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  • Senior Research

    Seniors present their research at an event each spring.

  • Rare Book Room Bird's-Eye View

    Students in Professor Beth Wenger's Jewish history class enjoying the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

  • Moldovan Jewish Scribe

    "Photograph of a Jewish scribe, ca. 1917." From the Moldovan Family Collection of Judaica, University of Pennsylvania Libraries.

Welcome

Our program reflects the full range and diverse dimensions of the Jewish experience as well as different approaches to studying Jewish life and culture. We welcome students of all backgrounds to take our courses and participate in our programs. We also offer a host of opportunities outside the classroom. Come join us!

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The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

The Katz Center is driven by the mission to deepen and broaden the understanding of Jewish history, texts, cultures, ideas, and experiences. The research it supports spans all periods of Jewish history, from distant antiquity through to the present day; it reaches into every part of the globe where Jews have lived, and it is grounded in a wide range of disciplines and approaches. 

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Events



Dating Saints: A Remarkable Late Medieval Hebrew Compendium of Astronomy and Calendars

SIMS-Katz lecture with Sacha Stern, University College London
Sacha Stern
Feb 18, 2025 at - | Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, 6th floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center & via Zoom

As part of our Distinguished Fellowship in Jewish Manuscript Studies program, the University of Pennsylvania’s Schoenberg Institute and Herbert D. Katz Center, in partnership with the Jewish Studies Program,…



To Hold a Mirror Up to Nature: The Case of Israeli Theater

Roy Horovitz
Feb 19, 2025 at - | Penn Hillel, 1st floor Berkowitz Lounge, 215 S. 39th St.

Contemporary Israeli theater is a vibrant world of intense creative activity. Using readings from selected scenes and screening clips from outstanding theatrical performances, this talk aims to expose the audience to…



Translating Women Yiddish Poets

A conversation with Professor Kathryn Hellerstein
Kathryn Hellerstein
Feb 19, 2025 at - | Kelly Writers House

KATHRYN HELLERSTEIN is Professor of Yiddish and past Director of the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Her books of translations are: …

Jewish Studies @ Penn

Read the latest issue of the newsletter of the Jewish Studies Program, the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, and the Judaica Collections at the Penn Libraries.

Jewish Studies Administered Research Awards

Each fall and spring the Jewish Studies Program offers Goldfein Research Awards, Brenner Special Opportunity Awards, and Schwartz Awards to both undergraduate and graduate Penn students. Learn More >