顿别蝉肠谤颈辫迟颈辞苍:听An invitation to think about the sweep of Jewish history through its material culture. Each of the course鈥檚 sessions will come to a focus on a single object鈥撯�揻rom a medieval manuscript to a pair of twentieth century milk cans鈥撯�搃n order to explore a series of moments and events that have left an indelible mark on Jewish culture.

罢别虫迟蝉:听Barbara E. Mann, The Object of Jewish Literature: A Material History (Yale University Press, 2022); Samuel D. Kassow, Who Will Write Our History? Emanuel Ringelblum, the Warsaw Ghetto, and the Oyneg Shabes Archive (Indiana University Press, 2007).

Evaluation:
Reading responses, midterm, final paper.

顿别蝉肠谤颈辫迟颈辞苍:听: In this course we will listen to, read about, and discuss the multifaceted, virtuosic, esoteric Yiddish music of the Pale of Settlement during its 1000 year rise from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. Specifically, we will look at: the evolution of synagogue composition, chazzanut and cantors; Hassidic niggunim; song (folk song, art song, popular song, Yiddish musical theatre); 鈥淜lezmer鈥� i.e., Eastern European Jewish instrumental dance music; Post-Holocaust assimilating satire and fusions in America; the Yiddish 鈥渞evitalization鈥� or 鈥渞evival鈥�; and the living Yiddish music of today. A portrait will emerge of an incredibly rich, multi-layered, musical-cultural practice worthy of study and celebration.

顿别蝉肠谤颈辫迟颈辞苍:听: The Jewish literary tradition entails a conversation pursued across times, places, languages, and genres. In this course we will overhear the conversation by reading works alongside those to which they respond. For instance, we will read parts of the Hebrew Bible along with Michal Lemberger鈥檚 After Abel, a collection of short stories about biblical women. For another instance, we will read stories by Der Nister (鈥淭he Hidden One鈥� in Yiddish, the pseudonym of Pinkhes Kahanovitsch) from the early twentieth-century along with Dara Horn鈥檚 2006 The World to Come, which adapts those stories. Familiarity with the source text enriches our appreciation of the responding text, and our recognition of conversation as a means of making a literary tradition. All texts will be in English. Format: lecture and discussion .

Evaluation:
Two written assignments, several short (ca. 500-word) responses, class preparation and participation.

Description: This course is an introduction to the history and literature of the biblical period, the earliest era of Jewish Studies. Its primary goal is to familiarize the student with the text of the Hebrew Bible, the historical context in which it came it be and the academic disciplines that contribute to its analysis, such as linguistics, archaeology, comparative literature and comparative religions.All texts will be examined in translation, and no prior knowledge of the Bible or its languages is required.

Texts:
Hebrew Bible in English translation. Other primary texts and secondary readings will be available on MyCourses or on reserve in the library.

Evaluation: Grades will be based on three short written assignments, a series of short 鈥渢hinking questions鈥� that emerge from the lectures as well as regular readings for each class from the Bible itself, attendance and participation.

顿别蝉肠谤颈辫迟颈辞苍:听The objective is to master basic communication in Modern Hebrew language. Students will develop the four language skills of understanding, speaking, reading and writing through the acquisition of basic structures of the language, i.e., grammar, syntax, vocabulary, as well as idiomatic expressions, in order to be able to communicate in Modern Hebrew orally and in writing. Communicative activities, oral practice, written exercises and compositions will be assigned regularly, in order to help integrate skills and reinforce learning. In addition, because the acquisition of a modern language also entails awareness of the culture of its linguistic community, the students will become aware of cultural elements associated with the language.听

罢别虫迟蝉:听Shlomit Chayat et al.听Hebrew from Scratch, Part I

Evaluation:
60% 4 class tests
15% essays
20% oral presentation
5% class participation

Description: The Nazi assault, organized robbery of rights and possessions, and eventual genocide of European Jewry is one of the most consequential events in both Jewish and world history. This course will provide an overview of the context, crimes of the perpetrators, and nightmarish experiences of the millions that fell victim to this Khurbn (Yiddish, 鈥渃atastrophe鈥�). Starting with the early 1930s, we will analyze how it was possible for the Nazis to come to power, what the first policies of persecuting Jews in Germany were, and how those policies escalated to expulsion, ghettoization, and mass murder across Europe. Towards the end of the semester, drawing on examples from Europe, Israel, Canada, and the United States, we will discuss contemporary cultural representations and the often-intricate politics of Holocaust memory.

Texts:

• Doris Bergen, War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust, Third Edition

• Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz
• Course Reader

Course Evaluation:
Attendance and participation: 15%
Primary Source Analysis: 25%
Midterm: 30%
Final Take-Home Exam: 30%

Description: From the seventh century until the early modern period, most Jews spoke Arabic and called the Islamic world home. This course explores the Jewish experience among Muslims from the rise of Islam through the eve of colonialism. By engaging close readings of primary sources and historical scholarship, students will learn how Jews under Islam indelibly shaped Judaism and Jewish practice, how engagement with Arabic in Islamic Spain led to the revival of Hebrew, and how the Jewish-Muslim relationship fared along the way. Through film and music, this course also probes themes of history and memory. Students with a particular interest in the modern era, especially the 20th and 21st centuries, are advised to continue on to JWST 334 (Jews and Muslims: A Modern History) in Fall 2025.

Texts:
Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole, Sacred Trash: the Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza (Schocken Books, 2011); Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book (The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1979).

Description:This course offers an intellectual journey through centuries of Jewish thought, where philosophy and faith meet in a fascinating dialogue.

Are you curious about the nature of God? Should we believe in the God of the philosophers鈥攁 pure mind without a body or emotions鈥攐r in the God of the Bible, who sometimes gets so angry that his nose spits fire? Where should we turn for guidance鈥攑hilosophers like Aristotle or prophets like Moses? Which laws should we follow鈥攖hose revealed by God or those established by wise rulers?

These are just a few of the profound questions Jewish philosophers have wrestled with as they sought to reconcile their philosophical beliefs with their religious tradition. In this course, we will explore the answers Jewish philosophers proposed from Antiquity to the 17th century. We'll start with a sample of Greek philosophical texts and excerpts from the Bible and rabbinic literature to understand this dual legacy. Then, we'll delve into the works of key medieval philosophers, including Saadia Gaon, Maimonides, and Shem Tov Falaquera. Given that classical Jewish philosophy emerged within Islamic culture, we will also examine a text by the Muslim thinker al-Ghazali to appreciate this intellectual setting.

We'll tackle core issues such as God's existence, the creation of the world, divine providence, prophecy, the Law of Moses, the good life, and human perfection. In addition, we'll explore how Jewish philosophers justified the study of pagan and Muslim thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and al-Farabi. After all, if you have God's true word in hand, what is the use of reading Aristotle?

The course will end with selections from Spinoza鈥檚 Theological-Political Treatise, which challenges the foundational assumption of classical Jewish philosophy: the harmony of true philosophy and the Jewish tradition.

Evaluation:
Attendance and participation: 10%
In Class Mid-Term: 20%
Take home Final: 35%
Research paper: 35%

顿别蝉肠谤颈辫迟颈辞苍:听: An introduction to Yiddish, the millennium-old language of Ashkenazic Jews. This course will cover the fundamentals of Yiddish grammar and vocabulary and will include practice in speaking, reading, and writing. The course materials draw on Yiddish literature, songs, and films, allowing students to combine the acquisition of practical language skills with an exploration of Yiddish culture鈥攆rom its beginnings in medieval Germany through its past and present in Central and Eastern Europe, the Americas, Israel, and all over the world. An important component of the course is the opportunity students will have to pursue Yiddish-related artistic or research projects (individually or in small groups), combining exploration of Yiddish with creative writing, translation, acting, filmmaking, religion, anthropology, history, painting, and journalism, to name just some of the options.

罢别虫迟蝉:听Course Pack; online resources.

Evaluation:听
Attendance and Homework: 40%
In-Class Quizzes: 20%
Final Project: 20%
Final Exam: 20%

Format:听Lecture

Description: This course will explore the world of Jewish-themed documentary films. We will see how filmmakers in Canada, the US, Europe and Israel have used the lived reality of Jewish experience as a canvas for their documentary explorations. We will examine how Jewish identity is depicted across a wide spectrum of perspectives 鈥� related to variations in religious and national affiliations, cultural experience, the attachment to Israel, the connection to the Holocaust and the politics of gender and sexual orientation. We will try to understand how documentary films as 鈥渢he creative treatment of actuality鈥� function as an interface between reality 鈥渙ut there鈥� and the original, personal perspectives of filmmakers. Students are encouraged to developed individual responses to the films as triggers for personal explorations of identity, Jewish or otherwise.

Texts: Course readings

Films may include: Bonjour! Shalom! / Jews and Money / Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream / Dark Lullabies / Baghdad Twist / Trembling before G-d / Promises / The 鈥淪ocalled鈥� Movie

Evaluation:
6 film reflections 500-750 words each: 60%
Final Paper 2500 - 3000 words: 25%
Class participation / Presentation: 15%

顿别蝉肠谤颈辫迟颈辞苍:听The objective is to master communication in Modern Hebrew language.

Students will develop the four language skills of understanding, speaking, reading and writing through the acquisition of basic structures of the language, i.e., grammar, syntax, vocabulary, as well as idiomatic expressions, in order to be able to communicate in Modern Hebrew orally and in writing. Communicative activities, oral practice, written exercises and article analysis will be assigned in order to help integrate skills and reinforce learning. In addition, because the acquisition of a modern language also entails awareness of the culture of its linguistic community, the students will become aware of cultural elements associated with the language and the diversity of the Israeli society.

罢别虫迟蝉:听Shlomit Chayat et al. Hebrew from Scratch, Part I + CD

Evaluation:听
48% - 4 Class Tests (6%, 10%, 14%, 18%)
12% - Quizzes
12% - 2 In-Class Essays
10% - Compositions
10% - Oral Presentation
鈥�8% - Class Participation

Description: A.B. Yehoshua is one of Israel鈥檚 greatest writers. He lived through the siege of Jerusalem and war of independence in 1947-48 and went on to become an acclaimed international author translated into dozens of languages. Although he is a Jerusalemite of Sephardic descent, his work centers around characters from many different ethnicities, religious persuasions and national identities. This course will focus on Yehoshua鈥檚 literary representations of interactions between Jews and others in his short stories, novels and ideological essays. OpenAI will play some role in this course.

罢别虫迟蝉:听Yehoshua鈥檚 The Lover, Yehoshua鈥檚 Journey to the End of the Millennium, Yehoshua鈥檚 A Woman in Jerusalem, Yehoshua鈥檚 Friendly Fire, The 鈥淵ehoshua Controversy鈥� and Selected essays, For a comparative context we will add a novel by Amos Oz, Sayed Kashua or Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

Evaluation:听
Attendance and discussion, oral presentations, workshops, midterm essay, final essay

顿别蝉肠谤颈辫迟颈辞苍:听The objective is to communicate on familiar topics in Modern Hebrew language.听Students will develop the four language skills of understanding, speaking, reading and writing through the acquisition of the advanced structures of the language, i.e., grammar, syntax, vocabulary, as well as idiomatic expressions, in order to be able to communicate in Modern Hebrew orally and in writing. Communicative activities, oral practice, written exercises and compositions will be assigned regularly, in order to help integrate skills and reinforce learning. In addition, because the acquisition of a modern language also entails awareness of the culture of its linguistic community, the students will become aware of cultural elements associated with the language.

罢别虫迟蝉:听Edna Amir Coffin.听Lessons in Modern Hebrew: Level听II (2)听Publisher: University of Michigan Press听

Recommended Text:听Hebrew Dictionary听(Oxford, Eng-Heb, Heb-Eng Dictionary, Kernerman 鈥� Lonnie Kahn)

Evaluation:听
48% -听4听Class Tests听(6%,听10%,听14%,听18%)
12%听-听Quizzes
12%听-听2听In-Class Essays
14%听-听Compositions听
10%听-听Oral Presentation
4%听-听Class Participation听

Description: Description: The study of the hundreds of stories scattered throughout rabbinic literature about the personalities and activities of the rabbis themselves: their lives, their families, their interactions with one another in the study house (beit midrash), and the like, has been at the center of much of recent Talmudic scholarship. These stories, dealing with such fundamental human emotions as pride, desire, anger, fear of death, and the like, are not only of intrinsic interest, but have much to teach us about rabbinic values and belief in their historical and cultural context. In this course we will read a representative selection of these stories, using recently developed tools of literary, cultural, and historical analysis, so as to attain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the stories themselves, and, more broadly, of the rabbinic Judaism they portray.

Evaluation:
Class Participation: 10%
Paper on First Rabbinic Story: 30%
Paper on Second Rabbinic Story: 30%
Review of a scholarly essay or chapter of a book on a rabbinic story: 30%

Description: According to a widespread, dramatic legend, R Judah Halevi (1075?-1141) perhaps the greatest of medieval Jewry鈥檚 poets and one of its greatest theologians, in the summer of 1141, while prostrating himself in the dust of Jerusalem鈥檚 Temple Mount and reciting with tears in his eyes the famous Zionide hymn, which he himself authored, 鈥淶ion will you not inquire after the peace of your captives,鈥� was trampled to death by an Arab horseman. But why did Halevi abandon, in the later years of his life, his brilliant and glittering career in Spain to make the difficult and perilous journey to the land of Israel, then desolate from the crusader wars, that served as the basis for this legend? And what is the connection between Halevi鈥檚 decision to abandon Spain for the land of Israel and his penetrating critique of Greek philosophy in particular and of the limits of reason in general, as found in his classic work, written in Judeo-Arabic, the KUZARI (The Defense of the Despised Faith).

To answer these questions and get a handle on this complex, fascinating, and elusive work, we will closely examine almost all of it in the as-yet unpublished authoritative English translation of Barry Kogan (which I have on file and will make available to all students), supplemented by selections from Halevi鈥檚 poetry, as well as letters to, from, and about him. The Kuzari, written primarily as a fictional dialogue between a non-Jewish Khazar king who eventually converts to Judaism and an unnamed rabbi鈥攁 philosopher, a Christian, and a Muslim also make brief but important cameo appearances鈥攊s a dramatic as well as an intellectual and religious document. Our goal will be to understand why it, alongside Maimonides鈥� GUIDE OF THE PERPLEXED, was one of the influential works of medieval Jewish philosophy, and why even today it is viewed by many as being of enduring relevance.

Evaluation:
Class Participation: 20%
Paper on Primary Text 1: 20%
Paper on Primary Text 2: 20%
Review of a Scholarly Essay or Book: 20%
Take-Home Final: 20%

Description: : Israel's multifaceted contemporary culture expresses itself through the visual arts, music, theatre, stand-up comedy, dance, film, TV series, and so on. Exposure to these materials facilitates a deeper understanding of contemporary Israeli society, while enhancing the Hebrew proficiency of participants in this course. The course will be conducted in Hebrew with some assignments submitted in English. Prerequisite: Advanced Hebrew- JWST 340D1/D2 or equivalent. Please consult with the instructor.