Welcome to SJSU Jewish Studies

The Jewish Studies Program, a minor program within the History Department, welcomes SJSU students and community members into a study of Jewish ethnicity, history, literature, ethics, religion, and culture. The program features classes, both on campus and in the community (see Yiddish).

We work together with the SJSU Jewish Faculty & Staff Association, Hillel of Silicon Valley, and the Jewish Student Association to offer book discussions, public lectures, film screenings, and other cultural programming throughout the year. 

Check back here for dates and times of events.

Spring 2023 courses 

SJSU courses:

HIST 132 Advanced Topics in History: History of the Jews (4 units), Greg Tomlinson

MUSC 10C Pop and Rock in the U.S. (3 units, C1 Arts), Tom Langan

RELS 70 Gods, Guns, Gurus, Grails–World Religion (3 units, C2 Humanities), Arthur Zarate

RELS 90 Bible History and Literature (3 units, C2 Humanities), Marianne Delaporte Kabir and Todd Perreira 

RELS 99 Death, Dying and Religions (3 units, E: Human Understanding & Development), Todd Perreira

RELS 191 Religion in America (3 units: SJSU Studies S: Self, Society & Equality in U.S.), Marianne Delaporte Kabir

Please contact the JS coordinator to discuss opportunities for independent study and community engaged learning. Also, see the "about us" and "program" pages for lots of info about classes and the minor.

Please see the SJSU Course Catalog for prerequisites for the courses listed here.

 

Community course: Yiddish!

The second section of the beginning Yiddish class is now open for enrollment. It will be entirely on zoom. Begins April 12 for ten weeks, 7 PM to 8:30 PM, Wednesday evenings. Register your interest in the course!

Instructor: Yankl Levitow, professor at UC Santa Cruz, has been teaching Yiddish around the Bay for decades.

 

Funded by a grant from  

Events

Every year we honor founder Bob Levinson with a talk by a major Jewish Studies historian: this year we'll host Andrew Porwancher April 3, 4 PM, offering his exploration, "Was Alexander Hamilton Jewish?" MLK library, rm 113.

Funded by a grant from    

 

 

Featured Faculty

I asked Greg Tomlinson, instructor of "History 132: History of the Jews," to tell folks a little about himself, and his personal interest in this class. Dr. Tomlinson shows in his responses that he challenges himself--and he will challenge you--to think critically about history, identity, nation. Please find his thoughts on the People page. 

Featured Student

Each semester an outstanding Jewish Studies minor student will receive a scholarship for their studies. Peter J. Williams, double French and History major and double Middle East Studies and Jewish Studies minor, is the fall 2022 recipient, on the strength of his range and depth of study in contemporary and historical Jewish Studies. You may find an interview he did with me on the People page.  

Jewish news, issues, questions

Peruse the Jewish News, Issues, Questions page if you're wondering about Jewish news here in the Bay Area, or about musings in Jewish thought. I welcome guest contributors to this page! Please email me with your interest.

The organization Amcha issued a report on the significant threat to students' Jewish identity, in the face of anti-Semitism on college campuses. If you or someone you know is a victim of identity-based aggression or micro-aggression at SJSU, please let's talk to explore your/their options. Email me so we can meet? 

Message from the coordinator

Welcome–I’m glad you’ve stopped by. I’m Vicki Harrison, the Jewish Studies Program coordinator. My career path has been that of a wandering Jew–a PhD in English at Rutgers in New Jersey, a professorship in English at UC Santa Barbara, founding member of Kehillah Jewish High School’s faculty, and most recently, chair of Notre Dame High School’s English department. In between and again, I coordinated Jewish Studies here at San Jose State and served as faculty advisor to the Jewish Students Association. Returning home to this minor program, almost 50 years old but always in start-up mode, I welcome you: Are you a student considering an interdisciplinary, flexible minor that will challenge you as a critical thinker and as a human exploring the diversity of our world? Are you a community member considering the potentials of lifelong learning? Are you a language lover, seeking to learn another (or two) languages (Hebrew and Yiddish)? Please return to the Jewish Studies website often, as I update it whenever I have something new to show you! Email me with any questions/comments.