Awards and Opportunities
The Center annually sponsors the Donald and Robin Kennedy Undergraduate Award for the best undergraduate essay and/or thesis on any theme in Jewish Studies, the Dr. Bernard Kaufman Undergraduate Research Award in Jewish Studies awarded to an undergraduate engaged in research on Jews in modernity, and the Koret Award for best essay written in Hebrew by an undergraduate.
In alternate years, the Center sponsors the Nelee Langmuir Award for a student working in the field of Modern European History with a preference given to work on the Holocaust, and the Short Story Contest which awards the top three stories written on a Jewish theme.
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The Jewish Studies Short Story Contest
The Taube Center for Jewish Studies invites all Stanford undergraduate students to submit a short story (4000 words maximum) to the fifth biennial short story contest sponsored by the Taube Center for Jewish Studies. Stories may draw on any aspect of Jewish life, history, and culture, and address any aspect of Jewish experience - historical, religious, non-religious, political, artistic or personal - from within a Jewish perspective or from the perspective of another culture.
- Grand Prize: $ 720
- Second Prize: $ 360
- Third Prize: $ 180
We strongly encourage all undergraduates and graduating seniors of every faith and ethnicity to submit a short story. Stories will be judged by a panel of three renowned Stanford University authors:
- Maya Arad
- Sara Houghteling
- Dan Schifrin
Examples of compelling short stories on a Jewish theme are:
- A Book That Was Lost by S.Y. Agnon
- Missing Kissinger by Etgar Keret
- What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander
All submissions must be original works (we accept work written for a class), written in English, typed and double-spaced. They will be judged anonymously.
Application deadline: May 15, 2023
Submit your story to: sjhammer [at] stanford.edu
The Donald and Robin Kennedy Undergraduate Award
The Donald and Robin Kennedy Undergraduate Award honors the best essay and thesis written by an undergraduate at Stanford on a Jewish theme, and offers a prize of $500 each. This award is made possible by the generous gifts of William J. Lowenberg and Barbara and Ken Oshman.
To be considered for the Kennedy award in the academic year 2022-23, essays must have been written for a course during the student's career at Stanford in the period between the spring quarter 2022 and the spring quarter 2023. Please include course and instructor with your submission or your instructor may nominate you and send the submission directly to Shaina Hammerman (sjhammer [at] stanford.edu) by May 25th, 2023. Include "Kennedy Award Submission" in the email subject line.
The Donald and Robin Kennedy Undergraduate Award Recipients
The Dr. Bernard Kaufman Undergraduate Research Award in Jewish Studies
The Kaufman Award will be given during the academic year to an undergraduate student who is engaged in research on Jews in modernity, with a preference for research focusing on contemporary Jewish life. The award is $1000.
Applications for projects to be conducted in 2023 should include a 1-2 page description of the proposed project that describes its significance and how and when the research will be conducted. The application should also include a brief description or budget detailing how the funds will be used, and the name of a faculty member that can be contacted for a reference.
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Send questions and submissions to Shaina Hammerman (sjhammer [at] stanford.edu) by May 25th, 2023. Include "Kaufman Award Submission" in the email subject line.
Dr. Bernard Kaufman Undergraduate Research Award Recipients
The Nelee Langmuir Award
The Nelee Langmuir Award will be given to a student essay in the field of Modern European History with a preference given to work on the Holocaust, and offers a prize of $500. In alternate years, the award will be given to an undergraduate student who shows excellence and commitment to studying French, to be coordinated by the Language Center. Send applications or nominations to Shaina Hammerman (sjhammer [at] stanford.edu) by May 25th, 2023.