Travel Experiences
Engaged learning is one of the highest priorities of the Jewish Studies Program, and if you’re looking for an opportunity to visit new places around the world, our unique travel experiences will inform your learning and expand your horizons. We combine a rich curriculum with exciting excursions, and, in keeping with the BCLA mission, you will gain the cross-cultural awareness you need to become an ethical leader and a global citizen.
All Jewish Studies trips are open to students of all faiths, and there are many scholarship opportunities available.
Israel
JWST 4998 Literature and Faith in the Holy Land
Summer Session I
4 units
OVERVIEW
Join an English professor, a priest, and a rabbi as we seek to engage in interfaith dialogue and social activities with Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other communities in Israel. The theme of the course is “hospitality”: How do we offer and receive it in the Holy Land, with its pluralistic communities? The course includes exclusive tours of diverse religious and historical sites, home meals, camel riding, hiking, swimming in the Dead Sea, a drum circle on the Sea of Galilee, and rafting down the Jordan River, among other excursions.
DETAILS
Faculty: Dr. Holli Levitsky, Rabbi Mark Diamond, & Fr. Alexei Smith
Counts for: Interdisciplinary Connections Core, Engaged Learning flag, Jewish Studies minor requirement, English major requirement, and general upper-division elective.
Cost: Tuition for 4 unit course + deposit to secure space. Two week trip is all-inclusive, including airfare.
Poland
JWST 4998 Vanished Landscapes: Poland & the Holocaust
Summer Session I
4 units
OVERVIEW
Examine past, present, and future Poland, explore significant sites and the long history of Jewish life, and engage with Polish students! The theme of the course is the trajectory of the Jewish community in Poland from its origin 1000 years ago to the current moment and challenges students to examine how faith helps us understand both Polish-Catholic and Polish-Jewish history. The course includes many onsite visits to former and current Jewish communities, concentration camps, cultural sites, and important Polish national sites, and includes discussions with experts in Jewish-Catholic relations. This course often begins in other cities such as Berlin and Prague.
DETAILS
Faculty: Dr. Holli Levitsky, Dr. Margarete Feinstein, & Rabbi Mark Diamond
Counts for: Engaged Learning flag, Faith and Reason, Jewish Studies minor requirement, English major requirement, and general upper-division elective.
Cost: Tuition for 4 unit course + deposit to secure space + Roundtrip Airfare.
Travel Funding Opportunities
The Jewish Studies program is generously supported by donations from the community, which allows us to assist with travel costs. Opportunities for trip funding can be found here when they are available. Our traditional window for summer trip funding applications is in the Fall semester.
The scholarship application for Poland 2022 course will be available in October 2021.
Student Media
Students regularly collaborate on video projects that examine their experiences and what they've learned during these courses. This documentary was produced by students on the Poland trip in the summer of 2012.
Photos
Check out photos from our past courses!
Contact
Questions about our current trips or future offerings? Email jewishstudiesprogram@lmu.edu or check our social media for the latest information and updates.
Interested in supporting our students' travel? Make your gift to Jewish Studies today!