Institute for the Study of Modern Israel
of Emory University

1256 Briarcliff Road A-427N Atlanta, GA 30306    404.727.2798 tel    404.727.2441 fax

Established in 1998, the Institute for the Study of Modern Israel (ISMI) is an interdisciplinary and non-degree conferring unit of Emory University. ISMI is situated within the Institute for Jewish Studies. It promotes teaching, research and learning that focuses on Israeli culture, foreign policy, history, society, and politics. Faculty from the Emory University Departments of Anthropology, History, Middle Eastern Studies, Political Science, Sociology, and Religion offer courses exploring aspects of modern Israel and its place in modern Jewish history, the Middle East, and in the Arab-Israeli conflict. A variety of visiting faculty programs, lectures, conferences, and student internships supplement ISMI’s undergraduate offerings.

Excellent library and information resources and close faculty mentoring provide Emory students with exceptional opportunities to deepen their understanding of Israel and the Middle East. In addition, ISMI encourages students to use their knowledge of Hebrew, Israel, and the Middle East through challenging work-study internships in Israel, Europe, and the United States.

Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible for grants that allow them to learn about issues relevant to modern Israel (for example, students have worked and studied as research assistants at policy institutes, universities, and businesses in Israel). These grants are available throughout the school year and the summer; please contact Ana Fuchs for more information.

Integral to ISMI’s work is enhancing the knowledge and scholarship of Israel and the Middle East on the Emory campus and beyond. ISMI’s objectives are fulfilled through the yearly appointment of visiting faculty, curriculum publication for pre-collegiate educators and adult learners, and day- and week-long professional development workshops. (For locations of one-day workshops, click here; for schools that have participated in the one-week workshops, click here.)

During the 2007-09 academic years, ISMI engaged Dr. Doron Shultziner as a post-doctoral fellow in the Political Science Department. In 2008-2009, ISMI brought Dr. David Tal to Emory as a visiting professor of history. Earlier visiting Israeli scholars included: Professors Ami Ayalon, Meir Litvak, Ofra Bengio, and Bruce Maddy-Weitzman from Tel Aviv University; Reuven Hazan from The Hebrew University; Dr. Michael Feige, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; and Michael Bar-Zohar.

ISMI’s innovative activities also include the conduct of a dozen one-day teacher workshops, eight one-week workshops, and the writing of pre-collegiate curriculum. In 2008, the outreach and curriculum design segments of ISMI became the purview of the Center for Israel Education (CIE), also located in Atlanta. Please visit www.israeled.org to learn more about CIE.

Under the auspices of Dr. Ken Stein, ISMI's director, the workshops blend content and pedagogy to create lesson plans and curriculum that public and private school teachers can use in their classrooms. Seventy teachers from twenty-one different states participated in the most recent one-week workshop in June 2008, where they engaged in curriculum design, learned from scholarly instruction, and shared best practices.

The overriding philosophical objective of these workshops is to understand Israel in the context of Jewish history, thus taking Israel from the exclusive domain of the Arab-Israeli conflict and existential struggles. Since 2003, the  AVI CHAI Foundation of North America has graciously underwritten the costs of these workshops. In 2003 and again in 2006, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation significantly supported the workshops. The Marcus Family Foundation now exclusively supports the one-day workshops.

ISMI is not a degree conferring unit of Emory University, nor does it award financial support to students or scholars. It does not award fellowships nor scholarships for research. For degree conferring programs and financial support, please consult the Emory University Website.

Partner institutions include: the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta; the southeastern regional offices of the Anti-Defamation League; the American Jewish Committee; Atlanta area congregations; private and public schools;  the Consulate of Israel for the Southeastern United States; and the Association for Israel Studies.

Established in 1998, ISMI partnered with the Donald A. Tam Institute for Jewish Studies at its formation later that year. ISMI's objectives are to build and strengthen an understanding of modern Israel for Emory students and to inform the general public, which are accomplished through collaborative undertakings with other Emory University units and the sponsorship of visiting professors, lectureships, programs, and conferences. For the general public, ISMI engages in outreach to the media, general community, civic organizations, and educators in their desire to learn about modern Israel. ISMI is not an academic department nor does it confer a degree or award scholarships.

       ISMI achieves its objectives through:

       * The annual appointment of a visiting professorship in Israeli Studies

       * Support for and development in Hebrew and Yiddish languages and literatures

       * Sponsorship of lectures, colloquia, symposia, and conferences

       * Collaborative engagement in economic and social science programs with local, regional, and national organizations

       * Management of summer internship awards underwritten by former Emory students

       * Cooperation with Israeli academic research institutes

       * Conduct of summer workshops for pre-collegiate teachers

       For further information, please contact Ken Stein, Director.