Graduate Students

We asked students completing their Judaic Studies Graduate Certificate to share something about their experience in Judaic Studies. Here's what some of them had to say. 

"The Judaic Studies program at Michigan is superb in every regard. Its faculty are exacting in their expectations, formidable in their scholarship, accessible in their approach... the Frankel Center's vast resources and the scholarly communities that it fosters, make Michigan an ideal location to pursue one's scholarship. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have studied here."  

"I have been blessed and guided by so many unparalleled colleagues, friends and mentors in Judaic Studies... the Frankel Center's continuous and unwavering support of my work has enabled me to explore new areas of research, connect ideas across different fields and audiences, and create new frameworks for teaching and learning. Knowing that I had a home in Judaic Studies that believed in me, gave me the resources and security I needed to push my work further into more daring territory, in the otherwise very uncertain experience that graduate school can be. I am forever connected to the Frankel Center and am proud of that connection."

"The Frankel Center is, by far, the most welcoming and inclusive department I've been a part of, and I am grateful for my time there, and for all the colleagues and friends I made throughout." 

"I chose to come to Michigan because of the depth of faculty expertise in my field of Russian-Jewish studies. I was also drawn to the Frankel Center's rich program in Yiddish language and culture. During my time at Michigan, I have enjoyed superb mentorship from Jewish Studies faculty who have patiently guided me through conference presentations, prelims, fieldwork, fellowship applications, dissertation drafts, and, most recently, job applications. Throughout, my mentors have encouraged a healthy work-life balance and supported me through significant personal challenges while maintaining high expectations from me as a junior scholar. I'm also grateful to have developed meaningful relationships with a wide array of Jewish Studies scholars through the Frankel Institute."

"The Frankel Center provided me with opportunities to develop close relationships with faculty mentors and supported research central to my work."

"The Frankel Center's Judaic Studies Certificate provides students a space - beyond our individual home departments - in which we can reflect on, debate and exchange ideas concerning the Jewish experience, considering the possibilities of what it means to be Jewish in relation to other cultures, experiences and histories."   

"I feel very fortunate to have been a student connected to the Frankel Center. It's hard to imagine a more knowledgeable or generous group of faculty and staff. The unique opportunities that the Frankel Center opened up for me really shaped my graduate experience."