May 2025 Newsletter

We want to wish a hearty congratulations to the graduating JSSJ minors on their significant accomplishments during their career at USF! We have no doubt that these JSSJ graduates are only at the beginning of their journey as social justice activists, embodying the values of our one-of-a-kind program.

Please join us in congratulating the following students. May they go from strength to strength.

"The JSSJ program at USF is more than just a community to me, it is a valuable opportunity in which space is created to discuss difficult times, current events, and the rich history behind it all. I think that it is important to have this program and classes to hold these discussions in a safe environment, to listen, learn, and hear from those within the community that one might not be exposed to if they were not enrolled in the program. The JSSJ Program has helped me build a closer relationship with professors, professionals, and other classmates who care for Jewish Studies and Social Justice."

"The JSSJ Program has been essential as I navigated my four years in college. Before entering USF, I had very little connection to my Jewish heritage and had never spent time in a Jewish community. Leaving USF, I am able to speak and understand some Hebrew; I have been to multiple synagogues and even an international conference; I have chosen a Hebrew name and read holy texts; and, most importantly, I was a leader in my Hillel and helped plan endless events and celebrate holidays. The connection I found was not necessarily religious, but deeply community-oriented and personal to me. I had never imagined I would embrace my heritage so strongly and I am forever grateful to have been enrolled in JSSJ courses when the violence in Israel and Palestine escalated. This program changed so much about who I am and how I see the world and for that I can be thankful to JSSJ."

"As Professor Hahn Tapper often says in his openings to events for the program, the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice was the first of its kind to formally link Jewish studies with concepts of social justice. And while it may be a sort of canned, repeatable phrase that is used to establish the prestige of the program, I think the message there is what makes the program extremely important to me. It links contemporary struggles for justice with an established history and tradition of fighting for justice on other, and sometimes the same, fronts. Nowhere else at USF have I learned more, not just about social justice or Jews and Judaism, but about how I want to navigate this world."

"I've enjoyed the different experiences and perspectives that I've been able to learn from through the JSSJ program. Queering religion was one of my most impactful classes at USF, and I appreciate the chance I've been given to learn from many speakers and events through the program."

"The Jewish Studies and Social Justice Program has been the highlight of my undergraduate education at USF. At a university dedicated to social justice and critical thinking, no other department has fulfilled those promises as successfully or as diligently as JSSJ. The program's dedication to platforming diverse voices and radically challenging the status quo have gone beyond contributing to my academic education, they have altered my worldview and led to personal transformation."

"I feel so blessed to have been a part of the JSSJ program and had the opportunity to learn from such knowledgeable Jewish professors. Through examining the various experiences of Jews around the world, I have learned that there's not one way to be Jewish but rather that Jewishness is defined and redefined within Jewish communities themselves. In classes surrounding the situation in Israel/Palestine, I have learned more about how Jews understand themselves in relation to the state of Israel, whether that be through support for Zionism or engagement in anti-Zionist social justice work that seeks justice for Palestinians. One of the most impactful classes that I have taken at USF was the Beyond Bridges: Israel/Palestine class. This class exposed me to the oppressive day-to-day reality of Palestinians living under occupation while also highlighting the various ways in which Jewish Israelis engage in co-resistance activism. As a graduating senior, I am looking forward to continuing to learn and connect with the professors in the JSSJ program even after I move on from USF."

"In many ways, the defining feature of my life has been a grappling with identity, with my sense of self. Not my inherent worth, or how I can present my being, but fundamentally who I am; where do I existentially belong? Since October 7th I've encountered true fear, and seen through the mirage that is Jewish, and non-Jewish security. I've been held in contempt by the world's prejudice and felt helpless to protect the people I love, my community, and even those I've barely spoken with, from that deafening void of something remarkably evil and sad. The JSSJ program is unique in many ways, but in essence, it is outstanding for its courage. Every single student and faculty member in the program is resilient, true, and compassionate. The JSSJ program has not turned away from difficult questions, from impossible moments of non-belonging, dialogue, and perhaps most importantly, education. There is hope, and there is love in this place. I'm humbled to be a part of JSSJ, and I have learned and grown so much over the past four years."

June 9–13 & June 22 | 9 a.m.–1 p.m. PDT (Remote Synchronous)

We are excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for our summer course, Disability and Jewish Social Justice with Rabbi Julia Watts Belser.

This course aims to help students deepen their capacity to create cultures of accessibility within Jewish social justice practice. We’ll bring classical Jewish texts into conversation with the lived experiences of contemporary disability activists to grapple with spiritual and political questions about access and equity, invisibility and shame, as well as practices for transforming social inequality. We’ll hone skills for recognizing and resisting ableism, as well as for understanding the way ableism intersects with racism, antisemitism, misogyny, queer, trans, fat hatred, and more. We’ll also examine the contours of hegemonic norms around decorum and behavior, space and time, as well as physical and sensory access — and consider ways to transform our religious communities and cultural spaces so that they more fully welcome the vivid, complex diversity of all our bodies and minds.

Learn more about the requirements for the JSSJ minor »
Questions? Email JSSJ Assistant Director Oren Kroll-Zeldin.

July 7–25  |  Monday–Friday  |  2–5 p.m. PDT  |  Online

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the summer 2025 Hebrew San Francisco: Ulpan program! As in the past few years, this summer's program will take place online. Visit our web page for more information.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Ulpan Director Dalit Gvirtsman.

July 7–25  |  Monday–Friday  |  10 a.m.–1 p.m. PDT (Level 1); 3–6 p.m. PDT (Level 2)  |  Online

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the summer 2025 Arabic San Francisco program! Welcoming anyone interested in the Arabic language, we offer two levels of instruction in small class settings. The focus of the program is on the Levantine dialect of Arabic, though students in Level 1 will spend the first part of the program learning to read and write in Arabic. All instruction for the program will take place online.

Please email Swig JSSJ Program Assistant Director Oren Kroll-Zeldin with any questions. Visit our web page for more information.

Your generous support of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice will help us engage students in both theoretical and practical approaches of social justice and activism rooted in the Jewish traditions.