Judaic Studies

Program Offerings

Offering type
Minor

The Program in Judaic Studies provides students the opportunity to explore more than three millennia of Jewish culture, history, religion, thought, politics and literature from the Bible to contemporary Jewish thought and society. A wide variety of courses, lectures, conferences, film series and exhibitions taking advantage of Princeton's rich resources in Judaic studies are offered. There is no "typical" Judaic studies minor student; we serve students with a wide range of interests and welcome all who are motivated to deepen their knowledge of Judaic studies.

Goals for Student Learning

Judaic studies provides foundational and advanced undergraduate courses on the study of Jews and Judaism. Courses explore topics that range over the past 3,000 years of Jewish experience throughout the globe. Students can learn about these areas of the world and periods of the past from a variety of different perspectives, including textual, historical, philosophical, philological and literary. Students have the opportunity to pursue independent work in a senior thesis written with the mentorship of a member of the faculty. Students in the Judaic studies minor graduate from Princeton with a sense of the depth and the breadth of the study of Jews and Judaism and with the capacity to express themselves on a range of issues in clear and analytic prose.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites.

Admission to the Program

Students may apply to the Judaic studies minor after declaring a major and no later than the spring of their junior year. Enrollment will be open and applications accepted on a rolling basis. Once admitted to the minor, students should confer with the Judaic studies director at the first opportunity to discuss their course of study in consideration of their goals and their major.

Program of Study

A sound program of study will involve both historical range and disciplinary breadth. Each student's course of study must be approved by the Judaic studies director. The minor requirements are compatible with a major in any humanities or social sciences department.

Students who minor in Judaic studies will choose one of two pathways to meet the requirements:

  1. Students can successfully complete five courses approved to count toward the Judaic studies minor. OR
  2. Students can (a) successfully complete four courses approved to count toward the Judaic studies minor, and (b) write a senior thesis in their major department that engages an issue or issues in Judaic studies over a substantial portion of the thesis (the thesis topic must be submitted to the director of the JDS minor for approval).

In either pathway, a student’s coursework must include both:

  1. JDS 202 Great Books of the Jewish Tradition, AND
  2. Courses that cover both premodern and modern periods as determined by the Judaic studies director. Students can do this by either taking multiple courses wherein one covers premodern periods and another covers modern periods OR taking one course that covers both premodern and modern periods.

Premodern-period courses include, but are not limited to:

  • REL 230/JDS 230 Who Wrote the Bible
  • REL 246/JDS 246 Ancient Judaism
  • REL 348/JDS 348 Who’s Out and Who’s In: Ancient Jews Defining Community, Belonging, and Identity
  • NES 369/HIS 251/JDS 351 The World of the Cairo Geniza

Modern-period courses include, but are not limited to:

  • HIS 359/JDS 359 Modern Jewish History: 1750-Present
  • NES 221/JDS 223 Jerusalem Contested: A City’s History from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives
  • NES 373/JDS 373 Zionism: Jewish Nationalism Before and Since Statehood
  • REL 347/JDS 347 Religion and Law

Courses that are both premodern- and modern-period include, but are not limited to:

  • REL 234/JDS 234/NES 206 Sacrifice: From Moses to the Modern Era

All courses offered by Judaic studies or cross-listed with JDS may be considered preapproved to count toward the Judaic studies minor. Any other course requires explicit approval by the JDS director. One advanced (300-level) Hebrew course may count toward the course requirements if approved by the JDS director. Students will be allowed to use up to two course requirements for the Judaic studies minor to count toward their major.

While a junior paper in the field is not required, students are encouraged to explore the field of Judaic studies in their junior-year independent work.

Toward the end of their senior year, students in the Judaic studies minor come together at a capstone event to present some of their Judaic studies research to one another and faculty members, discuss their work and respond to questions. If a student has taken Pathway 1, their presentation would typically be drawn from Judaic studies work they have done over the course of pursuing the minor; if a student has taken Pathway 2, their presentation would typically be drawn from their senior thesis. The subject matter and form of a presentation should be decided in discussion with the Judaic studies director. Everyone in the University’s Judaic studies community is invited to this event, and non-seniors in the Judaic studies minor are especially encouraged to attend.

Language Requirements

Judaic studies has no specific language requirement apart from what is normally required by the University. However, when appropriate, students are expected to use language skills in their senior thesis research. Students also are strongly urged to develop a competency in Hebrew and may use one advanced (300-level) Hebrew course, if they wish, to fulfill the general course requirements for the minor.

Study Abroad

The program encourages students to consider studying in Israel, either for a semester or for a summer. Study in Israel provides an excellent opportunity to improve one's knowledge of Hebrew as well as to pursue other topics of interest. There are a number of intensive summer language programs in Hebrew and Yiddish in Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Courses taken abroad, other than elementary language, may count for up to two of the program's required courses.

Additional Information

Students in the Class of 2026 will be the first eligible to earn the Judaic studies minor. Students in the Class of 2025 will earn a certificate in Judaic studies.

Faculty

  • Director

    • Leora F. Batnitzky

  • Executive Committee

    • Leora F. Batnitzky, Religion
    • Gabriel M. Citron, Religion
    • Yaacob Dweck, History
    • Liane M. Feldman, Religion
    • Jonathan M. Gribetz, Near Eastern Studies
    • William C. Jordan, History
    • Yedidah Koren, Religion
    • Eve Krakowski, Near Eastern Studies
    • Lital Levy, Comparative Literature
    • Marina Rustow, Near Eastern Studies
    • Esther H. Schor, English
    • Moulie Vidas, Religion

  • Associated Faculty

    • David M. Bellos, French & Italian
    • Jill S. Dolan, Office of the Dean of College
    • Wendy Heller, Music
    • Daniel Heller-Roazen, Comparative Literature
    • Thomas Y. Levin, German
    • AnneMarie Luijendijk, Religion
    • Stacy E. Wolf, Lewis Center for the Arts

  • Professor

    • Yaacob Dweck
    • Jonathan M. Gribetz

  • Associate Professor

    • Eve Krakowski
    • Moulie Vidas

  • Assistant Professor

    • Liane M. Feldman

  • Visiting Professor

    • Ilana Pardes

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

Courses

JDS 201 - Introduction to Judaism: Religion, History, Ethics (also REL 223) HA

Starting with ancient Israel's radically new conceptions of the divine, morality, and history, this course explores the complex nature of Judaism and its development as a religion and culture over millennia--a development marked by internal debates and external challenges to continuity and survival. Emphasis is on the traditional bases of Judaism, such as religious beliefs and practices, interpretations of sacred texts, and shared communal values. Attention also to the variety of Jewish encounters with modernity, philosophy, secularism, and non-Jewish cultures. Two classes, one preceptorial. Staff

JDS 202 - Great Books of the Jewish Tradition (also REL 202) Spring HA

Introduces students to the classical Jewish tradition through a close reading of portions of some of its great books, including the Bible, rabbinic midrash, the Talmud, Rashi's commentary on the Torah (probably the most influential Bible commentary among Jews ever), the Zohar (the central work of Kabbalah), and the Guide for the Perplexed (Maimonides's great philosophical work). Students will consider what these works say about the relationship between revelation and interpretation in Jewish tradition and how they come to define that tradition. Two 90-minute classes. Staff

JDS 301 - Topics in Judaic Studies (also GSS 309) LA

The seminar, normally taken in the junior year, explores in depth a theme, issue, or problem in Jewish studies, often from a comparative perspective. Possible topics include gender and the family, comparative diasporas, messianic ideas and movements, Jewish history, anti-Semitism, authority, leadership, and conflict in Judaism, Jewish literature, Jewish popular culture. One three-hour seminar. Staff

COM 202 - Introduction to Jewish Cultures (also JDS 203/REL 203) Spring EM

This introductory course focuses on the cultural syncretism and the global diversity of Jewish experience. It provides a comparative understanding of Jewish culture from antiquity to the present, examining how Jewish culture has emerged through the interaction of Jews and non-Jews, engaging a wide spectrum of cultures throughout the Jewish world, and following representations of key issues such as sexuality or the existence of God in different eras. The course's interdisciplinary approach covers Bible and Talmud, Jewish mysticism, Zionism, Jewish cinema, music, food, modern literature, and graphic arts. All readings and films are in English. L. Levy

COM 349 - Texts and Images of the Holocaust (also ECS 349/GER 349/JDS 349) Not offered this year EM

In an effort to encompass the variety of responses to what is arguably the most traumatic event of modern Western experience, the Holocaust is explored as transmitted through documents, testimony, memoirs, creative writing, historiography, and cinema. In this study of works, reflecting diverse languages, cultures, genres, and points of view, the course focuses on issues of bearing witness, collective vs. individual memory, and the nature of radical evil. One three-hour seminar, plus weekly film showings. Staff

HIS 359 - Modern Jewish History: 1750-Present (also JDS 359) Fall HA

This course surveys the breadth of Jewish experience from the era of the Enlightenment to the contemporary period. Tracing the development of Jewish cultures and communities in Europe and the United States against the background of general history, the course focuses on themes such as the transformation of Jewish identity, the creation of modern Jewish politics, the impact of anti-Semitism, and the founding of the State of Israel. Two 90-minute classes. W. Warren

NES 214 - Masterworks of Hebrew Literature in Translation (also JDS 214) Not offered this year LA

An introduction to modern Hebrew literature, represented by selected translations from major works of the last hundred years, in prose (Agnon, Almog, Izhar, Kahana-Carmon, Mendele, Oz, and Yehoshua) and in poetry (Alterman, Amichai, Bialik, Rabikovitch, Zach, and others). Two 90-minute classes. Staff

NES 220 - Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Middle Ages (also HIS 220/JDS 220/MED 220) Not offered this year HA

An introduction to the history and culture of the Jews in the Middle Ages (under Islam and Christendom) covering, comparatively, such topics as the interrelationship between Judaism and the other two religions, interreligious polemics, political (legal) status, economic role, communal self-government, family life, and cultural developments. Two 90-minute classes. Staff

NES 221 - Jerusalem Contested: A City's History from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives (also JDS 223) Fall CDHA

Jerusalem is considered a holy city to three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this course, students will learn the history of Jerusalem from its founding in pre-biblical times until the present. Over the course of the semester, we will ask: What makes space sacred and how does a city become holy? What has been at stake - religiously, theologically, politically, nationally - in the many battles over Jerusalem? What is the relationship between Jerusalem as it was and Jerusalem as it was (and is) imagined? J. Gribetz

NES 338 - The Arab-Israeli Conflict (also HIS 349/JDS 338) EMHA

The history of the Arab-Israeli conflict up to 1967. Due to its contentious theme, it stresses historiographic problems and primary sources; also, it looks at Israeli and Palestinian societies as much as at the conflict between them. Questions include the ideological vs. practical roots of, and religious/secular elements in, Zionism and Palestinian nationalism; politico-economic links between the two societies; breaks in their social and/or ethnic composition; the effects of collective traumas and warfare on socio-political structures and gender; and the role of foreign powers and regional states. Two lectures, one preceptorial. J. Gribetz

NES 373 - Zionism: Jewish Nationalism Before and Since Statehood (also JDS 373) Fall EMHA

This course explores why, since the late 18th century, Jews and non-Jews alike have asked if the Jews are a nation and why people answer differently, inviting students to think about the origins of nationalism and the relationship between nations and other groups - religions, 'races,' ethnicities, and states. Learn about those who insisted that the Jews are not a separate nation and consider the different motivations for rejecting the nationhood of the Jews. We will examine the varieties of Jewish nationalisms that arose at the end of the 19th century, including Diaspora nationalism, territorialism, and especially Zionism. J. Gribetz

NES 389 - Everyday Writing in Medieval Egypt, 600-1500 (also HIS 289/JDS 389/MED 389) Fall CDHA

This class explores medieval Islamic history through everyday documents from Egypt: letters, decrees, contracts, court records, and accounts. We will read a wide range of documents in translation, learn to understand them, and use them to evaluate politics, religion, class, commerce, material history, and family relationships in Egypt from just before the Islamic conquests until just before the Ottoman era. We will also consider documents themselves, as historical artifacts and as historical evidence. Why did medieval people produce and preserve written records? And what does history look like when told through documents? E. Krakowski

REL 230 - Who Wrote the Bible (also JDS 230) Spring HA

This course introduces the Hebrew Bible, a complex anthology written by many people over nearly a thousand years. In this class, we will ask questions about the Hebrew Bible's historical context and ancient meaning, as well as its literary profile and early reception. Who wrote the Bible? When and how was it written? What sources did its authors draw on to write these stories? And to what circumstances were they responding? Students will develop the skills to critically analyze written sources, and to understand, contextualize, and critique the assumptions inherent in modern treatments of the Bible. Two lectures, one preceptorial L. Feldman

REL 242 - Jewish Thought and Modern Society (also JDS 242) Not offered this year EM

What is the relation of Judaism and the individual Jew to the modern world? Is Judaism a religion, a nationality, an ethnicity, or a combination of these? This course explores various answers to these questions by examining various historical and cultural formations of Jewish identity in Europe, America, and Israel from the 18th century to the present, and by engaging particular issues, such as Judaism's relation to technology, the environment, biomedical ethics, feminism, and democracy. Two lectures, one preceptorial. L. Batnitzky

REL 244 - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Their Emergence in Antiquity (also JDS 245/MED 246/NES 244) Fall EMHA

The period studied in this course saw wide-ranging transformations that inform religion and culture to this day, such as the emergence of the traditions now called Judaism, Christianity and Islam, a spread in allegiance to a single God, and a decline in public animal sacrifice. The course will introduce students to a critical examination of these changes. We will learn to identify patterns across different traditions, uncover the ways these traditions shaped one another, trace the development of beliefs from their earliest forms, and analyze the social and political context of these changes. M. Vidas

REL 246 - The Lost World of Ancient Judaism (also CLA 248/JDS 246/NES 246) Fall HA

The diverse world of ancient Judaism was "lost" for centuries. Major archaeological findings and the "discovery" of ancient Jewish works that were preserved by Christian scribes, reveal a rich mosaic of thriving Jewish communities in Egypt, Babylonia, Judea, the Galilee, and across the Mediterranean. They established temples and synagogues, created splinter groups, and fought foreign empires. They also wrote stories and philosophical works, legal contracts, and healing amulets. In this course we will examine sophisticated literary sources alongside artifacts of day-to-day life, to catch a glimpse of the lives and culture of ancient Jews. Y. Koren

REL 317 - Recent Jewish and Christian Thought (also JDS 317) Not offered this year EM

Explores recent Jewish, Christian, and postmodern thought, all of which seek to criticize universalist conceptions of reason and ethics while defending a view of Jewish, Christian, or philosophical particularity. Examines the historical reasons for and philosophical contents of these arguments and also their philosophical, ethical, and political implications. One three-hour seminar. L. Batnitzky

REL 346 - Reason and Revelation in Jewish Thought (also JDS 346) Not offered this year EC

A critical introduction to some of the classics of medieval and modern thought. Specific topics include prophecy, miracles, and the possibility of knowing the divine, with particular attention to the relation between modern and premodern conceptions of reason and Moslem, Christian, and secular philosophical influences on Jewish thought. Two 90-minute classes. L. Batnitzky

REL 347 - Religion and Law (also JDS 347) Not offered this year EM

A critical examination of the relation between the concepts of "religion" and "law" as they figure in the development of Jewish and Christian law, as well as in contemporary legal theory. Particular attention to the ways in which, historically, theological debates play out in contemporary secular legal arguments about the value underlying law. Two 90-minute classes. L. Batnitzky