Modern Jewish and Israel Studies

Modern Jewish and Israel Studies

Welcome to the website of Modern Jewish and Israel Studies (MJIS) at California State University, Chico.

MJIS strives to promote the scholarly and informed discussion of Judaism, Jewish history, culture, and languages, the history of anti-Semitism, and Jewish life in the contemporary world, including the state of Israel.

MJIS is for students of all religious and cultural backgrounds who are interested in the Jewish experience in history and in interreligious and intercultural dialogue. It also provides an intellectual resource and community for Jewish students of California, the second largest Jewish population in the United States, who attend CSU Chico.

Mission Statement
Modern Jewish and Israel Studies exists to educate students in cultural and religious dimensions of Judaism and Jewish civilization, to promote understanding of and respect for the diversity of religious and secular Jewish traditions, to deepen students’ appreciation of the development of Jewish ideas and traditions in changing historical and social contexts, to foster an appreciation of the relationship between language and Judaism through significant study of the Hebrew language, and to cultivate informed and empathetic public dialogue about Jewish life, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and Israel.