Initiative for Global Jewish Communities
Throughout history, vibrant Jewish communities with far reaching family, commercial and cultural ties have flourished throughout the world. Ever since the dawn of the Diaspora, Jews have been building communities throughout the world with global Jewish connections.
The Initiative for Global Jewish Communities promotes innovative research and education, concentrating on the extraordinary and unparalleled diversity and plurality of Jewish communities in diverse settings and cultures.
This initiative examines Jews, Jewish culture, and Judaism in a much wider cultural framework than has traditionally been the case. Current research puts the spotlight on the most remote, fringe and marginal emerging Jewish communities in the world. This approach is rooted in the deeply held conviction that it is the margins of any society which are most densely saturated in meaning for the scholar. Great changes are taking place in the Jewish world, which is rapidly becoming more inclusive and pluralistic. There is a cluster of scholars at FIU with interests in Asian, Middle Eastern and African Jewish communities, as well as European Crypto-Jews and Jews throughout the Americas.
FIU is a leading member of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, which examines the history and development of Crypto-Jews of Iberian origin.
FIU is also a leading member of the Society for Indo-Judaic Studies, which explores the affinities and interactions between Indic and Judaic civilizations from ancient through contemporary times.
In order to promote innovative research and education about emerging Jewish communities worldwide, the Initiative for Global Jewish Communities offers competitive scholarships to graduate students who incorporate into their course of study some aspect related to global Jewish communities.
For more information about the Initiative for Global Jewish Communities or to apply for a graduate scholarship, please contact Dr. Tudor Parfitt at tparfitt@fiu.edu.
Muslim-Jewish Relations Initiative
The Muslim-Jewish Relations Initiative explores the historical, cultural, sociopolitical, economic and geographic linkages that exist between Jews and Muslims. The initiative fosters interdisciplinary scholarship in these areas, supporting teaching and research activities that examine and create new avenues of engagement among Jews and Muslims. The initiative also sponsors thought provoking discussions and artistic events that highlight the historical and cultural intersections between Muslims and Jews and how these intersections can serve as point of departure for meaningful dialogue and the celebration of shared human values.
For more information about the Muslim-Jewish Relations Initiative, please contact Dr. Nathan Katz at nathan.katz@fiu.edu.
Latin American Jewry Initiative
A collaborative project between Jewish Studies Initiatives and the Latin American and Caribbean Center, the Latin American Jewry Initiative seeks to explore Latin American Jewry from a multidisciplinary perspective. Through lectures, workshops and symposia, this initiative examines the Jewish experience throughout the Americas. Past events have included “The Jewish Cuban Community in Miami” with Caroline Lopez; “My Panama: Refugee Snapshots” with Murray Baumgarten; “Jewish Migrants in Brazil” with Rene Decol; “Searching for Home in Argentina and Israel: On History and Identity Among Jewish-Argentines and Argentine-Israelis” with Raanan Rein; “The Chosen Island: Jews in Cuba” with Maritza Corrales; and “Identity in a Time of Peril: Nazis and Jews in Latin America During the Second World War” with Max Paul Friedman.
For more information about the Latin American Jewry Initiative, please contact Dr. Oren Stier and stiero@fiu.edu
Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program
The Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program offers both the university and broader South Florida communities numerous opportunities to study the Holocaust and other cases of genocide and mass violence. Through organizing lectures, co-sponsoring film screenings and increasing course offerings in these topics, this undergraduate certificate program strives to raise awareness about the darkest of moments in history.
President Navon Professorship in Sephardi-Mizrahi Studies
The Yitzhak Navon Professorship in Sephardi-Mizrahi Studies was established by an endowment gift from the South Florida Sephardic community. The professor teaches and conducts research in the field and organizes a lecture series and oversees course offerings about Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews and their culture.