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You are here: American University College of Arts & Sciences Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies (CIS)
Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies
In 1998, Shimon Peres inaugurated the first center for Israel Studies in the country at American University. The center sponsors frequent public programs, including conferences, discussions, lecture series, performances and exhibits, in addition to the Minor in Israel Studies.
Contact Us
Center for Israel Studies
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016-8038
United States
CIS Events
Spring 2026 Events
A Conversation with Author Ayelet Tsabari
RSVP fpr April 14 | Location provided upon RSVP
"Agents of Change:
American Jews and Transformation of Israeli Judaism"
Adam Ferziger, Bar-Ilan University
Rescheduled TBA
Panel Discussion with Audience Q&A
Peace Talks without Leadership:
Israel 30 Years after Rabin's Assassination
Chuck Freilich (former Israel national security advisor and professor political science at NYU, Columbia, and Tel Aviv) and Aaron David Miller (senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, formerly with the US State Department) in conversation with Guy Ziv (AU Professor of Foreign Policy & Global Security), October 29, 2025.
2025 Meltzer Trone Conference
Franklin Foer, The Diaspora Blues:
Where American Jews Go from Here
Evening keynote with Franklin Foer, November 16, followed by a conversation with novelist Joshua Cohen, introduced by Professor Lauren Strauss.
From the 2025 Meltzer Trone Conference: American Jews and Israel: A Complicated Relationship — see full Meltzer Trone Conference Video Playlist.
2025 Helen & Daniel Sonenshine Lecture
1:19:53
Pigs and the World Jewish Conspiracy:
Meat and Jews in the Nazi Mind
On October 22, 2025, the Helen and Daniel Sonenshine Lecture featured John Efron and Joan Nathan in discussion with Center Director Michael Brenner.
View more videos from the Center for Israel Studies.
Annual Myra Sklarew Writing Contest
AU students are invited to submit their original work of intellectually engaged writing relating to Israel. We welcome all forms of writing—poetry, prose, short stories, personal essays, academic papers, and other creative or scholarly work, including coursework.
Deadline: March 30, 2026
Contest & Submissions
Submissions may explore any aspect of Israel, including its diverse society, its place in the world, its history and future, or moments of collaboration and shared society. Pieces that grapple with complexity, nuance, and lived experience are especially encouraged. This award was established by the late Myra Sklarew, acclaimed poet and longtime Literature professor at AU, honoring her deep commitment to understanding Israel and her lifelong love of writing. It is given in memory of her uncle and aunt, Benjamin and Eva Wolpe Reinkel, and in honor of her uncle Harry Rinkel.
A faculty committee convened by the Center for Israel Studies Director will select the winning submission. The prize carries a $180 award and is offered annually when the judging panel concurs that a submission merits the honor.
Submission Guidelines
- Open to all current American University students
- Any genre or format of writing related to Israel
- Submit as a Word document or PDF email attachment
- Email submissions to
Davida Yitzhaky
dyitzhaky@american.edu - All submissions due by March 30
Bulletins
Michael Brenner published an article in Forward contemplating how his Holocaust survivor parents, who revered the United States as a symbol of democracy and safety, would be disheartened by the nation's current political climate. He also wrote for The Conversation about the recruitment tactics of the Israel Defense Forces and discussed the origins of Zionism on NPR's Throughline.
Pam Nadell discussed her new book Antisemitism: An American Tradition at various book talks, including ones with the Center for Israel Studies, with Senator Ben Cardin at Politics and Prose, and in Pittsburgh with New York Times columnist Bret Stephens.
Guy Ziv spoke with LAist about the Israeli Supreme Court ruling on compulsory military service for the Ultra Orthodox.
Join the Center for Israel Studies
- We invite AU students to learn more about us in the website, attend events, or Minor in Israel Studies and apply for the Waisman Scholarship.
- We invite the public to be a part of the growth of our center by attending our programs and offering your support. Your commitment and generosity will ensure that CIS will continue to serve as a model throughout the nation in this growing field.