The CJS welcomes its 2026-2027 Starr Fellows (Theme: Jewish Philosophy) and our Spring 2027 Silver Fellow.

On May 14, Harvard hosted a full-day symposium on the topic of Antisemitism and Universities. Read the recap in the Harvard Magazine:

ON SALE NOW! What is the Talmud? The State of the Question: The Proceedings of a Conference at Harvard University The CJS and the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law are excited to announce this new publication.

The CJS congratulates Professor Marcus, Faculty Director of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments and an active member of our Executive Committee, on her appointment as Harvard College Professor of the History of Science.

The CJS congratulates Jessica Marglin on her appointment to the Jacob E. Safra Professorship of Jewish History and Sephardic Civilization at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations @ Harvard.

The Judaica Division is pleased to announce the availability of a newly-created online resource: a detailed finding aid for the Seymour Rechtzeit and Miriam Kressyn Radio Programs Archive.

The CJS is proud to share that Talia Kahan has been awarded the 2025-2026 Hoopes Prize! Congratulations Talia!

“Spectacular Punishment in the Hebrew Bible: The Case of the Suspected Adulteress” Yael Landman, Assistant Professor of Bible, Jewish Theological Seminary Sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies Hosted jointly by Hebrew Bible Student Workshop & Jewish Studies Student Workshop.

When Yiddish Was Young: The Making of a Modernist Little Magazine in interwar Vilna/Wilno/Vilnius May 4, 2026, in-person

Fall 2026 course registration starts on April 1, 2026, and Crimson Carts open today, 3.18! Not sure which Jewish studies course to take? Can’t find out what’s available? Looking for a language class? Browse the Fall 2026 Courses webpage for a list of Harvard’s Jewish studies course offerings.

The CJS extends a warm welcome to two new members of our Executive Committee: Asst. Professor Simone Stirner of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures and Professor Terrence L. Johnson of Harvard FAS and HDS, and director of HDS's Religion and Public Life.

Jewish – Muslim Interrelations Series: “Power and Vulnerability in Middle Eastern and North African Jewish History” | Jessica Marglin April 28, 2026 Jessica Marglin is Professor of Religion, Law and History, USC and Visiting Prof. of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard.

websites.harvard.edu/cjs/calendar... Join us for a panel discussion of "Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History," a 4-part PBS series written and narrated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., tracing the relationship between Black and Jewish Americans—defined by solidarity and strained by division.

“The Last Twins“ | Film Screening and Discussion The Last Twins is the never-before-told story of an unsung hero of the Holocaust who risked everything to save dozens of young twins from almost certain death at Auschwitz. April 16, 5:00pm, in-person. Click below for details.

Leore Sachs – Shmueli: “What is Sacred About Emotions? A Historical Exploration of Emotion in Hasidism” Dr. Sachs-Shmueli, Senior Lecturer, Department of Jewish Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.

Theodore Lewis: “Ritual Strategies & Royal Cult at Ugarit and Their Relevance for Biblical Traditions” Hosted by the Hebrew Bible Graduate Student Workshop. Sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University

On Monday, March 2nd at 6:00pm: HKS's IOP will host Omer Shem Tov. He will be sharing his incredible story of surviving 505 days in captivity following October 7th, 2023. Hybrid. Open in-person to Harvard ID holders only. Registration required for both in-person and livestream. Details below:

Lewis R. Gordon , Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Global Affairs and Head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Connecticut, will deliver a metaphilosophical talk about Afro-Jewish philosophy. Thursday, March 12, 4:00pm, in-person

Please join us in welcoming our Spring 2026 academic visitors. Click below to see our current Visiting Faculty, Starr Fellows, and Silver Fellow. The Center for Jewish Studies wishes all of you a fruitful and enjoyable time at Harvard!

Raphael Cormack, Assistant Professor, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University, United Kingdom In conversation with Jessica Marglin and Adam Mestyan, NELC, Harvard February 18, 12:00pm, on Zoom, registration is required!

Spring 2026 Talks at the CJS Visit our website to to learn about some exciting talks the CJS will be hosting this spring!

The Center for Jewish Studies Wishes you and yours a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year. Our offices and all other Harvard University offices will be closed for Winter Recess from Wednesday, 12.24.25 to Friday, 1.2.26. We will resume regular hours on Monday, 1.5.2026.

The CJS congratulates Hannah Duane, 2026 Marshall Scholar!

websites.harvard.edu/cjs/2025/12/... In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Nathan Littauer Professorship of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy, we are pleased to announce the online publication A Centennial of Jewish Studies at Harvard.

Happy Thanksgiving! The Center for Jewish Studies will be closed for the holiday Wednesday – Friday, November 26-28. We will resume regular hours of operation on Monday, December 1, at 9:00 a.m.

Sarit Kattan Gribetz | “A Queen in Jerusalem: Helena of Adiabene and the Malleability of Memory” Monday, December 1 2025, 4:00 pm Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, Room 201

The CJS 2024-2025 Annual Review is available online! The issue highlights academic scholarship and activities in the Center over the past year: A NEW message from Director Penslar Faculty News Visitor News Alumni News Lectures and Events Academics Student News and Prizes Student activity Reports

Spring 2026 Course Registration is Now Open! Check out ALL Jewish studies courses for the Spring 2026 semester in one place.

Congratulations to Noah Feldman, named Arthur Kingsley Porter University Professor! Professor Feldman is Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, chair of the Society of Fellows, founding director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law, and a member of the CJS Executive Committee.

On October 16 the CJS hosted New York Times Opinion Columnist Michelle Goldberg for a conversation with our Director, Professor Derek Penslar. Read The Harvard Gazette’s coverage of the event.

The CJS @ Harvard 2026-2027 Daniel Jeremy Silver Fellowship application process now open Applicants must be active members of the clergy who have demonstrated intellectual and academic ability, interest and energy in pursuit of Jewish studies scholarship Application Deadline: January 15, 2026

The Harvard University Center for Jewish Studies invites applications for the 2026-2027 Harry Starr Fellowship in Judaica The Starr fellowships for 2026-27 will be available to scholars working on topics related to Jewish Philosophy. Application Deadline: Thursday, January 15, 2026

Dr. Ani Avetisyan | “Between Script and Community: Judaeo-Arabic Medical Manuscripts of the Matenadaran Collection (Republic of Armenia)” November 11, 2025 5:30-7:00 pm HMANE (formerly the Semitic Museum) room 201, 6 Divinity Ave.

To Harvard Students: Jewish Studies Spring 2026 Courses Page is Live! Not sure which Jewish studies course to take? Can’t find what’s available? Looking for a language class? Browse our Spring 2026 Courses webpage for a complete list of Harvard’s Jewish studies course offerings.

Congratulations to Professor Paul Kosmin for winning the American Historical Association 2025 Prize in History Prior to CE 1000 for his book The Ancient Shore (Harvard University Press, 2024).

Unabridged 2026 – A Library Research Intensive for graduate students post-docs, fellows, and faculty is now accepting applications. Find out more:

Fall events at the CJS: 10.16, 4:00 pm Michelle Goldberg 10.20, 5:30 pm Ayelet Gundar-Goshen 11.4, 4:15 pm Steven J. Zipperstein 11.12, 6:00 pm Etgar Keret

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 HARRY AND CECILE STARR PRIZES IN JEWISH STUDIES! Read the abstracts on our website.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 SELMA AND LEWIS WEINSTEIN PRIZE IN JEWISH STUDIES! Read the abstracts on our website.

Please join us in welcoming our Fall 2025 academic visitors. Visiting Faculty, Harry Starr Fellows, and other academic visitors can be found on our website:

Upcoming Events at CJS September 16, 2025 Michelle Goldberg in Conversation with Derek Penslar October 20, 2025 Ayelet Gundar-Goshen | “The Healing Power of Stories” November 4, 2025 Steven J. Zipperstein | “Philip Roth: Stung by Life” November 12, 2025 Etgar Keret | “Words without Borders”

“The Jewish Problem, Then and Now: Rethinking Louis Brandeis’s Liberalism” a symposium sponsored by the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law at the Harvard Law School *September 16, 2025*

Professor Shaye Cohen has retired. Read a tribute from his colleague, Jay Harris, Harry Austryn Wolfson Professor of Jewish Studies.

The CJS congratulates Rachel Rockenmacher, our Executive Director, for being recognized a 2025 Harvard Hero!

The CJS congratulates Prof. Hannah Marcus on receiving the Dan David Prize!

The CJS extends its CONGRATULATIONS to Professor Annette Yoshiko Reed for winning the Guggenheim Fellowship!

Congratulations Julia Tellides '24 for the publication of your thesis in the the Harvard Judaica Collection Student Research Papers Series. Julia's paper is available digitally and in print upon request.

Azrieli International Fellowships: Call for Applications The online application for the Fall 2025 cohort is open now and closes April 22, 2025. The 2026–27 Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowship Applications will open on September 1, 2025, and close on November 19, 2025

Harvard Students: Fall 2025 course registration starts 4.2.25. Crimson Carts open 3.19.25! Not sure which Jewish studies course to take? Can’t find what’s available? Looking for a language class? Browse CJS' Fall 2025 Courses page for a complete list of Harvard’s Jewish studies course offerings.

"Transmitting Indigenous, Vulnerable, and Endangered Languages | A Symposium" 4.2.25, 6:00-8:00pm, 113 Sever Hall, Harvard Yard Moderator: Sara Feldman Participants: Wilfried Kuugauraq Zibell, Chaya R. Nove, Américo Mendoza-Mori