New Frontiers in Contemporary Jewish Life: Cultural Expansions, Encounters, and Experiments

Illustration of tree

2025–2026

Contemporary Jewish life constitutes an ever-expanding cultural landscape, teeming with multiple possibilities for doing and being Jewish. Individuals, groups, and institutions are imagining and pushing forward new Jewish formations to create and inhabit previously uncharted territories. It is to these new frontiers of Jewish life that the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies devotes its fellowship program in 2025–26.

Fellows

Seated, balding man wearing glasses and smiling.

Tom Baker

Headshot photograph of woman with wavy bobbed hair smiling in front of a bookcase

Nancy E. Berg

Headshot photograph of woman seated in a decorative armchair.

Sara Byala

Cropped headshot photograph of man with short goatee and glasses.

Peter Decherney

Headshot photograph of woman with short, curly hair and glasses.

Ayala Fader

Photograph of woman wearing transitions glasses.

Marjorie N. Feld

Photograph of curly-haired woman wearing scarf and sweater.

Cynthia Gabbay

Snapshot Photograph of older woman sitting on a chair covered with a crocheted blanket.

Tamar Hess

Photograph of curly-haired man waring a sweater over a button down shirt, over a t-shirt.

Michael Hoberman

Headshot photograph of smiling man standing in a courtyard.

Mendel Kranz

Headshot photograph of woman standing outside, leaning against a wall.

Michal Kravel-Tovi

Headshot photograph of woman wearing blazer sitting in front of a bookshelf

Sarah Leiter

Headshot photograph of white-haired man leaning on his elbows

Gal Levy

Headshot photograph of woman wearing a sweater.

Hannah Mayne

Photograph of Woman in profile sitting outside.

Lilach Naishtat

Photograph of woman standing in front of a bookcase and displaying an oversize book on a desk.

Vanessa L. Ochs

Headshot photograph of woman with

Lipika Pelham

Photograph of woman standing outside, looking to her right.

Yosefa Raz

Headshot photograph of balding man wearing blazer.

Joshua Shanes

Photograph of bald man standing outside at sunset.

Edward Waysband

Photograph of woman with curly hair partially covering her face.

Rachel Werczberger

Photograph of woman wearing large hoop earrings standing inside a cafe.

Efrat Yerday

Headshot photograph of long-haired woman tilting her head as she looks toward the viewer.

Orian Zakai