The Sam and Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies sponsors a variety of public programming, supports the development of courses related to Jews and Judaism at the University, and houses the Jewish Studies major and minor as well as the certificate in Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Studies.
We engage members of the Milwaukee community hosting on and off campus events, co-sponsoring events with other Milwaukee organizations, and inviting engaging speakers and performers to Milwaukee who can build bridges across identities and experiences.
Our “Colors of Jewishness” series, made possible by the generous support of Bader Philanthropies, explores the diversity of the Jewish community and the connections between Jews and other minority groups. Recent luminaries brought to Milwaukee through this series include culinary historian Michael Twitty, singers Anthony Russell and Sarah Aroeste, and painter Siona Benjamin.
The yearly Faye Sigman “Woman of Valor” lecture, made possible by the generous support of the Taxman and Temkin families, highlights the contributions of Jewish women. Past speakers have included Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Hasia Diner, Jill Dolan, and UWM’s Lisa Silverman.
Thanks to the generosity of the Baye Foundation and Bader Philanthropies, the Stahl Center features an annual Distinguished Lecture. Among the notable scholars who have presented the Distinguished Lecture are Michael Twitty, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Kimblett, and Jeffrey Shandler.
Partnerships with many departments and programs on campus, and a wide variety of community organizations, are vital to our success. Some of our frequent partners include:
- UWM Department of Global Studies
- Various UWM language programs
- UWM LGBT Film Festival
- UWM Festival of Films in French
- UWM Latin American Film Series
- UWM Libraries
- 88.9 Radio Milwaukee
- Boswell Books
- Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center
- Jewish Museum Milwaukee
- Milwaukee Art Museum
- Milwaukee Film
- Milwaukee Public Library
- Milwaukee Public Museum
- Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education and Resource Center
The academic program in Jewish Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jewish Studies, with the option of a Hebrew Studies or Jewish Cultural Studies track. Students may also choose to minor in Jewish Studies. Both the major and minor may be completed fully online. Fully online students are eligible for special pricing that aligns the cost per credit to a level close to in-state tuition. This makes the program particularly attractive to out-of-state and international students without the need to pay out-of-state tuition. Our Hebrew courses are among the few available fully online throughout the U.S.
Through the generosity of our donors, the Stahl Center grants financial scholarships to outstanding majors and minors.