The IIJS at 75
Nadav Eyal and Avi Shilon in conversation at the IIJS, Fall 2025
The Center for Israel and Jewish Studies officially became an Institute in 2005, after Professor Stanislawski decided the rebranding would allow the institute to have a greater impact in the University. Stanislawski brought in an era of increased focus on studies of the modern State of Israel as well as diversifying the scholars in the IIJS. Breaking from Yerushalmi’s heavy focus on history, Stanislawski hired Talmud expert David Weiss-Halivni to teach about texts from Jewish antiquity, as well as a wider range of linguists and social scientists. Under Stanislawski’s leadership, the IIJS became a hub for visiting scholars giving public lectures, screening films, and meeting with students.
Although Columbia’s libraries had long boasted an impressive collection of Jewish books and manuscripts, the collection remained difficult to navigate and was mostly unexplored. In 2008, a $4 million donation to the libraries allowed for the endowment of a position for a Jewish studies librarian. Michelle Margolis now serves as the Norman E. Alexander Librarian for Jewish Studies, bringing the collection to life through exhibitions, class library visits and the Jewish Studies blog on the Columbia University Libraries website. Students of the University now have unprecedented access to an immense collection of books and artifacts which are crucial to their research.
Teaching with - and learning from collections
Under Professor Jeremy Dauber, the first director of the IIJS from outside of the History Department, the IIJS moved into a new space on the sixth floor of Kent Hall in 2016. The new space allowed for the IIJS to become a meeting place for all those interested in Jewish Studies as well as a comfortable place on campus for casual studying.
Kadar Fellows in Buenos Aires
Today, the IIJS serves as a center for Jewish Studies for faculty and students alike. Undergraduate students can complete a Minor in Jewish Studies with the IIJS faculty, and the IIJS offers funding for graduate students from Master’s to Post-Doctoral students. Two of the most popular undergraduate fellowships the Institute offers are the IIJS Israel Fellowship, allowing students to spend a summer working or studying in Israel, and the Naomi Prawer Kadar Fellowship, through which Yiddish students can dedicate a summer to intensive study of Yiddish language and culture. The Institute continues to offer a wide range of public events such as lectures, book talks, screenings, and more.