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How should we remember the forced migration of Jews from Egypt?
The recent controversy around Jews' forced migration from Egypt in the 1950s raises questions about how history is used and by whom, writes Grad Fellow Pablo Jairo Tutillo Maldonado.
How a shared history of persecution brought two communities (back) together: Kurdish-Jewish cooperation in Germany
Opportunity Grant winner Pinar Ulumaskan traces the re-emergence of a historic connection between Kurds and Jews in Germany.
Using Yiddish to fight the “othering” of Jews in Poland
Opportunity Grant winner Kendra Berry explains how studying language builds empathy — especially in places where nationalistic narratives dominate.
Arts & Culture
François Azar brings folktales and the French Sephardic revival to Seattle Ladino Day
François Azar, a leader of the French Sephardic revival, on writing his own Ladino folktales, censorship, and why he is confident about the future.
Reading Agnon in Indiana
How scholar Adam Rovner's move from Israel to Indiana deepened his appreciation of Hebrew, thanks to one of Israel's most classic authors.
Shem Tov de Carrión: How a Jewish poet from medieval Spain speaks to us today
Shem Tov de Carrión's "moral proverbs" about human nature and right rulership are surprisingly relevant today, Graduate Fellow Vivian Mills writes.
Hebrew & Israel Studies
Learning about counterterrorism in Israel
Opportunity grant winner Graham Harper's key takeaways from a summer study-abroad program on counterterrorism.
Why doesn’t Israel have a minister of foreign affairs?
In an era of presidential Twitter wars and son-in-law envoys, traditional diplomacy may be less valued, but it's no less valuable for Israel and other countries, writes Grad Fellow Berkay Gülen.
Remembering the thousands of children who disappeared in the “Yemenite Babies Affair”
Activists are raising awareness of the tragic kidnapping of thousands of Mizrahi Jewish babies in the 1950s through continued action and savvy social media organizing, writes Grad Fellow Vincent Calvetti-Wolf.
Personal History
Finding an intellectual home in Jewish Studies
Dean's Medalist Annie Lewis, '18, a Jewish Studies minor, explains how Jewish Studies expands horizons and builds critical thinking skills.
My journey in Yiddishkeit: Learning Yiddish as an Arabic (& Judeo-Arabic) speaker
Opportunity Grant winner Mohamed Elias explains why he chose to study Yiddish, and what he discovered when he did.
Learning Hebrew, mother and child
How does language connect children to their parents? Hannah Pressman reflects on learning Hebrew as a child and discovering her mother's ulpan notebook.
Jewish History & Thought
American Jews before 1880: Mobile, entrepreneurial, unconventional
Uniquely mobile, religiously unconventional Jews of 19th-century America laid the groundwork for American Judaism today, writes Dr. Shari Rabin.
How anti-Semitism was used to gain political power in medieval Germany
Anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish expulsions in medieval Germany were engineered for political gain, writes Grad Fellow Kerice Doten-Snitker, much like anti-Semitism today.
Demonic femininity in the ancient synagogue: Dancing with the angel of death
Ancient synagogue poetry describing the magic "sotah" ritual for women evoked common fears around demonic forces and women's sexuality, writes Dr. Laura S. Lieber.
Sephardic Studies
The Benezra collection: A Seattle Sephardic legacy
Sephardic Jews coming from the Ottoman Empire to Seattle never could have dreamed that one day their family heirlooms would be on display at the Seattle Sephardic Legacies exhibition.
Share your story with the Sephardic Studies Program
Do you have letters, books, immigration documents, or other pieces of your family history? Please consider sharing them with the Sephardic Studies Program at our upcoming Seattle Sephardic Legacies event on June 2nd.
Digital Jewish Studies
Jewish Studies Year in Writing, 2017-18
Articles by Stroum Center students and faculty on Sephardic culture, Israel, Hebrew language and literature, and more from the 2017-18 academic year.
Video: Jonathan Israel on Spinoza as a Revolutionary
Professor Jonathan Israel explores Spinoza's role as a revolutionary thinker and precursor to the modern human rights movement in the 2017 Stroum Lectures in Jewish Studies.
Podcast: Violence, Militancy & How Civilians React
Doctoral student Emily Gade discusses her research on radicalization and resiliency against violence, highlighting the work of the Israeli recovery organization ZAKA.
Videos
Video: Ladino Day 2018 celebrates Sephardic folktales, language and culture
Watch folklorist François Azar's talk on Jewish folktales of the Mediterranean and a Ladino-language performance of "The Jewish Parrot" in 2018's International Ladino Day celebration.
Stroum Center faculty respond to Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
Jewish Studies faculty share perspectives on anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic violence.
Video: Gary Shteyngart discusses his new novel and “the new dystopia” of America in the 2018 Stroum Lectures
Author Gary Shteyngart shares tales from the world of hedge fund management and Trump's America that informed his new novel "Lake Success."