Jewish Studies at Berkeley benefits from the generosity of alumni and friends, grants from foundations, and university resources. This support provides research and travel grants for faculty and students, graduate student fellowships, and prizes recognizing outstanding work in the area of Jewish Studies.
Grants and Fellowships
Helen Diller Family Grants and Fellowships
The Helen Diller Family Grants and Fellowships Program in Jewish and Israel Studies provides funding for research and teaching in Jewish Studies in the College of Letters and Science. Established in 2002 through gifts from the Helen and Sanford Diller Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund, the purpose of the Diller grants is to bring campus-wide attention to Jewish Studies and to stimulate interest in pursuing research and/or teaching in related areas. The Diller program provides funding for undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. Stipends and awards are made for research, travel, fieldwork, innovative teaching, and curricular development in Jewish Studies. Recipients must demonstrate outstanding academic ability and promise in areas related to Jewish Studies. These funding opportunities are available to current UC Berkeley students and faculty. Calls for applications are sent out annually. For more information, please contact the Center for Jewish Studies at jewishstudies@berkeley.edu.
The Newhouse Grant
The Newhouse Grant, generously funded by the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, supports the educational, research, and travel needs of Jewish Studies graduate students, and helps support Yiddish instruction.
The William Ze’ev Brinner Graduate Student Fellowship
The William Ze’ev Brinner Fellowship for graduate students was established in the spring of 2014. Professor Brinner received his B.A. in Near Eastern Studies in 1948 and his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies in 1956. He taught Arabic and Islamic studies in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Berkeley from 1956 until his retirement in 1991 and served as Chair of the Department several times.
The William Ze’ev Brinner Graduate Fellowship supports high-achieving graduate students attending Cal in the College of Letters & Science who have a focus on one or a combination of the following fields of study: Jewish Studies; Islamic Studies; Middle Eastern history and/or history of religions; and Arabic, Hebrew, and/or Judeo-Arabic literature and translations studies. Faculty from Middle Eastern Studies, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, and the Center for Jewish Studies review the applications.
For more information please contact the Center for Jewish Studies at jewishstudies@berkeley.edu
The Rothblatt Family Graduate Student Endowment in Jewish Studies
The Rothblatt Family Graduate Student Endowment in Jewish Studies was established in 2013 by Professor Sheldon Rothblatt and his wife, Barbara Goor Rothblatt. With their fellowship they intend to support, encourage, and stimulate research in the field of Jewish Studies at UC Berkeley. Awards will be given to selected graduate students for fellowships, summer research and travel, and language instruction.
Prizes
Goor Prize
The Anne and Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies is intended to support, encourage, and stimulate research in the field of Jewish Studies at UC Berkeley. It was established in 1977 by Anne Goor in memory of her husband, Benjamin, and renamed upon her death in 2005. Up to four prizes of $2500 each shall be awarded annually: two for the best undergraduate essays, and two for the best graduate essays.
–Essays may be research in any area of Jewish Studies.
–Creative works are not eligible.
–Essays must be written in the academic year in which the awards are given, and written while the authors are registered students in good standing at UC Berkeley.
–A student may only win the Goor Prize twice during their tenure at Berkeley.
–Graduate submissions must be a minimum of 15 pages (double-spaced) and a maximum of 30 pages.
-Undergraduate submissions must be a minimum of 7 pages (double-spaced) and a maximum of 30 pages.
–This competition is open to students of any major and any background.
Important:
- Write the last four digits of your Student ID number in the upper right hand corner of your essay, and indicate whether you are a graduate or undergraduate student
- Submit your essay to goorprize@berkeley.edu
- The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 3, 2025 at 5:00pm PST.