NEH Announces Largest Grant in Agency’s History—$10.4 Million—for Humanities-Focused Effort to Combat the Normalization of Anti-Semitism in American Society by Focusing on the Study of Jewish Civilization 

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today awarded a $10.4 million grant to the think-tank and educational center Tikvah for a major, three-year, multi-format project to combat the recrudescence and normalization of anti-Semitism in American society through an extensive series of educational, scholarship, and public programs.

This new funding—the largest NEH grant award to date in the agency’s 60-year history—will support Tikvah’s “Jewish Civilization Project,” which will examine Jewish history, culture, and identity in the broader context of Western history, with the goal of countering the pathology of anti-Semitism through greater understanding of the enduring moral, religious, and intellectual contributions of the Jewish people to the Western world and, in particular, to the United States of America.  

“While it is essential to combat the rise of anti-Semitism in the political and legal arenas,” said NEH Acting Chairman Michael McDonald, “the humanities also have a vital role to play in this fight. And Tikvah is well positioned to bring a comprehensive approach, grounded in the best of humanities scholarship, to educating future leaders and the broader public on the ways in which the sinister and hate-filled attacks on Jewish people that we have been witnessing on American campuses and streets are, at a deeper level, also attacks on the very foundations that have made the United States the exceptional nation that it is.” 

This expansive effort will include: the creation of a Jewish civilization curriculum for middle and high school students, implemented through teacher training and school partnerships; an expanded fellowship program for high school students providing intensive seminars on Jewish civilization; development of university courses in the Jewish humanities, to be offered in partnership with new Western Civilization BA programs at various major academic centers; public programs on the problem of anti-Semitism and the significance of Jewish civilization; a series of scholarly books on the meaning of Jewish resilience in the history of the United States and the Western world; and a fellowship program for early-career journalists who seek to write about anti-Semitism and advance knowledge of Jewish history and culture.

These activities will focus on the foundational texts of Jewish civilization, from the Hebrew Bible and Talmud to modern Jewish literature, art, and philosophy, and examine subjects such as the influence of Hebraic ideas on Western and American civilization, the history and meaning of Zionism, and contemporary challenges facing the Jewish people. 

“It is an honor to partner with NEH on this ambitious educational project,” said Tikvah CEO Eric Cohen. “At this weighty moment in the history of the West, we believe that Jewish ideas are essential to strengthening the best of our shared American culture and answering the perverse ideology of anti-Semitism with the enduring majesty of Jewish civilization.” 

In a related matter, following in the wake of President Trump’s Executive Orders on combatting anti-Semitism, NEH has also recently updated its notice of funding opportunities to place schools, colleges, and universities on notice that if they receive NEH financial assistance for humanities programs and activities, the agency will hold them accountable for tolerating discrimination or harassment against Jewish students in violation of civil rights law. 

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): The National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at neh.gov.

Tikvah: Based in New York, the nonprofit Tikvah promotes serious Jewish thought about the enduring questions of human life and the pressing challenges that confront the Jewish people through a range of educational initiatives and publications, podcasts, and other media. Please see tikvah.org for further information.