Why Jewish studies?

Why is Jewish Studies relevant today?

The world is asking Jewish questions: What caused the Holocaust — and could it happen again? Why does Israel generate more political controversy than any other country? Why is antisemitism re-surging in liberal democracies? What does Talmudic reasoning have to do with American law?

Someone needs to be able to answer these questions with precision, depth, and intellectual honesty. That someone can be you.

The ‘What Will You Do With That?’ Question

What Jewish Studies Actually Is

You’ve heard some version of this. It assumes that only degrees tied directly to a single credential have professional value. That assumption is wrong, and employers have been saying so for decades. What they can’t find isn’t technical skill — that can be trained on the job. What they can’t find is the ability to read complex situations, construct clear arguments, engage with ambiguity, understand context, and communicate across difference. These are liberal arts skills. They are Jewish Studies skills, applied to some of the most consequential material in human history.

Jewish Studies draws on history, political science, anthropology, literature, film, philosophy, and linguistics to examine one of the world’s oldest and most consequential civilizations — one that has lived in virtually every country on earth, produced a wildly disproportionate share of human intellectual achievement, and remains at the center of global political debate today. At the Shorstein Center, you study Jewish civilization on its own terms — across the full 4,000-year arc from biblical antiquity to the modern state of Israel. Not as a subplot in someone else’s story. As the primary subject.

It Serves Your Goals and Fits Your Schedule

The major is 30 credits — designed to work alongside another UF major. The minor is 15 credits, self-designed in consultation with our Undergraduate Coordinator. Three 15-credit certificates (Holocaust Studies, Israel Studies, European Jewish Studies) pair with any degree at UF. Our courses are cross-listed with political science, history, English, anthropology, religion, and film.