Thanks to a transformational gift from Lester, ’46, and Renée Crown, the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University is a hub for undergraduate and graduate education, innovative faculty and student research, and accessible and engaging communal programming. Their gift helped expand undergraduate teaching on modern Israel and support activities related to the understanding of the culture, politics and society of a small country that plays a significant role in the world. The Crown Center houses the Jewish Studies Program, an interdisciplinary unit of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, which brings together faculty from across the humanities and social sciences. Undergraduate students can major or minor in Jewish Studies or Hebrew studies and can choose from dozens of annual courses on the full gamut of Jewish thought, history, literature, and culture–from the ancient world of the Hebrew Bible to the modern history of the State of Israel.
“I have spent a great deal of time in discourse about the Middle East and about Israel, in particular,” said Lester Crown. “Renée and I are very pleased to help give future leaders at Northwestern a deeper understanding of the complex issues related to Israel and its crucial role in the world.”
Learn more about the Crown family Center for Jewish and Israel studies.