Million dollar grant to expand research on Israel

UCLA’s International Institute has been awarded $1 million
to fund research and programs on a range of contemporary Israeli
issues.

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation gave a chaired
endowment ““ a research budget given to a professor ““ to
the institute’s Israel Studies Program last November. The
institute plans to bring in a professor from outside UCLA who
specializes in the field to become the chair by the next academic
year. The endowment will be used to fund the chair’s research
on topics of his or her choice.

“It’s an exciting opportunity,” said Ronald
Rogowski, interim vice-provost for international studies and dean
of the international institute. “It allows us to recruit a
leading scholar who might otherwise not come to UCLA.”

The goal of the endowment is to “create a deep and broad
understanding of Israel, its achievements, as well as its
challenges” at UCLA, said Janis Minton, senior advisor of The
Gilbert foundation, which funds programs in the United States and
Israel to promote tolerance, education, health and arts.

“We hope the gift will be able to support many generations
of students at UCLA by creating an excellent teaching and research
program with distinguished faculty.”

The award is one of three chaired endowments that the
International Institute has received within the past few months.
The other two are in Korean Christianity and Japanese Studies.

Before recruitment for a chair holder can begin, the president
of the university and the Academic Senate need to approve the
position. If the endowment is approved, which the institute expects
to hear within a few months, Rogowski will create a committee to
search for the chair holder.

“It will be an international search that will focus on
excellent scholarship,” said Carol Bakhos, an assistant
professor of Jewish Studies and a member of the Israel Studies
Program advisory committee.

In addition to being an endowed chair, the professor will also
have teaching responsibilities and will ultimately be integrated as
a member of the regular tenured faculty.

“The only difference is that this professor … will have
a fancier title and a substantial research budget,” Rogowski
said.

The endowment states that the chair holder must research
“key issues of contemporary Israel,” but it does not
specify which subjects. Topics could range from demography,
sociology and political science of Israel to its literature and
law, Rogowski said.

Though it is unclear what the research will focus on, Bakhos
believes the research will benefit UCLA and the community.

“It will enable us to not only strengthen but to further
develop the Israel, Middle Eastern, Near Eastern and Jewish
Studies,” Bakhos said. “It will enable us to develop
the Israel Studies Program by providing an opportunity to engage
scholars on an international level.”

Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, director of the UCLA Hillel Center,
said the endowment will give a chance for a greater understanding
of Israel’s culture, history, architecture and other facets
of the country.

“Israel needs to be studied not only in the context of the
ongoing conflict with the Arab world,” he said.

“Having a professor who is an expert on Israel will enrich
the discussion on campus. People who come from different
perspectives will have much more profound conversations.”