Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies | College of Liberal Arts
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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.

Statements by the Executive Committee of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies

On Antiracism and Social Justice:

The Executive Committee of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies supports the antiracism and social justice work that is being done by the Association for Jewish Studies and many other institutions on and off the UT Campus. We are in the process of formulating a concrete plan of action that honors this commitment to antiracism and social justice by identifying concrete steps that will further this goal.

On Academic Boycotts:

In the spirit of openness and intellectual inquiry, the Schusterman Center does not support a boycott of Israel. The Center does support evidence-based research and academic freedom in the fullest sense of the word.  We do not evaluate outside speakers, affiliated faculty members, students, or members of the general public with regard to their political beliefs, affiliations, or positions.  The political positions of speakers, faculty members, students, and members of the general public are theirs alone and not those of the Center.  

On Antisemitism:

The Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies offers education, support, and acknowledgment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff at the University of Texas at Austin, many of whom have been directly impacted by antisemitic rhetoric and acts. Antisemitism is on the rise—in Austin, in Texas, and beyond. In October 2021, antisemitic banners were unfurled over a local highway, and swastikas were found graffitied at a local high school. In November, the foyer of Congregation Beth Israel in Austin was set on fire. In December of last year and January and February of this year, residents in Austin and Houston found antisemitic flyers in their mailboxes and on their driveways. And on January 15, 2022, an armed terrorist took hostages in Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas because he believed that Jews control the government. These acts targeted Jews specifically. The most recent FBI Hate Crime report (2019) found that though Jews are only 2% of the US population, they are the victims of 60% of religion-based hate crimes. These statistics chart starkly the everyday experience of Jews in our city and on our campus. The recent acts of antisemitism in Austin, in Texas, in the United States, and throughout the world are a reminder of the vital importance of the mission of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies to promote a deeper understanding of Jewish cultures and histories—and of the antisemitism, racism, and xenophobic hatred that continues to impact our city, state, country, and world. As a safe and supportive space for Jewish students, faculty, and staff at UT, the Schusterman Center acknowledges their lived experience of antisemitism as well as the long history that feeds it. We loudly and clearly denounce antisemitism. (Issued Friday, February 18, 2022)