Modern Jewish: Introduction
Chicago’s graduate history program has maintained a strong interest in Jewish history for many years. Currently the department has special strength in the modern history of the Jews in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Department members engage in research on intellectual, social, and political history as well as biography, memory, the everyday life of Jewish communities, the history of genocide and reparations, the Jews in contemporary Europe, and the origins of Zionism and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Chicago Jewish history faculty also work in other fields and collaborate closely with colleagues in European, American, and Middle Eastern history. Chicago is, therefore, a particularly appropriate place to study Jewish history in its national contexts. The related interdepartmental Judaic Studies program offers additional resources and opportunities to graduate students. The rich resources of the university library include over 140,000 items of Hebraica and Judaica including the Ludwig Rosenberger Collection of Judaica, which forms part of the library’s Special Collections Department. A graduate-run research workshop in modern Jewish studies meets on a regular basis and the program offers ample opportunities for seminars, colloquia, and dissertation projects.