I’ve yet to see, among the criticisms of college ethnic and gender studies departments, a similar criticism of Judaic Studies departments. Is this because, as some charge, Jews have a privileged place in our universities? The pervasiveness of anti-Israel sentiment on campuses, usually with carte blanche or often support from faculty and administrators, argues against this allegation. Additionally, like most other faculty, most Jewish faculty lean liberal politically, and many of them lean toward leftist and radical attitudes toward Israel.
There are other reasons why Judaic Studies departments have not been criticized the way other ethnic studies departments have been. They fit more within widely accepted academic standards. Their faculty is traditionally qualified, they have hewed more closely to a traditional academic curriculum based on facts, they are more open to divergent views, and they work closely with other departments in interdisciplinary learning. Further, their graduates have succeeded in a wide range of employment.
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