The Graduate School of Jewish Studies is living proof of Touro’s deep commitment to Jewish learning. For more than four decades, GSJS has been a place for graduate scholars at every level to do serious work, in a community that makes their intellectual breakthroughs possible.
“We are very student-centered and pride ourselves on the quality of instruction and the care faculty show to each individual student. Our faculty are engaging and supportive, and partner with our students to help our students achieve mastery and success.”
- Dr. Moshe Sokol, Dean
Jewish Learning is in Our DNA
GSJS has been building its reputation as a home for the Jewish intellectual tradition — one student, one thesis, one dissertation at a time — since the 1980s. Here are key milestones along the way:
- 1981: Touro founder Dr. Bernard Lander recruits Dr. Michael Shmidman, a rising scholar of Jewish history, to launch the university’s first graduate program in the arts and sciences. Dr. Shmidman hand picks 10 students for the inaugural class.
- 1980s–2000s: Graduates of GSJS master's degree program earn admission to doctoral programs at Yale, Columbia, Brandeis, Emory, and leading Israeli universities. Several later return to teach at Touro.
- 2003: Touro University Berlin opens, offering a master’s degree in Jewish studies with a concentration in the history of the Holocaust through the Graduate School of Jewish Studies. The campus in Berlin’s Westend borough is just a few steps away from archives and memorials that bring the subject to life.
- 2004: GSJS earns high marks from the accreditation organization that upholds quality standards for the Mid-Atlantic region. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education commends the school as a model of excellence among the 500+ institutions it represents.
- 2009: The MA degree in Jewish Studies, Jewish Education track, begins at Lander College for Men.
- 2018: New York State authorizes Touro's PhD in Jewish Studies, which Dr. Shmidman designed to extend the rigor of the MA program while offering deeper opportunities for research and scholarship.
- 2023: The first doctoral students graduate from the PhD program.
- 2024: Dr. Moshe Sokol succeeds Dr. Shmidman in the role of dean. A widely recognized philosopher, educator, and scholar, Dr. Sokol founded Touro’s Lander College for Men and led it for 25 years before bringing that same vision to GSJS. “I am thrilled by the opportunity to devote more of my time to a field I love, and to helping prepare a new generation of young scholars who will enrich Jewish life and education here and abroad," he said of his appointment to lead GSJS.
- 2025: The MA degree in Jewish Studies, Jewish Education track, opens an all-women’s cohort.
“I tried to establish an elite program from the very beginning — something where the work was serious and the people were genuinely cared for. That’s been the model from day one: small classes, close faculty-student relationships, rigorous scholarship.”
- Dr. Michael Shmidman, Dean Emeritus and Victor J. Selmanowitz Professor of Jewish History
Beyond the classroom
A GSJS education extends beyond the coursework assigned in class. Students and faculty take part in many scholarly activities that connect them to the broader world of Jewish studies:
- GSJS houses Touro University Press, which publishes academic works by its faculty and affiliated researchers.
- The school's bi-annual faculty colloquium brings together faculty and PhD students across disciplines to share their latest work.
- Students and professors attend and present at academic conferences in Jewish studies at home and abroad.
- The Berlin campus and GSJS's Italy study-abroad tour offer international learning experiences for students interested in the Jewish diaspora.
Leadership
Moshe Sokol, PhD
Dana Fishkin, PhD
