UCLA CENTER OF JEWISH STUDIES



One of the best centers of Jewish Studies in Southern California is at UCLA. The program was established in 1994 by the Senior Academic Administrator of the UCLA College of Letters and Science Brian Copenhaver and was included as part of the humanities department. Needing to be run by three directors, the program has defined an ambitious agenda geared towards three main audiences: faculty members of UCLA and neighboring schools conducting research in Jewish studies, UCLA undergraduate and graduate students, and the entire Los Angeles community.

The program seeks to not only educate its student populace but also to be an active voice in the greater community. The center annually sponsors as many as fifty lectures, seminars, and conferences ranging in topics that are open and free to the public. In its relatively short history, the UCLA center of Jewish Studies has become an exceptional scholarly resource that boasts an impressive faculty and a world famous library. This past year they offered more than 45 undergraduate and graduate level courses in Jewish studies, a number rarely topped by any other university in the United States.

The program for students seeks to introduce not only an intensive study on the history of Jews and Israel, but also to use this knowledge to better understand and discuss the contemporary issues in the news. With a new program in Modern Jewish Culture in development and plans to include coursework specifically incorporating the history of Los Angeles, the UCLA Center of Jewish Studies continues to strive to be not only a nationally known hub of Jewish research, but also an internationally known one.