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

       The annual Max K. and Mathilda Wertheim Stein Lecture on Modern Jewish and Israeli History, named after Max and Tillie Stein, primarily to honor Mrs. Stein's decade-long project of assembling information about German Jewish social history of the 19th and 20th centuries. It aims to associate Emory faculty, students, and staff with current scholarship dealing with modern European Jewish history, Zionism, the yishuv, and aspects of modern Israeli society, history, and culture.

       This lecture is co-sponsored by the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, the Department of History, and the German Studies Department.

The 11th Annual Max K. and Mathilda W. Stein Lecture Series on Modern Jewish and Israeli History

"On the Eve: The Jews of Europe Before the Second World War"
A lecture by Professor Bernard Wasserstein, University of Chicago

Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Lecture begins at 7:00pm
Dessert reception to follow
Miller-Ward Alumni House
815 Houston Mill Road

The lecture is free and open to the public.
Parking available on site.

For more information, contact Heather Waters

What was the state of European Jewry on the eve of World War II?  Even apart from Hitler and Stalin, the prospects for Jewish collective survival in the continent were dim. Many of the processes identified among European Jews in the later part of the century were already present in pre-war Europe: rapid demographic downturn, accelerating social assimilation, secularization, decline of Jewish languages, changes in occupational structure, movement out of areas of high Jewish population density, and loss of Jewish identity.  European Jewry, in spite of the continuing vitality of its cultural core groups, was in 1939 already launched on the trajectory towards the post-war vanishing Diaspora.

Lectures to Date:

Professor Herbert D. Rosenbaum (May 3, 2007)
Professor Emeritus, Hofstra University
"Jews in American Politics: From Symbolic Presence to Mainstream Power"

Professor Henry Feingold (May 4, 2006)
Professor Emeritus, Baruch College, CUNY
"German-Jewish Immigration to the U.S. in the 1930s"

Dr. Michael A. Meyer (March 29, 2005)
Hebrew Union College
"Jewish Spiritual Resistance in Nazi Germany: A Tale of Two Rabbis"

Dr. Marion Kant (March 30, 2004)
University of Pennsylvania
"The Pains of Exile- Strategies of Survival of German Speaking Jews"

Dr. Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor (October 30, 2002)
Jewish Theological Seminary
"Talmudic Echoes in the Jewish Experience of Emancipation: From Mendelsohn to the Holocaust"

Professor Gerhard Weinberg (November 29, 2001)
University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
"Kristallnacht November 1938: As Experienced Then and As Seen Now"

Mrs. Mathilda Wertheim Stein (March 29, 2001)
Atlanta, Georgia
"The Way It Was: The Jewish World of Rural Hesse"

Professor Leonard Dinnerstein (October 26, 1999)
University of Arizona
"Making it in America: German and Russian Jewish Immigrants in the 20th Century"

Professor Ronald Madras (November 12, 1998)
St. Louis University
"Jews, Masons, and Spiritual Semites: Christian Perceptions of Jews in Rome and Germany, 1800-1939"

Professor David Sorkin (November 5, 1997)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Did German Jews Assimilate: Revisiting German Jewish History"

       The annual Robinson Family Lectureship focuses on current aspects of modern Israeli society, politics, and culture. It is named in honor of the Robinson family of Knoxville, Philadelphia, and Atlanta (A.J. Robinson, '77C). The lectureship was established to honor the family's lifelong commitment to the nourishment and sustenance of the State of Israel and to enhance Diaspora/Israel relations.

       The Robinson lecturer provides presentations in Knoxville and Atlanta. In Knoxville, the lectures are coordinated through The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies at the University of Tennessee and the Knoxville Jewish Federation. At Emory, they are coordinated through the Emory Institute for the Study of Modern Israel (ISMI) and include Emory and venues in the Atlanta Jewish community.

Scheduling of the Robinson lecture for Knoxville in 2010 has not yet been assigned.

Lectures to Date:

Dr. David Tal (February 8, 2008-Knoxville, TN)
Emory University
"What President Obama Should Know About Israel and the Peace Process"

Dr. David Tal (February 9, 2008-Knoxville, TN)
Emory University
"The Making and Development of Israel-American Relations"

Dr. Paul Rivlin (February 18, 2008- Knoxville, TN)
Emory University and Tel Aviv University
"U.S. Oil Consumption and the Middle East: What's the Problem?"

Dr. Michael Feige (April 16, 2007- Knoxville, TN)
Emory University and Ben Gurion University
"Israel's Disengagement from the Gaza Strip: What has Israel Learned?"

Dr. David Tal ( November 2, 2005 - Knoxville, TN)
Emory University and Tel Aviv University
"The U.S.in Israel's Thinking"

David Tal (November 3, 2005 - Knoxville TN)
Emory University and Tel Aviv University
"The Other's Other: Entangled Jews and Arabs."

Dr. Reuven Hazan (February 11, 2004 - Atlanta, GA)
Emory University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Short-Term Hawks and Long-Term Doves: Israeli Politics and Peace"

Dr. Reuven Y. Hazan (October 2, 2003 - Knoxville, TN)
Emory University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"From Rabin to Netanyahu to Barak to Sharon: Does Israel Have a Direction?"

Dr. Reuven Y. Hazan (October 1, 2003 - Knoxville, TN)
Emory University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Israeli Attitudes Toward the Peace Process: What the Media Does Not Tell Us"

Dr. Kenneth W. Stein (March 28, 2002 - Knoxville, TN)
Emory University
"The Status of Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Shattering Myths with Realities"

Dr. Kenneth W. Stein (March 29, 2002 - Knoxville, TN)
Emory University
"The Bush Doctrine Toward the Middle East: Continuity or Change?"

Dr. Yaron Ezrahi (February 18, 2001 - Knoxville, TN)
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"The Israeli Election and the Electoral System"

Dr. Yaron Ezrahi (February 19, 2001 - Atlanta)
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"The Israeli Election and the Electoral System"

Dr. Uri Bialer (March 5, 2000 - Knoxville, TN)
Harvard University and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Is Peace Inevitable?"

Dr. Uri Bialer (March 7, 2000 - Atlanta)
Harvard University and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Guilty or Not? Coming to Terms with Israeli History"

       Following is a list of visiting professors ISMI has hosted over the years, including a short description of the classes taught.

DR. DAVID TAL
Spring 2009

The History of Israeli Foreign Policy

This course will concentrate on Israel's diplomatic history. It will discuss Israel international orientation in the 1950s', the role of the diplomats in the pursuit of security alliance with a great power, first with France and later with the United States; the search for peace and the diplomats role in the preparation to war, before and after the 1956, 1967
and 1973 wars; and the role of diplomacy throughout the Israeli- Palestinian rapprochement and conflict.

The Great Powers in the Middle East, 1914- Present

This course will deal with the creation of the Middle East in its present form, with the entry of the Great Powers to the region after the First World War. It will discuss the rise of the British influence in the region and its decline in the aftermath of the second world war, the rise of Arab nationalism, as a counter force and the growing role and influence of the United States in the area, the turning of the Middle East into a great powers' Cold War battle field, and the role of the decolonization movement in the changing face of the Middle East.

DR. DORON SHULTZINER
Lincoln College, Oxford University
Spring 2009

Contemporary Issues in Israeli Politics

This colloquium looks at developments in Israeli politics, society and constitutional arrangements from the 1990s until present day. The main topics that will be covered in the course are the changing agenda and nature of the Israeli politics, the role of the Israeli Supreme Court in shaping political realities, new dimensions of political extremism, gender
politics, and interest groups. A relevant historic review about each topic will precede each topic and will provide understanding of Israeli politics, society and law along specific topics. No previous knowledge of Israel is required.

DR. DAVID TAL
Fall 2008

The Making of the U.S.-Israeli Relationship

The course will deal with the buildup and development of the Israeli-American relationship from the 1940s to the present. The course will describe the historical roots of the American support to the Zionist idea in the 19th century, the transfer of the Jewish diplomatic center from Britain to the US, the ideological roots of the US support of Israel and its extent, beyond the security dimension and the mutuality of those relationship, that is, the Israeli input in the creation of the
Israeli-American special relations.

Issues in Israeli National Security

National security is a prime issue in Israel, and it was so since its existence. Being established in war, leaving in hostile environment, Israel had to deal with issues pertaining to its national security with the highest priority. The course will focus on several issues pertaining to Israels national security, bringing together military, diplomatic and social issues. We'll study the ideas that provided the basis for the development of Israels national security policy, build up of the IDF and the development of military strategy that were aimed to accomplish the goals of Israel's national security policy; the role of diplomacy in the shaping and conduct of Israel's national security policy; the pursuit of peace and the conduct of wars; military-civic relations in Israel; Israel and the non-conventional threats, nuclear and low-intensity conflicts.

DR. DORON SHULTZINER
Lincoln College, Oxford University
Fall 2008

History of Israeli Politics: Institutions & Society

This course explores the Israeli political system, its institutional characteristics and components, and its main political dilemmas. The course aims to provide knowledge about Israeli political history and society. Topics included will be the origins and the historical developments of the political system, electoral histories, and government formation. Attention is given to the dynamics between institutional arrangements and social cleavages in Israel and their interrelated effects. The course also discusses some of the main socio-political issues and tensions resulting from the dual definition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, religion and politics, and the effects of armed conflicts on politics and society. The course requires no previous knowledge about Israel.

DR. PAUL RIVLIN
Tel Aviv University
Spring 2008

The Israeli Economy

This course traces the history of the pre-independence and modern economy, examining the role of population growth and immigration, problems of inflation and stabilization, the balance of payments and sectoral developments. It analyzes the role of the Histadrut, the defense budget, the economics of the peace process of the 1990s, and Israel's integration into the world economy. The effects of the second Intifada and the current rapid growth of the economy are also examined.

The International Oil Market and the Political Economy of the Middle East

This course examines the connections between the world's reliance on oil and the political economy of the Middle East. The first part of the course examines world energy markets and their development, with emphasis on the USA. It then places oil consumption into the wider energy context. The rise of China and India as energy consumers is also examined and some environmental issues are analyzed. The second part of the course looks at the Middle East as an oil supplier: what was the role of the West and how renter states have come into being. Economic and strategic conclusions are drawn.

DR. DORON SHULTZINER
Lincoln College, Oxford University
Spring 2008

Israeli Society and the Constitution in the Prism of the Law: History and Evolution

This course explores the evolution of the constitutional arrangement in Israel. The special role of the Israeli Supreme Court in shaping norms and protecting human rights in the lack of a formal constitution is highlighted. Special attention is given to the interpretation of the concept of ‘human dignity’ in extending the scope of protection to human rights in the 1990s. By way of examining the history and evolution of the Israeli constitutional law, the course also explores some contentious political and social issues that were discussed by the Supreme Court, such as the Jewish character of the state, minority rights, and gender. The course “Israeli Politics: Institutions and Society” is recommended but not obligatory for taking this course.

DR. DORON SHULTZINER
Lincoln College, Oxford University
Fall 2007

History of Israeli Politics: Institutions and Society

This course explores the Israeli political system, its institutional characteristics and components, and its main political dilemmas. The course aims to provide knowledge about Israeli political history and society. Topics included will be the origins and the development of the political system, electoral histories, and government formation. Attention is given to the dynamics between institutional arrangements and social cleavages in Israel and their interrelated effects. The course also discusses some of the main socio-political issues and tensions resulting from the dual definition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, religion and politics, and the effects of armed conflicts on politics and society. The course requires no previous knowledge about Israel.

DR. AMI AYALON
Tel Aviv University
Fall 2007

The Near East: 1914-Present

This course aims to explore the historic foundations and current attributes of Middle Eastern society, politics and culture. We will examine the historic roots from the late  Ottoman period to World War II, then move on to analyze major themes in the region's contemporary realities. Topics will include social and demographic trends, state-formation, nationalism, liberalism and democracy, Islamic radicalism and revolt, domestic and inter-Arab relations, the emergence of modern Israel, Turkey, and Iran, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and relations between the states of the region and the rest of the world.

Land of Israel 1882-1948: Sources, Narratives, Perspectives

This Junior/Senior seminar will examine the pre-1948 history of the country which for Jews is ancestral Eretz Israel and the Arabs call Palestine. We will review the two parties' divergent outlooks at the point of departure, their views of each other, the dialogue/antagonism between them, and political implications throughout this turbulent period. Students will use secondary as well as primary sources, including (to the extent possible) sources in Arabic and Hebrew. We will conclude by assessing the impact of these disparities on later Jewish-Palestinian relations.

DR. MICHAEL FEIGE
Sde Boker, Israel
Spring 2007

Judaism in Israel: Religion, Politics and Ethnicity

Some consider Israel as "the Jewish state," demanding that the state be constructed according to the logic of the Jewish halacha; most Israelis are content to see "the State of the Jews", a place where Jews can hold their identity and strive without fear of persecution. This course will explore the meaning and various manifestations of the intersection between Jewish religion and the State of Israel. The main focus of the course would be on the main Jewish religious communities: the Haredim (Ultra-orthodox), the National Religious and Shas (the Mizrahi Haredim), and the new versions of modern Judaism that are currently developing and expanding. The Israeli case can exemplify how religions encounter the challenges of modernity and nationalism through processes of transformation and accommodation.

DR. MICHAEL FEIGE
Sde Boker, Israel
Fall 2006

Visions and Divisions: An Introduction to Israeli Society

Built on the premises of Zionist ideology, Israeli state and society has to encounter to this day issues of inner and outer conflicts, multiple identity options and social divisions, some focused on the right way to define the national collective. This course will explore processes of identity formation in Israel, concentrating of the ideology, characteristics and social position of major social groups, such as the early Israeli pioneers, the second generation "Sabre", and various religious, national and ethnic groups. The effects of gender identity and of the protracted conflict on forming an Israeli sense of self shall also be discussed. The course portrays the historical development of "Israeliness" through the state years, and reaches issues concerning contemporary Israeli society.

DR. DAVID TAL
Tel Aviv University
Spring 2006

Great Powers & the Middle East, 1914-Present
       The course deals with the creation of the Middle East in its present form, with the entry of the Great Powers to the region after the First World War. It discusses the rise of the British influence in the region and its decline in the aftermath of the Second World War, the rise of Arab nationalism, as a counter force and the rowing role and influence of the United States in the area, the turning of the Middle East into a Great Powers' Cold War battle field, and the role of the decolonization movement in the changing face of the Middle East.

History of Israeli Foreign Policy
            The course concentrates on Israel's diplomatic history and discusses Israel's international orientation in the 1950's, the role of the diplomats in the pursuit of security alliance with a Great Power, first with France and later with the United States; the search for peace and the diplomat’s role in the preparation to war, before and after the 1956, 1967, and 1973 Wars; and the role of diplomacy throughout the Israeli-Palestinian rapprochement and conflict.

DR. DAVID TAL
Tel Aviv University
Fall 2005

History of Modern Israel
       This survey discussed thematically issues pertaining to the history of Israel from 1948: David Ben Gurion, the father of the nation; security problems and the Arab-Israeli conflict; Israel political system from Labor dominancy to the Likud Governments; the ethnic tensions (Sepharadim and Ashkenazim); the transition from socialist to free market economy; the ghosts of the Holocaust; the limits of the nation-state; Israel and its Arab citizens; Israel and the Religious and non-Religious identity; Israel and the Palestinian problem; and Israel in the aftermath of the 1967 War.

History & Politics of Nuclear Disarmament, 1945-Present
       This course dealt with the negotiations on nuclear disarmament, explained why a disarmament agreement per se was never achieved, what was achieved, after all, and why. It described the influence of international diplomacy as well as domestic politics on the progress of the negotiations, and it described the conceptual change that took place in the United States position following the launching of the Soviet Sputnik that led first to a conceptual transition from the concept of Disarmament to the concept of Arms Control, a change that eventually allowed the signing of agreements like the Partial Nuclear Test Ban, the Non Proliferation Treaty, the SALT agreement, and so on.

DR. OFRA BENGIO
Tel Aviv University
Fall 2004

History of Modern Iraq
            For more than a quarter-century, Iraq has been the focus of world attention, particularly the United States.  This course examined the history of Iraq, beginning in the late 19th century under the Ottoman Empire, when Baghdad was considered by the Great Powers a marginal, backwater city, through its evolution into a pivotal state in the Middle East, and internationally.  It explored various social, economic, and political issues, and particularly the relationship between domestic and international developments.  Doing so helped explain how the U.S. found itself drawn into a war with Iraq twice within little more than a decade.
 
Minorities in the Arab World
            The issue of minorities is one of the most serious problems facing the modern state in the Middle East.  Moreover, it is closely linked to an additional major issue:  the need for democratization and representative government.  This course analyzed the problem not only through the lens of the state, but also through the eyes of minority groups themselves, many of which predate the Arab-Muslim conquest of the 7th century.  After providing a regional overview of the subject, the course focused on the "leading" minority groups of the region - the Kurds, Copts, Berbers, and Shiites - as well as the states' respective discourses and policies towards them.

DR. REUVEN HAZAN
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Spring 2004

Introduction to Comparative Politics
            This course introduced students to the main concepts, institutions, processes and issues in the field of comparative politics. It also provided students with the major tools and methods for comparative political analysis. The course aimed at teaching students how to analyze the political institutions of different countries - largely the advanced industrial democracies, but others as well - and to assess their patterns of political behavior along with their resulting political outcomes. In doing so, it developed the students' ability to compare institutions and outcomes across political systems.

Israeli Politics and Society
            This course presented an analysis, couched within theoretical frameworks from other Western democracies, of politics and society in Israel. Emphasis was on classification, typological mappings and model-derived explanations of how the social cleavages in Israeli society function and behave in the political process, and how the political institutions influence social divisions, particularly in light of the reforms during the last decade that transformed Israeli politics. This course also exposed students to some of the contemporary socio-political issues in Israel, particularly the highly contentious problem of religion and politics.

DR. REUVEN HAZAN
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Fall 2003

Israeli Parties and Elections
            This course presented a comparative analysis of political parties and elections in Israel. The goal was to introduce students to the electoral politics of Israel while acquainting them with the basic terms, concepts and theories on political parties and elections. Emphasis focused on general, model-derived explanations of how the political parties function and behave in the Israeli electoral process, and particularly on the elaboration of the reforms that transformed the arena of Israeli politics in the 1990s and continue to reshape it today.

Parties and Elections
            This course presented a comparative analysis, couched within theoretical frameworks, of political parties, party systems and elections in Western settings. The emphasis was on general classifications, typological mappings, model-derived explanations and the differences that affect the performance of parties and party systems. The goal of this course was to acquaint students with the basic terms, concepts, theories and arguments in the sub-fields of political parties and electoral systems, and to provide the theoretical and methodological tools necessary to undertake either an in-depth case study or a comparative cross-country analysis of parties and elections.

DR. MEIR LITVAK
Tel Aviv University
Fall 2003

Modern Iran
            This undergraduate lecture course reviewed the history of modern Iran from the crisis of the monarchy in the 19th Century through the modernizing royal dictatorship in the 20th Century to a revolutionary Islamic republic. The course examined the interplay between political, socioeconomic and cultural processes that shaped these developments, particularly the interaction between religion and politics, and that between foreign powers and domestic players. It also analyzed the causes of the Islamic revolution, and Iran's quest to reconcile between modernity and tradition by formulating new Islamic policies in the domestic and foreign arenas in the twenty-year period after the revolution.

Radical Islamic Movements in the Modern Middle East
            This junior/senior colloquium reviewed the emergence and evolution of radical Islamic movements in the modern Middle East since the traumatic encounter with the West during the 19th Century to the present. It covered movements from the Taliban in Afghanistan and Ben Laden's al-Qaida, going through the Iranian revolution, the Muslim Brethren in Egypt, Hamas in Palestine, Hizbollah in Lebanon to Algeria in North Africa. The seminar examined the interaction between modern Islamic ideologies and the political conduct of these movements in such issues as the desired type of Islamic government, the compatibility between Islam and democracy, the meaning of jihad in the modern period, women's rights and socioeconomic policies.

DR. MICHAEL BAR-ZOHAR
Independent Israeli Scholar
Spring 1993

Personalities in Israeli Political History
            The extraordinary face of Israel was shaped by a gallery of charismatic founding fathers and a second generation of brilliant and often rebellious sons. Israel might not have existed without the prophetic figure of David Ben-Gurion. Its history might have been different without the staunch Golda Meir, the conciliating Levi Eshkol, the diplomatic Abba Eban, the intrepid Moshe Dayan, the magnetic Menachem Begin, the iron-willed Shimon Peres, the dedicated Itzhak Rabin, and others. The colloquium followed these leaders in the struggles that shaped the main decisions in Israel’s history.

Israeli Foreign and Defense Policies, 1948-Present
            Haunted by the danger of destruction by their neighbors, Israel’s leaders have for years subordinated their foreign policy to the needs of national defense. The main goals of Israel’s defense policy have been developing a powerful deterrent and destroying the enemy’s power even at the price of war. These goals dictated the foreign policy of the country obtaining weapons abroad and concluding an alliance with the U.S. Only after Egypt’s Anwar Sadat declared that he wanted “no more war” could the Israeli foreign policy win its independence and launch the present peace process.

DR. BRUCE MADDY-WEITZMAN
Tel Aviv University
Spring 1991

Middle Eastern States
            Whether it’s Saddam Hussein, Fundamentalist Islam, the demographic explosion, or the gyrations of oil prices, the Middle East continues to be an arena of crisis. This course examined the political, economic, social and cultural challenges currently facing the Arab world, both individually and collectively. It analyzed the policy options facing the Arab states, searched for the link between domestic and regional issues, and placed them in the context of international developments, such as the coming economic union in Europe, and the breakdown of the Soviet empire and the rise of democratic movements in Eastern Europe.

DR. BRUCE MADDY-WEITZMAN
Tel Aviv University
Fall 1990

The Near East, 1914-Present
            This course was an introductory survey of the modern Near East in the 20th Century. Topics included a brief review of Islamic and medieval Near Eastern history, and the Ottoman Empire’s decline. Special emphasis was given to the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. In the post-World War II period, focus was directed at pan-Arabism, inter-Arab political history, the economics and politics of modernization, and the petro-dollar revolution. Extensive time was devoted to the Palestinians, modern Israel, the unfolding peace process, and U.S. foreign policy toward modern Israel, and U.S. foreign policy toward the region. The history of individual countries was undertaken, with primary focus on Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Turkey.