Enrichment through the sponsorship of several programming initiatives is the goal of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life. View our event calendar, and stay up-to-date on all of our programming. Learn about the many lecture series and cultural events we have to offer on a wide range of topics! Our events are always free and open to the public. View full event listings.
Expand your knowledge in the literatures and cultures of the Jewish people by taking a few courses, or become an expert in the field by pursuing the Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, or Doctorate in Judaic Studies at UConn. Discover opportunities in study abroad, funding, and other available resources. Learn about our faculty and alumni. Find out what Hebrew and Judaic Studies has to offer you! Visit our student section.
Students may spend a semester or academic year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem., Tel Aviv, Haifa, or Ben Gurion Universities. The Center for Judaic Studies supports special programs such as archaelogical excavations and internships in Israel for which credit may be applied to the major and minor in Judaic Studies. Students participating in our study abroad programs may apply to the Center for funding to help offset tuition and other costs. Visit our study abroad section.
Lunch Discussion: The Roots of Extremism
The Power of Hiding Then & Now: An Interview with Roland Tec on Memoir and Intergenerational Legacy
How the Irish Helped the Jews Become American
11 March 2026 / 5:30 p.m.
Dr. Hasia R. Diner’s book Opening Doors draws from a deep well of historical sources to show how Irish and Jewish Americans became steadfast allies in classrooms, picket lines, and political machines, and ultimately helped one another become key power players in shaping America’s future.
Co-Sponsored by:
UConn Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, University of Hartford Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, Mandell JCC of Greater Hartford, and the Avon Free Public Library.
Spring 2026 HEJS Courses
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Feb12Lunch Discussion: The Roots of ExtremismHomer Babbidge Library12:30 PM
Moderated By: Dr. James Waller, Acting Director of Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute
The goal of this academic session is to analyze the roots and mechanisms of extremist ideologies and to examine how such ideologies gain legitimacy, spread through modern communication channels, and destabilize democratic and social institutions.
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Feb19The Power of Hiding Then & Now: An Interview with Roland Tec on Memoir and Intergenerational LegacyUConn Stamford5:30 PM
Roland Tec was 9 when his mother, Professor Nechama Tec, began work on her seminal Holocaust memoir, Dry Tears. In Dry Tears, Tec brings a unique candor and psychological depth to a story of a 9-yr old Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Poland assuming a false Catholic identity to escape the Nazi murder machine.
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Mar11How the Irish Helped the Jews Become American7:00 PM
I. Martin and Janet M. Fierberg Lecture
with Dr. Hasia Diner