Study Abroad

The links to the left provide information on study abroad opportunities through the Jewish Studies Program. KU students can take Jewish Studies classes abroad at any sponsored institution.

More Information

For more information on study abroad programs in general or scholarships and financial aid, visit the KU Office of Study Abroad.

You can also stop by the Jewish Studies office or send an email to JewishStudies@ku.edu for more information on off-campus study opportunities.

Jewish Studies Program statement in solidarity with protests against police brutality

Beloved community,

As an academic program in the University of Kansas, we stand in solidarity with Black Americans -- including Black Jewish people -- and everyone hurting after the senseless, brutal murder of George Floyd and all people targeted by systemic racism and injustice in our country. We continue to be committed to our core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This morning, the Association for Jewish Studies sent out an email reminding us that as scholars of Jewish Studies, we are keenly aware of the devastating impact of discrimination and violence against minority groups. Dr. Cécile Accilien, the Chair of the KU Department of African and African-American studies, shared with us the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

The Jewish Studies academic community is rich and diverse – it includes scholars and students who are Jewish and non-Jewish, scholars and students of all ethnic and racial backgrounds and from multiple denominations and creeds, people who are immigrants (like myself) and those who are American-born. The Bible commands: צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף - tzedek tzedek tirdof, which translates into English as “Only justice shall you pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). In this well-cited verse, the Hebrew word tzedek, or justice, repeats twice. There can be many explanations of the repetition – textual interpretation in all its many forms is a beloved pursuit for many of us. Today, I am going to give you my own interpretation -- though I am sure that it already exists somewhere in the treasury of Jewish exegesis. One tzedek, or justice, you must pursue for yourself and for people like you; that is, perhaps, the justice that is easiest to understand, because we keenly feel injustices committed against ourselves and people like us. The other tzedek is the justice you must pursue for the sake of people who are not like you. It is often a harder lesson, but a necessary one. The justice, or tzedek, which we pursue thus also becomes a gift of chesed, of lovingkindness that enriches all of us.

In solidarity,

Dr. Renee Perelmutter,

Director of the Jewish Studies Program

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Cost Comparison

Click here for a cost comparison of attending KU vs. studying in Israel.

Upcoming Program Events

Common SIP program options for students studying in Israel

Click here to see common Student Initiated Program options for KU students studying in Israel.

Department News

September 27, 2019
KU professor researches origin of ancient Torah scroll
July 16, 2019
Dr. Rami Zeedan has new book published
July 11, 2019
Renee Perelmutter's article included in Journal of Pragmatics issue that won Neal Norrick award

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In the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at The University of Kansas, we understand that an equitable and safe multiracial, multiethnic, and multicultural environment produces innovative thinking, research, and learning. Click here for the University's nondiscrimination policy.

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