The Center for Jewish Studies and the Department of Religion announce three undergraduate awards for Excellence in Jewish Studies.
Entries for awards should be submitted to the Center for Jewish Studies (center@jst.ufl.edu) by April 25, 2025*.
*Papers/Projects from Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 are eligible for this year’s awards.
Academic Essay Category:
An award of up to $500 will go to the best academic essay (approx. 1000-1600 words) written by a current UF undergraduate (regardless of major) on any topic relating to Jews and Judaism, during the 2024-2025 academic year.
- Essays may come from any UF course
- Essays may be in the form of responses to classroom “prompts”
Creative Submission Category:
An award of up to $1000 award will go to the best creative submission by a current UF undergraduate (regardless of major) on any topic relating to Jews and Judaism, during the 2023-2024 academic year.
- Submissions may come from any UF course
- Submissions may be in the form of responses to classroom “prompts”
- Creative projects may include but are not limited to compositions of music, photography, video, visual arts, multi-media projects or exhibits, creative writing
Research Paper Category:
An award of up to $1000 award will go to the best research paper (approx. 1800-4000 words) written by a current UF undergraduate (regardless of major) on any topic relating to Jews and Judaism, during the 2024-2025 academic year.
- Research papers may come from any UF course
Samuel “Bud” Shorstein Writing Awardees 2024-25
- Research paper co-winner: Alex Boutin-Johnson
- Research paper co-winner: Megan Meese
- Research paper co-winner: Graycen Silver Schwartz
Shorstein Award winners
- Alumni Spotlight: Alexander Lowie ’24 (PhD)
Please introduce yourself. My name is Alexander Lowie. I graduated UF in 2024 with a PhD in Anthropology and was a Graduate Student Assistant for the ... - The Incredible Odyssey of the Spanish-Speaking Jews of Northern Morocco
Visiting Professor Aviad Moreno was recently interviewed by La Voix sépharade about his book Entwined Homelands, Empowered Diasporas. The interview discusses Spanish-speaking Jewish communities from ... - Prof. Gordan contributes chapter on “Cold war American Judaism” to New Oxford Volume
Professor Rachel Gordan’s chapter on “Cold War American Judaism” was recently published in the new Oxford Handbook of American Jewish History. The chapter addresses the way Cold ... - New volume has been published in Prof. Rein’s “Jewish Latin America” Series
A new volume has been published in Professor Raanan Rein’s book series, Jewish Latin America: Issues and Method (Brill). Evelyn María Dean-Olmsted’s Coming of Age as Syrian Jewish ... - Prof. Rein’s Volume “Nazi and Nazi sympathizers in Latin America” receives favorable review
Professor Raanan Rein’s co-edited volume, Nazi and Nazi Sympathizers in Latin America (2024) was favorably reviewed in the Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The ... - Post Doctoral Affiliate, Aviad Moreno publishes new works on MENA Jewish History and Migration
Since joining the Bud Center in mid-August, Post Doctoral Affiliate Aviad Moreno has published and co-edited several new works. Together with Noah Gerber, he co-authored the ...
