Jewish Studies

The Jewish Studies program at Hofstra University offers interdisciplinary majors and minors, student internships, guest lectureships, and social events throughout the year. In our annual programming, we survey all dimensions of Jewish life – past and present. Particularly, we focus on studies exploring post-Holocaust life and thought, Judaism and global politics, antisemitism and other racisms, Jewish history throughout the world, interculturalities of diverse Judaisms, interfaith studies, Judaism and sexuality, and Jewishness and media (movies, internet, TV).

Jewish Studies (JWST) works very closely with its students and helps them discover their passion and the multiple career opportunities that this degree makes possible. In recent years, JWST students have complemented their studies with majors, double-majors, minors, and double-minors in a wide variety of areas. These include radio and TV, psychology, pre-law, education, philosophy, business, journalism, Middle Eastern studies, Latin American and Caribbean studies, theater arts, global studies, European Studies, political science, Hebrew, anthropology, music, women's studies, and religion. And we are adding more complementary disciplines every year, so we encourage you to bring a new bridge to our program.

Programs

The Department of Religion offers majors and minors in religion with concentrations in Jewish Studies and a major and minor in Jewish Studies.

Meet the Jewish Studies Chair

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Dr. Santiago Slabodsky became chair of the Jewish Studies program at Hofstra in 2015. Before that, he was a professor at the Claremont Colleges Consortium in California. Dr. Slabodsky was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the city that hosts the largest Jewish community in Latin America and the Global South. He is committed to international education, holds degrees from multiple countries, and teaches intensive seminars in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East in his winter and summer breaks.

His research straddles the fields of philosophy, sociology, literature, politics, global studies, and religion. In particular, Dr. Slabodsky studies unexplored conversations between Jewish and Global South intellectuals (activists, artists, and scholars). At Hofstra he leads the interdisciplinary program in Jewish Studies, is a member of the Religion Department and of three regional programs (Latin American and Caribbean, European and Middle Eastern, and Central Asian Studies), and permanently collaborates with many other units following JWST's commitment to foster diverse voices on campus.

In his free time, as a stereotypical Latin American, he dedicates his time to soccer (but he calls it fútbol). He plays it, he watches it, and he talks about it…a lot! He is very approachable and always welcomes chats with students. If you are still unsure how to start a conversation, an opening remark about soccer ought to do the trick. To chat about JWST, soccer or anything else, Dr. Slabodsky welcomes your message at santiago.slabodsky@hofstra.edu.

Affiliated Faculty

Activities

Every year, the Jewish Studies program hosts a number of activities. In 2015-2016, JWST organized several cutting-edge events.

With the support of eight other units on campus, JWST introduced the first-ever Hofstra Lecture on Global Judaisms. Renowned global Jewish philosopher, Dr. Lewis Gordon, who explored the "The Afro-Jewish Question,” oversaw the lecture. Dr. Gordon is professor of philosophy, Africana, and Jewish studies at the University of Connecticut-Storrs.

In the spring, the Jewish Studies program joined Honors College, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Women's Studies to host anthropologist Dr. Irene Silverblatt. She is professor of anthropology at Duke University and offered a wonderful lecture on "Modern Inquisitions."

In the fall, the Jewish Studies program was honored to host Dr. Jeffrey Shandler. He is former president of the Association for Jewish Studies and current chair of the Department of JWST at Rutgers University. His lecture, which was organized along with the departments of Drama, History, and Religion, was entitled "A Vanished World."