New Katz Center fellowship amplifies study of antisemitism through classes, events, and community

As postdoctoral scholar and educator Mendel Kranz developed his research in the field of Jewish studies, he was drawn to exploring how the experiences of Jewish people in the modern world have been shaped by those of other minority groups. “By approaching antisemitism as part of the larger structures of racism and discrimination, people can understand antisemitism not as something that should be dismissed or that people shouldn’t care about, but as something that matters in some ways to everyone,” says Kranz, who received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago Divinity School.

The Ross-Silk-Lowenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism—a new initiative launched by Penn’s Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies in the School of Arts & Sciences—is enabling him to advance this timely area of scholarship through research, teaching, and public programming. He’s using dedicated research time to investigate the structural overlap between antisemitism and other forms of discrimination; planning educational events that aim to foster dialogue and critical thought about contemporary antisemitism; and teaching undergraduate courses in the fall and spring designed to help students think about the history and ongoing struggles over antisemitism and racism. The Fellowship is supported by a generous gift from Ivan Ross, Jerry Silk, and Michael Lowenstein and is renewable for up to three years.

Kranz, who is currently finalizing a book on French Jewish thought, colonialism, and the relation between Jews and Muslims in France, pursued the inaugural opportunity in large part because of its emphasis on the intersecting experiences of Jewish people and other groups that face prejudice, hatred, and erasure. The fellowship is a recommendation from Penn’s 2024 University Task Force on Antisemitism. In this new role, Kranz empowers students, faculty, staff, and the broader Penn community to draw informed connections between the various issues facing Jewish people and other minority groups.

“This new multi-pillar fellowship builds upon and strengthens scholarship, teaching, and public engagement about contemporary antisemitism at a time when it is most needed,” says Michael Weisberg, who was appointed to lead continued implementation of recommendations from the 2024 University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. “I’m confident that Dr. Kranz’s work will deepen empathy and understanding of the present-day Jewish experience on campus. And I hope it resonates across Penn’s diverse minority communities, helping us in our shared commitment to live well together despite our differences.”

The impact of public programming

In addition to his research and teaching, Kranz is working to promote public understanding of antisemitism through a variety of different initiatives. This fall, he has helped organize a talk on antisemitism at the Weitzman Museum of National American Jewish History.

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Scheduled for mid-November, the event, which is being co-sponsored by the Katz Center, will feature historian and scholar Pamela Nadell discussing her new book about antisemitism in the U.S. The goals, Kranz says, are to increase awareness of the ways that antisemitism manifests in modern contexts and to facilitate a deeper understanding of present-day Jewish experiences across the country.

Kranz is also planning a lecture series for the spring semester on the similarities and differences between antisemitism and Islamophobia. The seminars, he says, will seek to illuminate how these two forms of structural oppression are not only linked, but have largely influenced contemporary debates in the modern world.

“We’re really trying to show people the ways that antisemitism and Islamophobia are not just parallel to one another but need to be understood as part of a similar process, as part of an intersecting way of thinking about minorities, thinking about race, thinking about religion,” Kranz says.

Driving timely classroom dialogue

Kranz also teaches undergraduates as part of the fellowship. This semester, he’s teaching the course Jews, Race, and Religion, which examines how the multifaceted nature of Jewish experience intersects with—and can be complicated by—these two categories. The class, Kranz says, covers a broad historical and geographic scope, encouraging students to reflect critically on Jewish perspectives and adversities across space and time.

Paying attention to those similarities and differences can yield crucial insights. “There have already been a couple moments when students have said, ‘this reminds me of a similar dynamic we saw a few weeks back,’ or ‘this is really different from what we saw last week,’” says Kranz. “Those kinds of historical comparisons, I think, are really helpful and rewarding.”

In the spring, Kranz will teach a new course at Penn examining the intertwined nature of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and racism from historical and contemporary perspectives.

“This is needed for both students and others to be able to make sense of what’s going on in the current moment,” Kranz says.

Researcher, advisor, community builder

Kranz is also serving as an advisor both for the Katz Center and the broader Penn community. Many people and organizations from across the University and in Philadelphia—including students, faculty, staff, alumni groups, previous fellows, and local Jewish-affiliated communities—have reached out to him for guidance on navigating Jewish issues and related topics.

“That’s created a lot of really exciting dialogues and partnerships,” Kranz says.

The fellowship also provides Kranz with dedicated time and resources to conduct his research. In addition to completing his first book, he is starting on a new edited volume about contemporary approaches to combating antisemitism. Kranz routinely presents his research progress to peers and colleagues as part of the fellowship program, engaging in conversations that inform every aspect of his role at Penn.

“I think having these conversations and having these kinds of courses and having this kind of research being done is a key way to further critical research in antisemitism at a time when it is sorely needed,” Kranz says.