Journal of Modern Jewish Studies

Journal of Modern Jewish Studies
Title	Journal of Modern Jewish Studies
Discipline	Jewish studies
Abbreviation	J. Mod. Jew. Stud.
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
Country	United Kingdom
Frequency	Quarterly
History	2002–present
Issn	1472-5886
Eissn	1743-9172

Journal of Modern Jewish Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on contemporary Judaism and modern Jewish history from interdisciplinary perspectives. It publishes research drawing on sociology, history, political science, anthropology, and literature that addresses developments in communities across Israel, the United States, Europe, Russia, Latin America, and North Africa. The journal serves scholars connected to institutions such as Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Columbia University, University College London, Tel Aviv University, and Brandeis University.

History

The journal was established in 2002 amid renewal in post-Cold War area studies and contemporary diaspora scholarship, emerging alongside journals like Jewish Social Studies, Modern Judaism (journal), AJS Review, and Shofar. Founding editors included scholars affiliated with University of Oxford, New York University, University of California, Berkeley, and The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Over time editorial shifts reflected debates following events such as the Second Intifada, the expansion of the European Union, and migration linked to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with special issues engaging themes associated with the Holocaust, Zionism, and Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Scope and Content

The journal emphasizes contemporary topics: analyses of Israeli politics and parties like Likud and Labor Party (Israel), studies of Jewish life in urban centers such as New York City, Moscow, Buenos Aires, and Paris, and cultural readings of works by authors linked to Primo Levi, Philip Roth, Amos Oz, A. B. Yehoshua, and Cynthia Ozick. Interdisciplinary articles connect to research on religious movements like Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Reform Judaism, and to institutions such as World Zionist Organization, World Jewish Congress, American Jewish Committee, and Jewish Agency for Israel. The journal also publishes comparative ethnographies involving communities tied to Ethiopian Jews, Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, and Ashkenazi Jews.

Editorial Board and Peer Review

An editorial board drawn from scholars at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, University of Chicago, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, University of Pennsylvania, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Bar-Ilan University oversees the journal. Manuscripts undergo anonymous peer review by experts connected to centers such as the Center for Jewish History, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Editors rotate periodically, mirroring practices at journals like International Journal of Middle East Studies and Journal of Contemporary Religion.

Publication and Access

Published by Taylor & Francis on a quarterly schedule, the journal offers print and online editions compatible with repositories such as JSTOR, Project MUSE, and aggregators used by libraries at Harvard University, Yale University, University of California system, and Stanford University. Institutional subscriptions and individual subscriptions are available; occasional special issues are guest-edited in partnership with centers like Leonard Davis Institute of International Relations and foundations including the Solomon Goldman Memorial Foundation.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major services including Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, and ProQuest databases, and appears in subject listings alongside resources such as Academic Search Premier and the ATLA Religion Database. Its inclusion increases visibility among scholars affiliated with European Association for Jewish Studies, Association for Jewish Studies, and national research councils in Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Notable Articles and Impact

Notable contributions have examined demographic changes following migration from the Former Soviet Union, political analyses of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, cultural studies on works by S. Y. Agnon and Sholem Aleichem, and sociological studies of organizations like Hillel International and B'nai B'rith International. Articles have been cited in monographs published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, and Brill Publishers and have influenced curricula at departments such as Jewish Studies at Harvard, Jewish Studies at Columbia University, and Jewish Studies at SOAS. The journal's special issues on migration and identity have informed policy discussions in bodies including the Knesset and research programs at European Commission initiatives on cultural integration.

Related Conferences and Associations

Editors and contributors regularly present at meetings of the Association for Jewish Studies, European Association for Jewish Studies, Middle East Studies Association, American Political Science Association, and the International Association for the Study of Jewishness. The journal collaborates with research centers such as the Stanford Center for Jewish Studies, Center for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (SOAS), Cantonal Jewish Studies Institutes, and symposia held at venues including The Jewish Museum (New York), Museum of Jewish Heritage, and university conferences sponsored by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.

Category:Jewish studies journals