The Joseph Lebovic Summer Experience in Jewish Studies
Every summer term, the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies runs the "Joseph Lebovic Summer Experience" for our undergraduate students; which includes two or more summer course offerings on unique Jewish Studies topics taught by world-class Jewish Studies scholars who are experts in their respective fields. Each course that is part of the Lebovic Summer Experience is a full 0.5 full-course equivalent (FCE) credit in just 6 weeks.
In addition to the classes, students in the Lebovic Summer Experience will be provided access to the community's cultural offerings, which include the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, the Jewish Literary Series, Jewish Music Week, Yiddishtog, and more. With complimentary tickets to these and other events, students will experience firsthand Jewish life in the city of Toronto.
Summer Courses for 2024 are here! Details below:
CJS390H1-F Mizrahim in Israel: History, Politics, and Culture
Instructor: Yigal Nizri
Schedule: Mondays and Thursdays from 12:00-2:00pm
Delivery Format: *ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS*
Description: What is the significance of the designation “Mizrahi” in Israel today? Does it refer to people who share a common geographical and ethnic origin or does it indicate a shared worldview that draws upon Middle Eastern Arabic culture? What are its relations with other terms, such as “Sephardi,” “Oriental,” or “Levantine”? What kind of political membership does it entail? Does it possess a certain cultural, religious, or political vocabulary? And, ultimately, does the diasporic concept of “Mizrahiyut” (mizrahiness) undermine national homogeneity or rather facilitate and enable its enforcement?
Prerequisite: Completion of at least 4.0 credits.
CJS390H1 - Mizrahim in Israel - Poster with additional details!
JGJ360H1-S Holocaust in Literature
Instructor: Virginia Shewfelt
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00-3:00pm
Delivery Format: *ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS*
Description: This course examines literary works written in different languages, in ghettos and concentration camps during the Holocaust, as well as those reflecting on the genocide in its aftermath. We focus on literature as a means of engaging with the unimaginable and on the cross analysis of eye-witness and memory writing.
Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits
Exclusion: CJS220H1, GER367H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
LEADING SCHOLARS
The Centre is home to dozens of world-renowned scholars on everything from Jewish history to Yiddish language to Israeli culture to Jewish literature.
The 2018, 2019, and 2020 Lebovic Summer Experience course on the Holocaust in Literature was taught by Professor Doris Bergen and Professor Anna Shternshis. Doris L. Bergen is the Chancellor Rose and Ray Wolfe Professor of Holocaust Studies and Graduate Director of the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto. She is the author of War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust; Twisted Cross: The German Christian Movement in the Third Reich; and numerous articles on issues of religion, gender, and ethnicity in the Holcoaust and World War II. Anna Shternshis is the Al and Malka Green Associate Professor of Yiddish Studies and the Acting Director of the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto. She is the author of Soviet and Kosher: Jewish Popular Culture in the Soviet Union, 1923–1939 (Indiana University Press, 2006) and over 20 articles in the field of Russian Jewish culture and post-Soviet Jewish diaspora. She is currently completing two books: one devoted to the Jewish daily life in the Soviet Union from the 1930s to the 1980s, and another about the evacuation of Soviet Jews during World War II.
JEWISH STUDIES AT U OF T
The Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto boasts one of the world's largest and most distinguished faculty cohorts. The Centre draws on a long and distinguished tradition of excellence in scholarship, teaching, and programming across the many areas that comprise Jewish Studies. The Centre consequently has a global reputation as a premiere location for teaching and research in Jewish Studies.
JEWISH TORONTO
Toronto is home to an ever-growing, vibrant Jewish community. The Lebovic Summer Experience provides students with access to the community's cultural offerings, which include the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, the Jewish Literary Series, Jewish Music Week, Yiddishtog, and more. With complimentary tickets to these and other events, students will experience firsthand Jewish life in the city.
LEARNING COMMUNITY
Students will engage in co-curricular activities in order to foster a genuine learning community. Students in Jewish Studies from across Canada will have an opportunity to connect with each other beyond the classroom through seminar discussions and community-based programs, as well as optional social activities.
U OF T STUDENTS
U of T students can add the courses to their record on ROSI/ACORN
VISITING STUDENT PROGRAM
Visiting students can apply to attend the University of Toronto for the summer term through the Woodsworth College Visiting Student Program. Once accepted, students should contact Natasha Richichi-Fried at cjs.events@utoronto.ca to enrol in the course. The program allows students to transfer their credits back to their home institutions. Visiting students are granted access to all University of Toronto student services, including extensive library collections, athletic facilities, and health services. Visiting students will receive information on finding housing through the Woodsworth College Visiting Student Program. Residence is also available at Woodsworth College.
Students may direct their inquires about the summer semester at the University of Toronto to visiting.students@utoronto.ca or can learn more about the Visiting Student Program on the Woodsworth College website.
AWARDS
U of T students may be eligible for a merit award upon completion of the course.
CONTACT
To learn more, contact the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies.