In partnership with the non-profit organization Jewtina y Co, this course explores the intersectional identity of Latin and Jewish life through academic, public, and reflective writing. This is a community-engaged course, though our community will be national and international: Jewtina y Co. works towards building a world in which the global Jewish and Latin communities work together to interrupt inequities and celebrate their multicultural histories. Rooted in anti-oppressive theory, Jewtina y Co. is on a mission to nurture Latin-Jewish community, identity, leadership and resiliency and our course priorities will mirror these values. In addition to learning about the history and culture of Latin-Jews through readings, guest speakers, and excursions, the course’s main work is our collaboration with Jewtina y Co., whose Executive Director will brief the class with real-world writing requests to meet the organization's needs. This course is for you if: you want to learn more about the difficulties of holding space for intersectional identity; you want your writing to make a difference outside of the classroom; you want to build your leadership and collaboration skills; you're curious to learn more about the Latin identity or the Jewish identity; you like interdisciplinary classes that challenge you. No prior knowledge of Judaism, Spanish language, or personal Jewish or Latinx background expected or necessary.

• Days/Times: TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
• Instructor: Hartmann-Villalta, Laura A
• Room: Gilman 10
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 5/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

A broad survey of the significant political and cultural dynamics of Jewish history in the Medieval, Early-Modern, and Modern Eras.

• Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
• Instructor: Katz, David
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 3/19
• PosTag(s): n/a

A survey of the history of Ancient Syria and Canaan, including Ancient Israel.

• Days/Times: F 2:00PM - 4:30PM
• Instructor: Mandell, Alice H
• Room: Gilman 130G
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 5/12
• PosTag(s): NEAS-HISCUL, ARCH-RELATE

The evolution of Talmudic thinking resulted in laws which made marriage too easy, divorce too difficult. This generated centuries of attempts to grapple with the consequences of this conundrum in real-life situations. This course analyzes the literature produced by these attempts. Students will read texts in original Hebrew. Knowledge of Hebrew required.

• Days/Times: TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
• Instructor: Katz, David
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 6/19
• PosTag(s): n/a

Introduction to the grammar, vocabulary, and writing system of biblical Hebrew.

• Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
• Instructor: Ottobre, Morganne C
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

Reading of biblical Hebrew prose, especially from the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. Cross-listed with Jewish Studies.

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Ottobre, Morganne C
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 6/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

The course will focus on the origin and development of the Arab-Israeli conflict from its beginnings when Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, through World War I, The British Mandate over Palestine, and the first Arab-Israeli war (1947-1949). It will then examine the period of the Arab-Israeli wars of 1956, 1967, 1973, and 1982, the Palestinian Intifadas (1987-1993 and 2000-2005); and the development of the Arab-Israeli peace process from its beginnings with the Egyptian-Israeli treaty of 1979, the Oslo I and Oslo II agreements of 1993 and 1995, Israel's peace treaty with Jordan of 1994, the Road Map of 2003; and the periodic peace talks between Israel and Syria. The conflict will be analyzed against the background of great power intervention in the Middle East, the rise of political Islam and the dynamics of Intra-Arab politics, and will consider the impact of the Arab Spring.

• Days/Times: T 4:30PM - 7:00PM
• Instructor: Freedman, Robert
• Room: Maryland 104
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 9/20
• PosTag(s): INST-IR, INST-CP

Elementary Modern Hebrew is the first exposure to the language as currently used in Israel in all its functional contexts. All components of the language are discussed: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Simple idiomatic sentences and short texts in Hebrew are used. Students learn the Hebrew alphabet, words and short sentences. Cultural aspects of Israel will be intertwined throughout the course curriculum.

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Bessire, Mirit
• Room: Smokler Center 301
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 9/15
• PosTag(s): n/a

Hebrew for Beginners 121 is a continuation of Hebrew 120 and as such, students are required to have a foundation in Hebrew. The course will enhance and continue to expose students to Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. All components of the Hebrew language will be emphasized in this course; we will highlight verbs, adjectives, and the ability to read longer texts. Speaking in Hebrew will also be highlighted to promote students’ engagement and communication. Cultural aspects of the language will be incorporated into lessons too

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Scott, Cameron David
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Look at Jewish history and culture backwards and forwards through the Yiddish language! The vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews for a thousand years, Yiddish connects back to recent and distant generations in Europe, America, and elsewhere. But Yiddish is not just a bridge to the past, it is also the center of vibrant contemporary cultures, both religious and secular. This four-skills language class (reading, writing, listening, speaking) places emphasis on the active use of Yiddish in oral and written communication while guiding students towards the use of Yiddish as a tool for the study of Yiddish literature and Ashkenazi history and culture.

• Days/Times: TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
• Instructor: Lang, Beatrice
• Room: Smokler Center 213
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 7/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Intermediate Modern Hebrew enhances and enforces previous knowledge of Hebrew as acquired from previous foundational coursework and/or experience. Grammatical aspects of the language such as past and present tenses as well as combined and complex sentence syntax and construction would be applied. Reading comprehension and writing skills will be emphasized. Modern Israeli cultural links and facets of the Hebrew language will also be introduced to inform the holistic understanding of the modern language.

• Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
• Instructor: Bessire, Mirit
• Room: Smokler Center 301
• Status: Waitlist Only
• Seats Available: 0/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

For students who have completed at least one year of Yiddish language study, this course will provide the opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Yiddish culture while continuing to improve their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking Yiddish. Alongside textbook-based language work, students will read, listen to and interact with a variety of texts, for example literature, journalism and oral history. Prerequisite: AS.210.164 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

• Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
• Instructor: Lang, Beatrice
• Room: Smokler Center 214
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 7/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Advanced Modern Hebrew I will focus on conversational and interactive language skills to expose learners to attributes of different genres and layers of the language. Students will be introduced to various original texts and lingual patterns to better understand and formulate proper syntax. The course will include contemporary readings from Israeli journalism and essays, along with other relevant Hebrew resources to inform class discussions and students’ reflective writings. Israeli cultural aspects will be integral to the course curriculum.

• Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Bessire, Mirit
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

This course will explore the evolution of Hebrew linguistic thought, focusing on the seminal works of early Hebrew grammarians in Muslim Spain during the 10th–11th centuries, including Judah Hayyuj and Jonah Ibn Janah. It will then trace the intellectual journey across Christian Central Europe up to the late modern era, highlighting contributions from both Jewish and non-Jewish grammarians. Notably, it will feature figures such as David Kimhi at the beginning of this period and Wilhelm Gesenius at its conclusion. The exploration will conclude with an overview of modern contributions, from within Israel and abroad, to Hebrew linguistic thought, showcasing linguists like Naphtali Tur-Sinai and Geoffrey Khan. The course will primarily involve reading texts written by leading grammarians and biblical commentators, examining fundamental issues in Hebrew language, the various theories proposed, and the transformations that have taken place in Hebrew linguistic thought. The texts will be read in English, with reference to the original languages (if other than English), Hebrew or Arabic.

• Days/Times: M 5:30PM - 8:00PM
• Instructor: Chen, Elnatan
• Room: Gilman 479
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

This course introduces students to anthropological approaches to the study of trauma, focusing on the anthropological imperative to study catastrophic violence kinship relations and the everyday. In recent years, critical scholarship in anthropology has shown how the diagnosis of PTSD hinges on a medico-legal picture of trauma wherein violence is understood through the (white) American experience of the Cold War. That is, war is taken as a distant phenomenon with a clean distinction between the home front and battlefield. In this course, we take gender as our core analytic for unsettling this picture of trauma. Through interdisciplinary readings in anthropology and the humanities, we shift our frame to look at intimate relations, the domestic sphere, and everyday life. What social, cultural, and political factors shape testimonies to/of atrocity? How does political violence mediate intimate relations in a household? How does growing up under conditions of war shape the experience of childhood?

• Days/Times: F 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Katz, Talia S
• Room: Mergenthaler 439
• Status: Waitlist Only
• Seats Available: 0/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

Jewish history 1750-present in Europe, the Near East, the US, Israel; the challenges of modernity and new forms of Jewish life and conflict from Enlightenment and emancipation, Hasidism, Reform and Orthodox Judaism to capitalism and socialism; empire, nationalism and Zionism; the Holocaust. Extensive attention to US Jewry and State of Israel.

• Days/Times: MW 9:00AM - 9:50AM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
• Instructor: Loeffler, James
• Room: Gilman 55
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 11/20
• PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, HIST-MIDEST, HIST-US, INST-GLOBAL

Jewish history 1750-present in Europe, the Near East, the US, Israel; the challenges of modernity and new forms of Jewish life and conflict from Enlightenment and emancipation, Hasidism, Reform and Orthodox Judaism to capitalism and socialism; empire, nationalism and Zionism; the Holocaust. Extensive attention to US Jewry and State of Israel.

• Days/Times: MW 9:00AM - 9:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
• Instructor: Loeffler, James
• Room: Gilman 55
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 16/20
• PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, HIST-MIDEST, HIST-US, INST-GLOBAL

Although it appears to be a relic of pre-modern Judaism, Hasidism is a phenomenon of the modern era of Jewish history. This course surveys the political and social history of the Hasidic movement over the course of the last three centuries. Students will also explore basic features of Hasidic culture and thought in their historical development. Cross-listed with Jewish Studies.

• Days/Times: TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
• Instructor: Katz, David
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 9/19
• PosTag(s): n/a

A broad survey of the significant political and cultural dynamics of Jewish history in the Medieval, Early-Modern, and Modern Eras.

• Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
• Instructor: Katz, David
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Waitlist Only
• Seats Available: 0/19
• PosTag(s): NEAS-HISCUL, INST-GLOBAL, INST-NWHIST

A survey of the history of Ancient Syria and Cannan, including ancient Israel. Taught with AS.134.661. Cross-listed with Jewish Studies.

• Days/Times: Th 3:00PM - 5:30PM
• Instructor: Lewis, Ted
• Room: Gilman 130G
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 2/7
• PosTag(s): ARCH-RELATE

In the early Middle Ages the Talmud emerged as the defining document of official Jewish religion and culture, and remained so until the dawn of the Modern Era. Jewish scholars in many different countries, and in a wide variety of cultural contexts, developed certain ways of reading, interpreting, and applying the Talmud. In the process, they produced an immense corpus of commentary and law. This course will examine how and why the Talmud was studied in these centuries by Jews who mined it, subject by subject, for emotional, philosophical, and legal meaning.

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Katz, David
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 16/19
• PosTag(s): n/a

Survey of grammar and reading of simple texts. May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. A continuation of Elementary Biblical Hebrew I.

• Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
• Instructor: Ottobre, Morganne C
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Reading of Biblical Hebrew Prose, from texts such as the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings.

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Ottobre, Morganne C
• Room: Gilman 238
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 7/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Reading portions of the Book of Job in Hebrew. In addition to increasing proficiency in biblical Hebrew, the course also involves critical exegesis including grammatical analysis and textual criticism. Students will interact with various aspects of interpretation for the Book of Job (e.g., philology, text history, structure, literary history, message, poetics, rhetoric, philosophy, theology and reception history).

• Days/Times: T 3:00PM - 5:30PM
• Instructor: Lewis, Ted
• Room: Gilman 130G
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 1/7
• PosTag(s): n/a

The course is an in-depth study of Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise. Among the topics to be discussed are: Spinoza’s Bible criticism, the nature of religion, philosophy and faith, the nature of the ancient Hebrew State, Spinoza’s theory of the State, the role of religion in Spinoza’s political theory, the freedom to philosophize, the metaphysics of Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise, and finally, the reception of the TTP.

• Days/Times: W 4:30PM - 7:00PM
• Instructor: Melamed, Yitzhak Yohanan
• Room: Gilman 288
• Status: Reserved Open
• Seats Available: 4/15
• PosTag(s): PHIL-MODERN

The future of Israel has never been more uncertain. Although external threats from Arab countries have abated, the danger posed by a nuclear attack from Iran grows with each passing day. Equally alarming is the growing domestic threat to Israel’s existence as a Jewish democracy. Efforts by Israel’s ruling coalition to weaken the High Court call into question whether the liberal democratic character of Israel can persist. The possibility of civil war, once thought impossible, cannot be discounted. In assessing how Israel can cope with these existential threats, lessons from the destruction of the ancient Israelite kingdoms will be examined.

• Days/Times: W 4:00PM - 6:30PM
• Instructor: David, Steven R
• Room: Mergenthaler 366
• Status: Waitlist Only
• Seats Available: 0/15
• PosTag(s): INST-CP

Elementary Modern Hebrew is the first exposure to the language as currently used in Israel in all its functional contexts. All components of the language are discussed: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Simple idiomatic sentences and short texts in Hebrew are used. Students learn the Hebrew alphabet, words and short sentences. Cultural aspects of Israel will be intertwined throughout the course curriculum.

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Scott, Cameron David
• Room: Smokler Center 213
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Hebrew for Beginners 121 is a continuation of Hebrew 120 and as such, students are required to have a foundation in Hebrew. The course will enhance and continue to expose students to Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. All components of the Hebrew language will be emphasized in this course; we will highlight verbs, adjectives, and the ability to read longer texts. Speaking in Hebrew will also be highlighted to promote students’ engagement and communication. Cultural aspects of the language will be incorporated into lessons too

• Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
• Instructor: Bessire, Mirit
• Room: Smokler Center 301
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

Look at Jewish history and culture backwards and forwards through the Yiddish language! The vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews for a thousand years, Yiddish connects back to recent and distant generations in Europe, America, and elsewhere. But Yiddish is not just a bridge to the past, it is also the center of vibrant contemporary cultures, both religious and secular. This four-skills language class (reading, writing, listening, speaking) places emphasis on the active use of Yiddish in oral and written communication while guiding students towards the use of Yiddish as a tool for the study of Yiddish literature and Ashkenazi history and culture.

• Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
• Instructor: Reisberg, Joseph Benjamin
• Room: Smokler Center 213
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 6/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

This four-skills language class (reading, writing, listening, speaking) places emphasis on the active use of Yiddish in oral and written communication while guiding students towards the use of Yiddish as a tool for the study of Yiddish literature and Ashkenazi history and culture. Continuation of 210.163, but students may join mid-year with the permission of the instructor.

• Days/Times: TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
• Instructor: Lang, Beatrice
• Room: Smokler Center 213
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Intermediate Hebrew level II is a continuation of the course Hebrew 220 and as such is a requirement for entry. In the course, grammatical aspects of the language will be introduced in the focus of past and future tenses. Combined and complex sentences with proper syntax and reading comprehension and writing skills will be required. Modern Israeli cultural aspects of the Hebrew language will be introduced as well and will be part of the holistic understanding of the modern language.

• Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
• Instructor: Bessire, Mirit
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 2/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

Continuation of Intermediate Yiddish Texts I. Students will continue to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Yiddish culture while improving their Yiddish language skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Alongside textbook-based language work, students will read, listen to, and interact with a variety of texts.

• Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
• Instructor: Lang, Beatrice
• Room: Smokler Center Library
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 10/12
• PosTag(s): n/a

This course will expand students’ fluencies in Modern Hebrew through Hebrew-dialogic Israeli and Palestinian cinema, examining and comparing several layers of a contemporary Hebrew-speaking society. For this class, students will view, discuss, and write about films with Hebrew as the primary spoken language. Through aural interpretation and subtitles, students will understand, analyze, and reflectively discuss the diversity of Hebrew-speaking cultures within society and the provenance and intentionalities of the dialects exhibited throughout a given film. Linguistic nuance, slang, and interpretive aspects of Hebrew as shown in the chosen films will prompt students to examine this modality of the expression of contemporary Hebrew. The course will be taught primarily in Hebrew and will be open to students who have matriculated to at least 200-level coursework of Modern Hebrew.

• Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Bessire, Mirit
• Room: Smokler Center 301
• Status: Open
• Seats Available: 8/10
• PosTag(s): n/a

The Archives is a documentary currently in production that visits Holocaust archives and Jewish cemeteries around the world, including in Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Brazil, and the U.S. These hallowed places of Holocaust history are the searching grounds for four descendants seeking evidence of their interrupted family stories from the pre-second World War era. As the protagonists get closer to the truth with the help of archivists assisting them in their searches, they receive a measure of restitution. This course is an opportunity to participate in the latest documentary by Professor Bernadette Wegenstein as her team ends production and moves the film into post-production. Students will assist in the pre-production of final film shoots planned for March 2025 in New York and Baltimore. Interested students will be able to take part in these film shoots as credited production assistants. They will also learn how a documentary that has been made over the past three years will be prepared for post-production including writing a paper cut and working with animators. Students don’t need any formal knowledge of documentary filmmaking but should be interest in research, Holocaust history, and exile stories.

• Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
• Instructor: Wegenstein, Bernadette
• Room: Gilman 35
• Status: Waitlist Only
• Seats Available: 0/10
• PosTag(s): n/a