Yeshiva University

About the Center

The Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, established by President Richard M. Joel in 2007, is an expression of the longstanding relationship between Yeshiva University and the land and state of Israel. The Center nurtures excellence in interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching of Israel from the biblical period to the modern state.

The Center for Israel Studies supports research, conferences, publications, museum exhibitions, public programs, and educational opportunities that enhance awareness and study of Israel in all of its complexities. The Center seeks to be a national and international forum for engagement of the political, economic, social, historical, religious, and cultural significance of Israel in the world community.

Purposes

The Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies was established in 2007 to nurture scholars and leaders who will provide insight into Israel’s history, its culture, and contemporary political environment. The Center will develop and support:

• A premier faculty of Israel area studies

• Dynamic curricula that will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining Israel from ancient to modern times

• Public education on a broad range of topics related to Israel

Activities

The Center supports research, conferences, publications, museum exhibitions, and public programs related to the study of Israel.

Selected Activities of the Center

• Israel Studies Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program
Lawrence H. Schiffman, NYU, Yeshiva College (2008)
Vivian B. Mann, The Jewish Museum, JTS, Stern College, (2009)
Frank Peters, NYU, Yeshiva College, (2009)

• YU Israel Summer Experience Jewish History, Archaeology and Business (2007)

• International Conferences The Temple of Jerusalem: From Moses to the Messiah (2008)Israel and India: A Relationship Comes of Age (2009)

• YU Museum Exhibitions and Colloquia Imagining the Temple:
The Models of Leen Ritmeyer (2008)
Bread/Lechem: Photographs by Margalit Mannor (2008)
Gan ha-Besamim, A Garden of Spices: Hana Behar-Paneth, Jerusalem (2008)
On the Cusp of Empires: Jews, Romans and Persians in the Ancient World (2010)

Steven Fine, PhD, Director

Dr. Fine, director of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, is chair of the Department of Jewish History at Yeshiva College and professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University, where he focuses on the interrelationships between ancient Jewish literature, art and archaeology. He received his doctorate in Jewish history from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, holds an MA in art history from the University of Southern California and a BA in religious studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Fine’s most recent book is Art and Judaism in the Greco-Roman World: Toward a New Jewish Archaeology (Cambridge University Press, 2005) and he is editor of IMAGES: A Journal for the Study of Jewish Art and Visual Culture (E.J. Brill).