What is an ostracon? How the “scrap paper of the ancient world” offers glimpses of life in biblical times
Pieces of broken pottery ("ostraca") were commonly used to write letters, receipts, and notes in the ancient world, and these fragments show how biblical writings connect to real-world concerns of the time, writes graduate fellow Corinna Nichols.
The Sudan-Israel normalization process: A tactical move but a strategic hazard
Under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu and General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Israel and Sudan are close to establishing historic diplomatic ties — but outside of the democratic process. Graduate fellow Yasir Zaidan explains.
Ethics and animals in the Bible: Why ancient Israelites thought of birds as moral examples to follow
Though present-day moral philosophers might disagree, in ancient times, animals like birds were seen as tuned in to the divine will and exemplars of right living. Graduate fellow Forrest Martin explains.
About Israel Studies
A focus area in the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, part of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, Israel Studies brings together distinguished faculty with expertise in modern Israel and offers students multiple disciplinary perspectives on the Israeli state, including history, sociology, law, environment, technology, science and culture.