Sidney and Hadassah Musher Subvention Grant for First Book in Jewish Studies
Overview
The Foundation for Jewish Culture is pleased to announce its new subvention grant for the publication of outstanding first book in Jewish studies. The Sidney and Hadassah Musher Subvention Grant in Jewish studies replaces the Sidney and Hadassah Musher Publication Prize, which since 1992 provided grant money toward the publication of a Ph.D. dissertation relating to Jewish life in Israel or America from 1880 to the present.
The Foundation awards a single $3,000 grant on a biannual basis to support the publication of an outstanding first book project by a recent Ph.D. (Applicants must have completed their Ph.D.s within 6 years of application.) The prize recognizes the originality, scope, and scholarly rigor of any first book published within approved categories related to Jewish studies (please see application for full details).
The grant may be used to offset costs associated with: copy-editing; preparation of an index; permissions for photographs, artwork, and the like; color reproductions; preparation of graphs and maps; and publication subventions. Ineligible expenses include computer and other equipment, income replacement for sabbaticals, and support for edited collections.
Eligibility
- The Sidney and Hadassah Musher Subvention Grant is limited to applicants completing a first book in Jewish studies. Applicants may have published book-length works outside this field.
- Applicants must have completed their Ph.D.s within six (6) years of the final deadline for applications.
- Applicants must be United States citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
- Applicants must have a commitment for publication from an academic or university press.
Selection
The grant is awarded based on evaluations by two outside reviewers who are experts in the applicant's area(s) of specialization, and by recommendations from a final review panel comprised of the Foundation's academic advisory committee. Books will be evaluated for originality, scope, scholarly rigor, and their potential to significantly impact understanding of Jewish life, culture or thought.
Procedure & Deadlines
Please note that the Musher Subvention Grant is not due to be offered again until 2010.
Three (3) copies of the following materials should be delivered to the Foundation:
- First and last chapter of dissertation (publication version)
- Dissertation abstract
- Letter of intent from publisher
- Academic resume
- Reader reports (other than dissertation advisor)
Applications can be sent by mail, courier services, or delivered by hand to the Foundation for Jewish Culture (see address on the last page). We regret that we cannot accept email- or Internet-based submissions.
Application
Click here to download a sample 2008 Guidelines and Application.
Previous Grantees
2009 grantee: James Loeffler's The Most Musical Nation: Jews, Culture and Nationalism in the Late Russian Empire (Yale University Press, Fall 2009) explores Jewish participation in the making of Russian art music, and its impact on the evolution of modern Jewish consciousness. The book is based on extensive archival research and a thorough understanding of the Russian music scene in the late imperial period. Both Foundation evaluators noted the work's deep scholarly rigor and its wider importance to the field of Jewish studies.
2009 finalist: Mara Benjamin's Rozenweig's Bible: Reinventing Scripture for Jewish Modernity (Cambridge University Press, March 2009) analyzes Rosenzweig's contribution to the understanding of what scripture is, how it could function in the modern period, and why it should matters to Jewish and Christian religious communities.
For a complete list of past grantees, click here.
For further information please contact us at grants@jewishculture.org
Program Funder
The Sidney and Hadassah Musher Subvention Prize is supported through a generous gift from Dr. Daniel Musher.