Graduate School of Jewish Studies

Perpetuating the Jewish heritage through the study of its intellectual history is central to the mission of Touro University and is woven through the entire curriculum of the Graduate School of Jewish Studies (GSJS). The school instills in its students a commitment to studying Judaism’s rich tradition and applying this knowledge toward advancing scholarship, teaching in the classroom or securing positions in educational administration or Jewish communal leadership.

AREAS OF STUDY

GSJS offers a Master of Arts in Jewish Studies, which focuses on the history, literature and thought of the Jewish people over the past millennium. This trademark program has expanded to include specializations in Jewish education and in the history of the Holocaust on Touro’s Berlin campus. The Jewish education track focuses on effective classroom instruction and management as well as methodologies of teaching diverse subjects in a yeshiva or Jewish day school environment.

GSJS has earned a reputation for close student-faculty interaction, superior instruction and a rigorous, well-structured curriculum. Its faculty members have achieved international recognition for their scholarship, producing notable research and publications in their areas of expertise, presenting academic papers across the globe and receiving prestigious fellowships.

Benny Berlin, M.A.

Rabbi, BACH Jewish Center

It was at Touro’s Graduate School of Jewish Studies (GSJS) that Benny Berlin honed his mind and found his voice. Now considered one of the modern Orthodox world’s most educated and dynamic young spiritual leaders, Rabbi Berlin credits GSJS with honoring his calling and refining his oratory gifts. “Without the loving guidance and the level of brilliance of the professors,” Berlin says, “I wouldn’t have the skills or the open heart to be where I am today.”

In the 18 months he’s been rabbi at The BACH Jewish Center in Long Beach, the Congregation has grown by some 15 percent. The new members are young adults and their little ones, who rejoice in the sense of community and in their devoted rabbi. The 31-year-old father of two young sons, and his wife, Sara, are known to visit their new congregants with a home-cooked meal in hand. “You help create a community by being welcoming and warm,” he says.

He also understands that to keep and grow a community, a rabbi must be a teacher in the truest sense of the word. “People don’t want to hear things they already know,” says Berlin. “I learned from the most academically minded professors at Touro. I was stretched, I learned new information, I learned history, context. I try to teach that way, as well: insightful, engaging, intellectually honest and stimulating.”

Toward that end, Berlin teaches a daily Talmud class at the Synagogue. He also teaches a Parsha class. He prepares for hours for each. “I learned a lot of pedagogical tools at Touro,” he says. “How to structure a class, how to study, how to engage and retain knowledge and how to pass that knowledge on by requiring a higher level of thinking. I don’t spoon-feed, I give points to ponder.”

Among his heroes at Touro, Berlin remains indebted to Dean Michael A. Shmidman and Rabbi Dr. Shmuel Klammer, Ed.D. “The dean is a deeply caring, deeply learned individual who took me under his wing,” he says. Rabbi Klammer nurtured Berlin’s oratory skills. When he spoke to groups of elementary, middle and high schoolers, Klammer recorded Berlin’s speeches. Together they pored over the talks. Berlin always had the faith. But it was Klammer who upped his delivery, helping transform Benny Berlin into Rabbi Berlin. “Intelligent compassion,” he says. “That’s the overriding lesson I learned from Touro.”

DOCTORAL PROGRAM Building on the master’s in Jewish studies, Touro launched a doctoral program in 2018. Leading scholar Dr. Shnayer (Sid) Leiman joined the doctoral faculty as distinguished professor of Jewish history and literature, and students have the opportunity to learn and work on their individual research projects under his mentorship. The Ph.D. program represents a new phase in Touro’s contribution to scholarly exploration of the intellectual, social and political history of the Jewish people in the medieval and modern periods.

SERVING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY Since the inception of the M.A. program 40 years ago, more than 1500 students have graduated. As faculty members in universities in the U.S. and Israel, teachers and principals in yeshivot or leaders of Jewish communal organizations, GSJS alumni continue to make a difference in the lives of countless members of the Jewish community around the world.