Institute for Advanced Research

Fellowship Programs at the Center for Jewish History

The Center for Jewish History (CJH), located in New York City, is the largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections at the Center for Jewish History (CJH) and its partner organizations (American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research) span three thousand years, with tens of millions of archival documents, more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of art and cultural objects. The Center is a widely recognized public venue for academic symposia, conferences, and a wide array of cultural, educational, and genealogy programs.

The CJH is proud to announce seven available fellowship programs. Please click below to view descriptions and application guidelines.

The deadline for all fellowship applications is January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST.

Questions about the fellowship program may be directed to fellowships@cjh.org.

Available Fellowships starting in September 2025

NEH Scholar in Residence Fellowship (for senior scholars or recent PhDs)

Application deadline for fellowships starting in September 2025: January 20, 2025.

Through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Center for Jewish History invites applications for a 12-month NEH Scholar in Residence. The stipend is $60,000 for 1 year.

Fellowship Requirements/ Eligibility:

Applications are welcome from scholars in the humanities and social sciences who have completed their PhD more than 6 years prior to the start of the fellowship and whose research will benefit considerably from consultation with materials in the collections of the Center for Jewish History (CJH) and its five partner organizations (AJHS, ASF, LBI, YUM, and YIVO).
Fellows conduct original research at the Center by using the collections at the Center for the proposed project and deliver at least one public program based on the research conducted. Moreover, fellows are expected to become a vibrant part of the life of the Center and participate in weekly seminars, colloquia, and symposia, among other events.

How to apply:

Short cover letter including contact information
Curriculum Vitae including a list of publication, scholarly activities, teaching experience, and any other relevant work experience
Research proposal of no more than 1500 words with short bibliography describing the significance of the project to the study of Jewish history, the collections at the Center that will be consulted, and the intended final product
Contact information for three references who can speak to the significance of the candidate’s work
Please submit all application materials electronically as one continuous PDF document with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading
Please note: The NEH Scholar in Residence Fellowship is open to all U.S. citizens as well as foreigners who have lived in the U.S. for the 3 years immediately preceding the application deadline. Relocation assistance available to awardees traveling from outside the NYC area.

Schedule for the application process:

All application materials must be received by January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST
Announcement of grant recipients by the spring 2025
Commencement of grant period is September 2025 and runs for 12 months
Stipends are $60,000 for 12 months

Please submit inquiries and applications with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading to the:
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
United States of America
Email: fellowships@cjh.org

Robert S. Rifkind Fellowship (for senior scholars)

Application deadline for fellowships starting in September 2025: January 20, 2025.

Through the generous support of Robert S. Rifkind, the Center for Jewish History (CJH) invites applications for the 10-month Robert S. Rifkind Fellowship. The stipend is $60,000 for 10 months.

Fellowship Requirements/ Eligibility:

Applications are welcome from scholars in the humanities and social sciences who are at the rank of Associate or Full Professor in the humanities and social sciences or who received doctoral degrees 10 or more years prior to the start of the fellowship. Fellows conduct original research by using the collections at the Center and its five partner organizations (American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research) for the proposed project.
Fellows will be permitted to hold a concurrent fellowship provided it does not contain any residency requirement or interfere in any way with full participation in the activities described above. Please consult the Center before accepting any additional fellowships, academic or other positions to be held during the term of the Center fellowship.
Please note: For non-U.S. citizens, it is the responsibility of the applicant to have the appropriate visa for acceptance of the award during the 10-month fellowship term. The Center is not a visa-granting institution.

Requirements for Application

Short cover letter including contact information
Curriculum Vitae including a list of publication, scholarly activities, teaching experience, and any other relevant work experience
Research proposal of no more than 1500 words with short bibliography describing the significance of the project to the study of Jewish history, the collections at the Center that will be consulted, and the intended final product
One letter of recommendation should be sent separately and directly to fellowships@cjh.org with the name of the candidate and specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading
Please submit all application materials electronically as one continuous PDF document with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading

Schedule for the application process:

All application materials must be received by January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST
Announcement of grant recipients by the spring 2025
Commencement of grant period is September 2025 and runs for 10 months
Stipends are $60,000 for 10 months

Leon Levy Fellowship (for senior scholars or recent PhDs)

Application deadline for fellowships starting in September 2025: January 20, 2025.

Through the generous support of the Leon Levy Foundation, the Center for Jewish History invites applications for the 10-month Leon Levy Fellowship. The stipend is $55,000 for 10-months.

Fellowship Requirements/ Eligibility:

Applications are welcome from scholars in the humanities and social sciences who research on the topic of the history of antisemitism using the collections at the Center and its five partner organizations (American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research).
The fellowship is intended for early and mid-career scholars from accredited domestic and international institutions.
Fellows are expected to conduct original scholarly research in the Center’s Lillian Goldman Reading Room. Moreover, they are expected to present at least two public programs on topics related to the history of antisemitism, lead at least one workshop or class aimed at non-academic audiences to discuss antisemitism and strategies of resistance, and contribute a voice to the media on issues related to antisemitism, participate in public events associated with the Center’s Jewish Public History Forum and play an advisory role in all events related to antisemitism.
Fellows will be permitted to hold a concurrent fellowship provided it does not contain any residency requirement or interfere in any way with full participation in the activities described above. Please consult the Center before accepting any additional fellowships, academic or other positions to be held during the term of the Center fellowship.
Please note: For non-U.S. citizens, it is the responsibility of the applicant to have the appropriate visa for acceptance of the award during the 10-month fellowship term. The Center is not a visa-granting institution.

Requirements for Application

Short cover letter including contact information
Curriculum Vitae including a list of publication, scholarly activities, teaching experience, and any other relevant work experience
Research proposal of no more than 1500 words and short bibliography describing the project’s focus on antisemitism, the collections at the Center that will be consulted, and the intended final product
One letter of recommendation should be sent separately and directly to fellowships@cjh.org with the name of the candidate and specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading
Please submit all application materials electronically as one continuous PDF document with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading

Schedule for the application process:

All application materials must be received by January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST
Announcement of grant recipients by the spring 2025
Commencement of grant period is September 2025 and runs for 10 months
Stipends are $55,000 for 10 months

Arcadia Graduate Student Fellowship (for current graduate students)

Application deadline for fellowships starting in September 2025: January 20, 2025.

Through the generous support of the Arcadia Fund, the Center for Jewish History is invites applications for the 10-month Arcadia Graduate Student Fellowship. The stipend is $30,000 for 10 months.

Fellowship Requirements/ Eligibility:

Applications are welcome from qualified doctoral candidates from accredited domestic and international institutions in the humanities and social sciences. Applicants should have completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except for the dissertation (i.e., coursework, exams, dissertation proposal).
Please note: For non-U.S. citizens, it is the responsibility of the applicant to have the appropriate visa for acceptance of the award during the 10-month fellowship term. The Center is not a visa-granting institution.

Requirements for Application

Short cover letter including contact information
Curriculum Vitae including education, a list of publication, scholarly and/or museum activities, teaching experience, and any other relevant work experience
Graduate school transcript
Research proposal of no more than 1500 words with short bibliography describing the significance of the project to the study of Jewish history, the collections at the Center that will be consulted, and time schedule until completion of the dissertation project
One letter of recommendation from the candidate’s primary advisor. The letter should be sent separately and directly to fellowships@cjh.org with the name of the candidate and specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading
Please submit all application materials electronically as one continuous PDF document with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading

Schedule for the application process:

All application materials must be received by January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST
Announcement of grant recipients by the spring 2025
Commencement of grant period is September 2025 and runs for 10 months
Stipends are $30,000 for 10 months

Sid and Ruth Lapidus Graduate Student Fellowship (for current graduate students)

Application deadline for fellowships starting in September 2025: January 20, 2025.

Through the generous support of the Sid and Ruth Lapidus, the Center for Jewish History is invites applications for the 10-month Sid and Ruth Lapidus Graduate Student Fellowship. The stipend is $30,000 for 10 months.

Fellowship Requirements/ Eligibility:
Applications are welcome from qualified doctoral candidates from accredited domestic and international institutions in the humanities and social sciences. Applicants should have completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except for the dissertation (i.e., coursework, exams, dissertation proposal).
Please note: For non-U.S. citizens, it is the responsibility of the applicant to have the appropriate visa for acceptance of the award during the 10-month fellowship term. The Center is not a visa-granting institution.

Requirements for Application

Short cover letter including contact information
Curriculum Vitae including education, a list of publication, scholarly and/or museum activities, teaching experience, and any other relevant work experience
Graduate school transcript
Research proposal of no more than 1500 words with short bibliography describing the significance of the project to the study of Jewish history, the collections at the Center that will be consulted, and time schedule until completion of the dissertation project
One letter of recommendation from the candidate’s primary advisor. The letter should be sent separately and directly to fellowships@cjh.org with the name of the candidate and specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading
Please submit all application materials electronically as one continuous PDF document with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading

Schedule for the application process:

All application materials must be received by January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST
Announcement of grant recipients by the spring 2025
Commencement of grant period is September 2025 and runs for 10 months
Stipends are $30,000 for 10 months

CJH-Fordham University Short-Term Research Fellowship (for current graduate students or recent PhDs)

Application deadline for fellowships starting in September 2025: January 20, 2025.

The CJH-Fordham Research Fellowship is made possible by funds from the Center for Jewish History, the Eugene Shvidler Gift Fund at Fordham University, and additional gift funds to Jewish Studies at Fordham University. The stipend for this short-term (1–5 months) fellowship is $5,000.

Fellowship Requirements/ Eligibility:

This open-rank short-term fellowship welcomes applicants from scholars outside the New York City metropolitan area whose research engages Jewish studies in conversation with other fields and who wish to conduct research based on materials housed at the Center for Jewish History and Fordham University.
This fellowship is open to both established scholars and graduate students.
The fellow is expected to spend at least a month at the two host institutions but may stay as long as five months.
The fellow will receive affiliation with Fordham University. Therefore, the fellow's stay must coincide with either the fall or spring Fordham University academic semesters.
The fellow will be required to offer a faculty seminar, and a public lecture, which would be a joint event of Fordham and CJH with alternate venues. Moreover, the fellow is also expected to participate in scholarly seminars and other meetings at the Center for Jewish History and Fordham University.

Requirements for Application

Short cover letter including contact information
Curriculum Vitae including education, a list of publication, scholarly and/or museum activities, teaching experience, and any other relevant work experience
Research proposal of no more than 1500 words with short bibliography describing the significance of the project to the study of Jewish history, the collections at the Center that will be consulted, and the intended final product (post-docs) or time schedule until completion of the dissertation project (doctoral candidates)
Please submit all application materials electronically as one continuous PDF document with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading

For graduate student applicants, please also include:

One letter of recommendation from the candidate’s primary advisor. The letter should be sent separately and directly to fellowships@cjh.org with the name of the candidate and specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading
Graduate school transcript
Please submit all application materials electronically as one continuous PDF document with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading

Schedule for the application process:

All application materials must be received by January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST

Announcement of grant recipients by the spring 2025

Commencement of grant period is September 2025 and runs for 1–5 months

Stipends are $5,000

Visiting Scholar Program

Application deadline for fellowships starting in September 2025: January 20, 2025.

The Center's Visiting Scholar Program invites scholars who have completed their doctorate or its equivalent to apply for an affiliation with the Center and to work in the Lillian Goldman Reading Room in the collections of one or more of its partner institutions (AJHS, ASF, LBI, YUM, and YIVO). The Visiting Scholar Program does not provide a stipend or financial support.

Visiting Scholars will be expected to commit to a regular presence at the Center for a minimum of three months, working at the Center at least two days per week.
Center's Visiting Scholars are expected to become a vibrant part of the life of the Center and participate in weekly seminars, colloquia and symposia, or participate in a public program.
Scholars may apply to be affiliated with the Center for a full academic year (September - May), the fall semester (September - December), the spring semester (mid-January - May), or for the summer (June - August).
Junior and senior scholars, including those who are on leave from their home institutions, are encouraged to apply, as are independent scholars and scholars who are between academic appointments.
Please note: For non-U.S. citizens, it is the responsibility of the applicant to have the appropriate visa for acceptance. The Center is not a visa-granting institution.

Requirements for Application:

Short cover letter including contact information
Curriculum Vitae including education, a list of publication, scholarly and/or museum activities, teaching experience, and any other relevant work experience
Research proposal of no more than 1500 words with short bibliography describing the significance of the project to the study of Jewish history, the collections at the Center that will be consulted, and the intended final product
The names and contact information of two references
Please submit all application materials electronically as one continuous PDF document with the specific fellowship mentioned in the subject heading

Schedule for the application process:

All application materials must be received by January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST
Announcement of grant recipients by the spring 2025
Starting September 2025, the affiliation with the Center period runs for 3–12 months
The Visiting Scholar Program does not provide a stipend or financial support

Fellowship Programs at the Center for Jewish History

Available Fellowships starting in September 2025

NEH Scholar in Residence Fellowship (for senior scholars or recent PhDs)

Robert S. Rifkind Fellowship (for senior scholars)

Leon Levy Fellowship (for senior scholars or recent PhDs)

Arcadia Graduate Student Fellowship (for current graduate students)

Sid and Ruth Lapidus Graduate Student Fellowship (for current graduate students)

CJH-Fordham University Short-Term Research Fellowship (for current graduate students or recent PhDs)

Visiting Scholar Program

Call for Proposals: Scholars Working Groups starting in September 2025