Established in 2003, the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill unites the general public, students and faculty from various academic disciplines who share a common passion for a deeper understanding of Jewish history, culture and thought.
Latest News
Upcoming Events 2024-25
2024-2025 Events Schedule Please join us for our upcoming community event series. Please check back in August for final event details (start time, room location.) These events are free and open to the public, and we very much hope … Read more
Grant Awards AY24
Grant Awards for student and faculty support This past year, the Center made grant awards in support of faculty research and travel, course development, undergraduate experiential/study abroad, year-long fellowships for graduate students, grad student research and travel grants and … Read more
Ancient Religion and Modern Debates
During spring break in March, a group of our affiliated faculty and graduate students traveled to King’s College in London for a joint interdisciplinary workshop titled: “.” This conference, which was made possible through support from the Center as well … Read more
A message from University leaders on campus protests
Read the statement issued April 30th by Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts and Provost J. Christopher Clemens. Additional messages can be viewed on the messages page on the Office of the Chancellor webpage.
Fiction as History, History as Fiction
MONDAY, April 15: Fiction as History, History as Fiction: a Novel about Nazi Looted Art with Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor Brett Ashley Kaplan What happens when different displaced people come into convergence with each other? This talk will present a … Read more
Annual Sephardic Lecture
Please join us: Community Lecture with Henriette Dahan Kalev, Ben Gurion University The Mizrahi Protest: Lessons from History April 8, 2024, 5:30pm. In-person event. UNC Sonja Haynes Stone Center, Hitchcock Room Directions & Parking in Bell Tower Deck ($1 … Read more
Thank You Donors
One of our undergraduates made a video thank you to supporters of the Center. View it on our YouTube Channel. Learn more about Give UNC Day and our matching gift challenge for March 26 ONLY. And meet more … Read more
Schwab Academic Excellence Awards 2024
Congratulations to two of the Center’s affiliated faculty members for winning 2024 Schwab Academic Excellence Awards. The award, offered by the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, recognizes one faculty member from each College of Arts and Sciences department in … Read more
Academic
Programs
Learn about the major, two minors, graduate certificate, study abroad and course offerings
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Scholarship
The Center’s faculty members and graduate students are working in the diverse field of Jewish Studies
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Events
The Center hosts community lectures, academic symposia, lunch seminars, film screenings and major conferences
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Everything the Center provides is made possible by private support.
Learn how you can be involved!
GIVE
Upcoming Events
Friday 12:00 pm
Lunch Seminar: Koller
Monday 5:30 pm
Evans Lecture: Decentering the 1948 Palestine War
Thursday 6:00 pm
Class Visit: Kantika
Thursday 5:30 pm
Margolis Lecture: Antisemitism and Free Speech in Modern America
Monday 6:00 pm
Sephardic Lecture: Jewish Refugee Writers in Mexico
Social Media:
Student News
![](https://jewishstudies.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/380/2020/02/Max-Lazar-8332.cropped2-150x150.jpg)
Max Lazar
“In a time of great uncertainty, the Goodman Dissertation Fellowship has provided me with one of the rarest resources one can find: time. There is no doubt that my dissertation has grown in quality thanks to this opportunity from the Center.”
![](https://jewishstudies.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/380/2019/05/kendra.eric_.2018-e1558366127903-150x150.jpg)
Kendra Watkins ’19
“I knew that I would pursue Jewish studies when I transferred to UNC, and I’m glad that I was able to incorporate a study abroad experience into the Jewish studies program. I would like to offer my gratitude to Stuart Eizenstat whose support enabled me to participate in the summer Holocaust in Poland trip.
![](https://jewishstudies.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/380/2019/05/brad.erickson.15thannivshowcase.2018-150x150.jpg)
Brad Erickson
“I dove headfirst into exploring the uses of 3D modeling for archaeology. This exploration led to my dissertation topic on ancient synagogues. I traveled to Israel on a summer stipend from the Center to take photographs of the synagogue floor remains and turned those images into 3D models that users could view, rotate and now even explore in a virtual reality environment.”
![Sam Kessler](https://jewishstudies.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/380/2017/01/samk.2016-150x150.jpg)
Sam Kessler
“I have been offered a postdoctoral position in Judaic Studies at Virginia Tech. Since my new position is in Judaic Studies, and I received my doctorate from UNC’s Religious Studies program, there is little doubt that the Center’s Certificate in Jewish Studies gave the search committee added confidence in my ability to teach and conduct research in the field of Jewish Studies.”
![Tesla Lee](https://jewishstudies.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/380/2017/01/YIVOinstitute.tesla_-150x150.jpg)
Tesla Lee ’16
“I had the unique privilege of traveling to New York City last winter, after receiving a generous research grant from the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies, to complete some archival research for my undergraduate senior honors thesis.”