The Stroum Center’s interdisciplinary graduate fellowship program supports current M.A. and Ph.D. students from a wide variety of disciplines at the University of Washington whose research connects to Jewish studies.
Graduate fellows share their research through public presentations and articles published on the Stroum Center’s website. The fellowship includes monthly workshops exploring the history and methodologies of Jewish studies; professional development in the areas of public scholarship and library skills; and networking with faculty.
The fellowship offers grants of $4,000 to awardees and is made possible by the Stroum Center’s generous community supporters.
Applications for the 2021-2022 academic year will open in spring 2021. Learn more & apply >

2020-2021 cohort of graduate fellows
2020-2021 Graduate Fellows
- Oya Rose Aktaş, Rabbi Arthur A. Jacobovitz Institute Fellow
- Victor Alejandro Castillo, Max Sarason Fellow
- Busra Demirkol, Mickey and Leo Sreebny Memorial Fellow
- Ke Guo, Robinovitch Family Fellow
- Jeffrey Haines, I. Mervin and Georgiana Gorasht Fellow
- Ben Lee, Richard and Ina Willner Memorial Fellow
- Abby Massarano, Robert and Pamela Center Fellow
Listen to Hazzan Isaac Azose sing a popular Ladino song with an Ottoman melody
With Ladino lyrics drawn from the Sephardic Studies Digital Collection, UW Ph.D. student Ke Guo and Hazzan Isaac Azose preserve the Ottoman tune to "El Dyo Alto."
How contributions from Christopher Columbus’ Sephardic astronomer illustrate complex legacies of exploration and conquest
You’ve probably heard of Christopher Columbus, but have you heard of the Sephardic astronomer who helped him chart his course across the seas?
Sephardic Jews in Turkey were told to assimilate. Today’s generation is reclaiming its identity through the Ladino language
For student Nesi Altaras, studying Ladino isn't only about learning the language of his family: it means reversing an assimilationist agenda against Turkish Jews that began in the 20th century — and continues today.
Graduate Fellows offer public talks on their research topics – which typically span a wide range of disciplines and regions of the world – throughout the academic year. Find out what’s coming up on our events calendar.
The Stroum Center’s Graduate Fellowship was established in 2012 and has supported dozens of graduate students’ research in Jewish studies. Explore past cohorts of fellows and their research interests by academic year >