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The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies

Complexity Welcome.

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Elevating Discourse, Educating Leaders

The Helen Diller Institute provides our nation’s future leaders with a rich academic forum for exploring the breadth and complexity of Israel and Jewish topics. Our programs expose students to world-class thought leadership while fostering a community of faculty and peers to support them throughout their college experience. At a time when polarization is more severe than ever, we bring integrity, nuance, and grit to restore civil discourse, creating dynamic spaces where students and the wider community can thoughtfully exchange ideas on complicated, deep-seated subjects. We are committed to elevating the discourse not merely as an intellectual exercise — but to cultivate more educated leaders for tomorrow. Read more about our work here.


Upcoming Events

Our programming for the fall semester has concluded. Please check back here for information about upcoming events once the spring semester commences.



A Message from the Helen Diller Institute

We at the Helen Diller Institute are heartbroken by the news out of Israel. Our professional mission is to educate students, faculty, and community about Israeli society. We do so by drawing on a network of scholars, journalists, artists, and other professionals to provide thoughtful analysis and diverse perspectives. And yet, at moments like this, our work is so deeply personal. At the heart of our Institute is a community of students, scholars, and researchers, many of whom have strong personal connections to the region. Our visiting faculty have left family and friends in Israel to come teach; our past visitors have returned to their home universities. Unfortunately, as the stories continue to pour in, we are at best one degree of separation from tragedy. In the days ahead, we will be shifting our programming to address the needs of our students and our community. We are also deeply in mourning. Thank you for being a part of our community. We wish you peace and safety in the days to come. Click here to see how the Helen Diller Institute is responding to the current moment.