The Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies (CJS) at the Graduate Theological Union is a premier center for the advanced study of Jewish history, culture, theology, and religious life. CJS graduate programs combine rigorous text-study with distinctive interdisciplinary approaches. Our students gain essential training for academic careers, community leadership, as well as pastoral and educational roles in the Jewish world and beyond. Among the Center’s areas of academic focus are rabbinic literature and culture, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, modern Jewish thought, and Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Islamic relations from late antiquity through the present age.
Course Offerings
To register for classes, click here: http://gtusonis.jenzabarcloud.com
Spring 2023
HRIR-1500 Islamic & Jewish Mysticisms
Instructor: Sam S.B. Shonkoff & Fateme Montazeri | Mondays, 2:10pm–5:00pm
Does mysticism transcend the boundaries of particular traditions, or are even the most transcendent experiences always nonetheless culturally embedded? This classic ambiguity makes mysticism a particularly illuminating case study for interreligious study. In this course, we will explore Islamic and Jewish mysticisms. On one hand, students will gain familiarity with each distinct tradition, as it unfolds from antiquity through present times. On the other hand, there will be ample opportunity to engage in comparative reflections, appreciating both similarities and differences in the theological, cultural, political, and aesthetic aspects of Jewish and Islamic mysticisms.
HSST-2026 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
Instructor: Deena Aranoff | Tuesdays, 9:40am–12:30pm
This class will serve as an introduction to rabbinic literature. We will examine selections from the vast rabbinic corpus, with a focus on Talmud and Midrash. Our goal will be to acquire familiarity with a variety of rabbinic styles, to think critically about rabbinic culture, and to acquire general access and familiarity with the classical rabbinic library. We will also consider the historical development of rabbinic Judaism in its late-antique context.
HR-2052 Neo-Hasidism
Instructor: Sam S.B. Shonkoff | Tuesdays, 2:10pm–5:00pm
Hasidism itself was a radical Jewish mystical movement that emerged in eighteenth-century Poland and spread like wildfire throughout Eastern Europe. Within just a few generations, contending with the allures of liberal secularism and assimilation, Hasidism became a cornerstone of ultra-Orthodoxy. However, starting in the twentieth-century, Hasidism also became an object of romantic enchantment among relatively secular Jews. Neo-Hasidism, the topic of this course, refers precisely to this phenomenon of non-Hasidic Jews drawing upon (appropriating?) Hasidism for purposes of spiritual-cultural renewal, from Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel through Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Marcia Prager. The paths of Neo-Hasidism intersect with stories of post-liberal countercultures, orientalism, cultural Zionism, Jewish navigations of collective trauma, identity politics, psychedelics, and feminism.
HSST-2027 Abraham Joshua Heschel and 20th Century Liberation Movements (Offered by CJS Affiliated Faculty through a Newhall Fellowship)
Instructor: Daniel Stein | Mondays, 9:40am–12:30pm
The life of rabbi, philosopher, and theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) aligns with a period of radical change and upheaval that historian Eric Hobsbawm called “the short twentieth century.” Beginning with the fall of empires on the eve of World War I and concluding with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991, this epoch witnessed a world undergoing radical transformation. Heschel, remarkably, found himself at the center of many events that defined the era. Heschel’s engagement with twentieth-century liberation movements included leadership roles as an advocate for the Jewish community during World War II and the Second Vatican Council, and as strong ally during the Civil Rights and Peace movements of the 1960s. This course is designed as a practicum in which a substantial amount of in-class time will be devoted to close analysis of primary sources. While students may choose to prepare them in advance, many primary sources will be read and discussed in class.
Fall 2022
HRHS-2001 The Household & the Making of Jewish Culture
Deena Aranoff
PR-3300 Modern Jewish Theology
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
BS-4680 Christian Anti-Judaism: From Antiquity to the Present
Leah Macinskas-Le (Newhall Fellow)
IDS-6000 Seminar on Interdisciplinarity
Sam S.B. Shonkoff & Valerie Miles-Tribble (GTU Doctoral Seminar)
Spring 2022
PR-1100 Introduction to Jewish Ritual
Jhos Singer (Visiting CJS Scholar)
HSST-2022 Ancient and Medieval Jewish Civilization
Deena Aranoff
PR-3200 Mizrahi Hebrew Literature
Noa Bar-Gabai (Visiting CJS Scholar)
OTBS-5000 The Dead Sea Scrolls
James Nati (CJS Affiliated Faculty)
RSIR-8100 Justice and Religion: Interreligious Perspectives
Mahjabeen Dhala (CJS Affiliated Faculty)
Fall 2021
Modern Jewish Thought
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
Charlotte Fonrobert (Visiting CJS Scholar)
Advanced Readings in Hasidism: Rebbe Nahman of Bratslav
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Spring 2021
Revelation in Modern Jewish Thought
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Homeland, Exile, and Diaspora in Judaism
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Sacred Texts Seminar
Deena Aranoff
Masculinity and the Bible
Jennifer Lehmann (Newhall Fellow)
Women and Gender in Jewish and Islamic Texts and Practice
Mahjabeen Dhala (CJS Affiliated Faculty)
Fall 2020
Jewish Thought and Practice in Moses Maimonides
Deena Aranoff
Jewish Counterculture of the Sixties
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Theology and Ethics Seminar
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Spring 2020
A Genealogy of Jewish Culture
Deena Aranoff
Introduction to Jewish Theology
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Martin Buber: Philosopher, Theologian, Activist
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Fall 2019
Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
Deena Aranoff
Hasidic Mysticism
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Modern Judaisms: Religion, Culture, or Nationality?
Sam S.B. Shonkoff
Spring 2019
Jewish Mysticism
Deena Aranoff
Aesthetics in Islam and Judaism
Carol Bier and Francesco Spagnolo (Visiting CJS Scholars)
Modern Jewish Ideas, Beliefs, and Practices
Rachel Brodie and Bernie Steinberg (Visiting CJS Scholars)
Gender and Judaism
Naomi Seidman (Visiting CJS Scholar)
Fall 2018
Ancient & Medieval Jewish Civilization (D. Aranoff)
Liberation or Occupation, Catastrophe or Triumph? Making Sense of the Difficult Past (M. Gross, Visiting Scholar)
Spring 2018
Issues in Modern Jewish History (N. Seidman)
Readings in the Zohar (D. Matt, Visiting Scholar)
Maimonides, Aquinas, Spinoza (D. Aranoff, I. Radzins)
Conversion and Literature (N. Seidman)
Fall 2017
Introduction to Rabbinic Literature (D. Aranoff)
History of Bible Translation (N. Seidman)
Levinas (N. Seidman)
Spring 2017
Jewish Mysticism (D. Aranoff)
Inventing Jewish Ritual (L.A. Hildebrand, Newhall Fellow)
Modern/Contemporary Jewish Thought (B. Steinberg, Visiting Scholar)
The Culture of the Synagogue (F. Spagnolo, Visiting Scholar)
Ancient/Medieval Jewish Civilization (D. Aranoff)
Texts/Contexts in Judaism and Islam (C. Fonrobert and N. Virani, Visiting Scholars)
Hasidism (S. Brownstein, Visiting Scholar)
The Jewish Atlantic (T. Whelan, Newhall Fellow)
Degree and Certificate Programs
The GTU hosts a variety of programs in affiliation with the Center for Jewish Studies. Our degree programs include a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy. CJS also offers a Certificate in Jewish Studies, as well as a track within the GTU’s Interreligious Chaplaincy Program. CJS students with interests in chaplaincy are eligible to apply for the Interreligious Chaplaincy Program Jewish Studies Fellowship.
MA and PhD students in CJS may choose to focus their studies in any of the four departments at the GTU (Historical and Cultural Studies of Religion; Theology and Ethics; Sacred Texts and Their Interpretation; Religion and Practice), and may select from a variety of concentrations therein.
Master of Arts
The MA program is a two-year program of advanced graduate study and research. Students complete four semesters of courses as well as supervised thesis research. They work closely with CJS faculty and may specialize in late-antiquity and rabbinic literature, medieval Jewish history and culture, as well as modern Jewish culture and thought. Students are required to complete a two-semester sequence on the foundations of Jewish Studies, and may take a variety of electives at the member schools of the Graduate Theological Union and at UC Berkeley. Students are also required to take two semesters of Hebrew language study.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctoral students at CJS engage in interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research in a variety of fields within Jewish studies. Students work closely with professors at CJS throughout their years of coursework, exams, and dissertation writing. They may work within disciplines of history, cultural studies, or theology and ethics, and may apply methodological frameworks such as gender studies, feminist studies, post-colonial critique, cultural studies, and hermeneutics. Through their training at CJS, students acquire strong general competence in the history and literature of Judaism from late antiquity through the recent past, and acquire strengths for both teaching and scholarly research. The doctoral program requires four semesters of coursework, including departmental and interdisciplinary methods seminars, as well as electives that may be taken at GTU member schools and UC Berkeley.
Certificate in Jewish Studies
The Certificate in Jewish Studies is a non-degree program that enables students to receive a transcript and documentation of graduate work in Jewish studies. The certificate requires six GTU courses in Jewish Studies, two of which must be the foundations courses in ancient–medieval and modern Jewish Studies. Two of the six courses may be Hebrew language courses, and students may propose alternative courses to the Director of CJS for approval. For more information about the certificate program, please contact the Director of CJS, Deena Aranoff, at dararnoff@gtu.edu.
Intersession and Summer Programs
CJS may offer courses for credit during the winter and summer intersessions, as well as during the summer. Auditors are also welcome.
Non-Degree Study at CJS
Auditors are welcome in CJS classes, pending permission from instructors. We also offer a Fellowship for Jewish community professionals to enroll in one CJS course. Find further information under the Jewish Community Fellowship section of our website.
Online Interreligious Studies Certificate
This is an online GTU program that features a Jewish studies component. For more info, click here.