Please use the links below or scroll down the page to review the center's recent news and events:

• The Forgotten Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands, by Naomi Gale
• Yediaut Newsletter
• Minor in Israel Studies
• Visiting Professors and Scholars in Residence for 2007-2008
• Recent Events Archives

The Forgotten Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands
May 29, 7:30 p.m.
at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I Street, NW (click for map)

Join us, Thursday, May 29th at 7:30 pm, for a dynamic presentation, "The Forgotten Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands," by Professor Naomi Gale, Schusterman Visiting Professor, Center for Israel Studies, American University, to be held at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I Street, NW, Washington, DC. Dr. Gale will discuss the history and plight of Jewish refugees and their integration into Israeli society. Dr. Gale was born in Baghdad, where her family had lived for hundreds of years. She and her family were among the many Jews that left Iraq in the 1950's to go to Israel. Dr. Gale received her doctorate degree in anthropology from the University of Sydney and a law degree from The Inter-Disciplinary Center, Herzliya. She has taught internationally, including courses on Israeli society, history, political behavior, ethnicity, and gender studies. Dr. Gale is the author of Violence against Women: A Normal or Deviant Behavior?and The Sephardim of Sydney: Coping with Political and Social Pressures. Dr. Gale served as a visiting professor at American University this past year thanks to the generous support of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation.

Dr. Gale’s presentation is cosponsored by The Foundation for Jewish Studies. This event is free and open to the public.

For further information, contact Adina Kanefield at 202 885 3780.

New Program: Minor in Israel Studies

The Center for Israel Studies is pleased to announce a new academic program, the Israel Studies Minor. For details please see Israel Studies Minor (pdf)—additionally, please see the Supplemental Courses (pdf) announcement. The Israel Studies minor is offered through the AU Jewish Studies Program.

Visiting Professors and Scholars in Residence for 2007-2008

The Center for Israel Studies welcomes Schusterman Visiting Professor Naomi Gale and welcomes back Dr. Calvin Goldscheider, who returns this fall to mentor students, work with faculty, and advise the Center. Professor Gale has lived and studied in both Australia and Israel, obtaining a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Sydney, a law degree from The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, and certification as a mediator for Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR). Professor Goldscheider will teach a new course entitled Ethnicity and the State: Israel in Comparative Perspective. Dr. Goldscheider is an internationally renowned scholar in Jewish Studies, Israel Studies, sociology, and demography. He retired from a distinguished career at Brown University, where he was Professor of Sociology, Ungerleider Professor of Judaic Studies, and faculty associate of the Population Studies and Training Center. Please see Visiting Professors and Scholars in Residence flyer for more information.

Recent Events

Winter-Spring 2008 Events

 

Personal Landscapes: Contemporary Art from Israel

Tal Shochat, Untitled, 2005
Courtesy of Rosenfeld Gallery

The American University Museum is presenting the work of contemporary Israeli artists in an exhibition coinciding with Israel’s 60th birthday.  The exhibit, titled Personal Landscapes: Contemporary Art from Israel, is a collaboration of American University’s Katzen Museum, the university’s Center for Israel Studies, and the Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation. The theme deals with the physical, intellectual, and emotional landscape of Israel today, as interpreted by its artists. It will run from April 1 through May 18, 2008.

 

 

 

 

Israeli Biz at 60: Lessons and Directions in Israel's Business and Economy

American University’s Center for Israel Studies, the Kogod School of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences are pleased to announce that they will host an international conference, Israeli Biz at 60: Lessons and Directions in Israel's Business and Economy, on March 3-4, 2008 at American University in Washington, D.C. The conference will provide an opportunity for business leaders, government officials, policy experts, scholars, and community members to convene and discuss cutting edge topics regarding Israel and the business world. See the conference website or download the flyer for more information.

 

 

Washington Semester in Israel Studies

A Washington Semester in Israel Studies at American University will begin in spring 2008. The semester program, designed for university students throughout the country and the world, includes courses and research on a broad range of topics related to Israel, provides an opportunity for an internship in an organization working on issues concerning Israel, and culminates in a 3-week study abroad seminar and tour in Israel. Students receive a full semester of credit for the program. See the link below for more information:

www.american.edu/washingtonsemester/programs/IS/WSP_Israel_Studies.htm

 

Robbie Gringras: That's Why I'm (Still) Here!

A celebration of the complexities of life in Israel through stories and songs. Thursday, January 17, 2008, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. in the Mary Graydon Center Tavern. Coffee & discussion to follow, 9:30–10:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Fall 2007 Events

Download the Fall 2007 Program flier (pdf)

From Ruth to the Foreign Workers of Israel
October 8, Monday 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the Battelle-Tompkins Atrium

Explore the intersection between contemporary culture and Biblical texts with Professor Athalya Brenner of Amsterdam University.  She will be giving a lecture that compares the situation of biblical Ruth to that of foreign workers in modern day Israel and examines the religious, political and economic conditions in these two eras.

The Forgotten Refugees: A Film and Discussion
October 10, Wednesday 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington

Professor Naomi Gale, AU’s Schusterman Visiting Professor from Israel, will be speaking  after the screening of The Forgotten Refugees.  The film examines the mass exodus of Jews from Arab countries and Iran in the 20th century and the experience of these refugees.


C'est Chic Film: Tehilim
Avalon Theatre at 5612 Connecticut Ave
October 31, 8:30 p.m.
Download the flyer

Another great opportunity to learn about Israel from a different perspective! Join us at the Avalon Theatre at 8:30 p.m. on October 31st for the C'est Chic Film Festival screening of the award winning Israeli film Tehilim.

The Center invites you to an informal pre-film reception with local filmmaker extraordinaire, Aviva Kempner, at her home on October 31st. Space is very limited. If you are interested in attending this reception, contact Adina Kanefield at 202 885-3780 for more information.

Writing of Hope in Times of Despair:
Jerusalem in a Woman's Eyes
November 5, Monday 10:00-11:00 a.m. at the Mary Graydon Center, Butler Boardroom

Join Israeli author, poet and theater director Michal Govrin for a discussion about her works. Govrin’s 1998 novel The Name was a finalist for the Koret Jewish Book Award and received the Kugel Prize for Literature.  Her new novel Snapshots, which centers on the life of a woman in present day Israel, is set to be released this fall.

The Future of America's Jews

On April 26, 2:10 pm, at Katzen 112, Calvin Goldscheider, Polinger Visiting Professor in Israel Studies, will discuss the future of America's Jews and selections from his book, Studying the Jewish Future. See Katzen Events for details.

Shimon Adaf Poetry Reading and Discussion

Visiting Israeli Poet, Shimon Adaf, will discuss his poetry on Wednesday, April 25th, from 5:30 to 6:30 in Battelle Tompkins Atrium. For more information click Shimon Adaf Event (pdf).

Ethnic Diversity in Israel: Immigration, Assimilation, and Israel’s Future

Dr. Calvin Goldscheider, Polinger Scholar in Residence at the Center for Israel Studies, delivered the Abensohn Lecture on "Ethnic Diversity in Israel: Immigration, Assimilation, and Israel's Future" on December 5, 2006 at American University. Goldscheider discussed the developing identity of Israelis, issues of ethnic discrimination, the impact of inter-ethnic marriages, social and geographic mobility, and pressures of war on Israeli society. Click to read (pdf) the lecture.

Film screening:
Live and Become
March 21, 7:00 pm Room 2, Ward Circle Building

Live and Become tells the story of a young Ethiopian boy who is airlifted from a Sudanese refugee camp to Israel in 1984 during "Operation Moses." The young boy comes of age in Israel and struggles with his identity in Israeli society as he tries to integrate into Israeli life and as he carries the burden of two secrets linked to his identity. Download the flyer (pdf).