Israeli Supreme Court at night
About Israel Studies at UCLA
With endowments from the Gilbert and Nazarian Foundations and the steadfast support given by the university to the study of Israel across the disciplines since the mid-1950s, the time was ripe for UCLA to officially establish the Israel Studies Program. Based at the International Institute and eager to work closely with the two units on campus most relevant to its mission-the Center for Near Eastern Studies and the Center for Jewish Studies (CJS)-the program will focus on three goals in order to promote a firm understanding of Israel:
- the enhancement of both undergraduate and graduate instruction;
- the hosting of both visiting and permanent faculty;
- and programs and conferences on campus and in the community.
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The endowment by the Nazarian Foundation has enabled the University to appoint one or more visiting scholars annually. To date, sociologist Samy Smooha from Haifa University and political scientist Aharon Klieman from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have participated in the visitors program.
Anticipating the opening of a formal search to appoint a distinguished professor to the endowed chair funded by the Gilbert Foundation, CNES in conjunction with CJS and the International Institute held a luncheon series, hosted by Professor Leonard Binder, at which the goals and academic structure of contemporary Israel Studies programs at major universities were discussed.
Our distinguished visitors, who also gave public lectures in their areas of expertise, included Professors Itamar Rabinovich (Tel Aviv University), Ronald Zweig (New York University), Shibley Telhami (University of Maryland), Kenneth Stein (Emory University), Ilan Troen (Brandeis and Ben Gurion Universities), Mark Tessler (University of Michigan), and Aviezer Ravitzky (Hebrew University).
