Thanks to our generous donors, we’ve created a world-class faculty devoted to research and teaching.
Dr. Michael R. Cohen
Stuart and Suzanne Grant Chair in the American Jewish Experience Professor and Executive Director of the Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience
Cotton Capitalists, American Jewish Entrepreneurship in the Reconstruction Era.
The Birth of Conservative Judaism, Solomon Schechter’s Disciples and the Creation of an American Religious Movement.
Dr. Michael Cohen serves as professor and chair of the Department of Jewish Studies at Tulane, and he also directs the Stuart and Suzanne Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience. Michael’s recent monograph, Cotton Capitalists: American Jewish Entrepreneurship in the Reconstruction Era (NYU Press, 2017), was a finalist for the American Jewish Historical Society’s Saul Viener Book Prize. He is also the author of The Birth of Conservative Judaism: Solomon Schechter’s Disciples and the Creation of an American Religious Movement (Columbia University Press, 2012), as well as several articles and reviews. He is co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of American Jewish History (Oxford UP), and his third book-length monograph, American Jews: An Economic History, is under contract with NYU Press. Cohen serves as the Association for Jewish Studies’ Division Chair for Modern Jewish History in the Americas, is a member of the Executive Committee of the Academic Council of the American Jewish Historical Society, and he serves as the Senior Historical Advisor for the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. Cohen earned his Ph.D. from Brandeis University and his A.B. with honors from Brown University.
Dr. Ilana Horwitz
Fields-Rayant Chair in Contemporary Jewish Life Assistant Professor
The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond
God Grades & Graduation, Religion’s Surprising Impact on Academic Success.
Dr. Ilana Horwitz is a sociologist of religion and education who examines how people’s gender, ethnicity, race, social class, and religious upbringing shape their life. Dr. Horwitz is trained in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Her first book, God, Grades, and Graduation: Religion’s Surprising Impact on Academic Success (Oxford University Press, 2022), won a Distinguished Book Award from the Religion section of the American Sociological Association. Her second book, The Entrepreneurial Scholar was published by Princeton University Press in 2025. Dr. Horwitz’s work has been published in leading journals, including the American Sociological Review, and in outlets like The New York Times. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education and Jewish Studies from Stanford University, a Master’s from Columbia University’s Teachers College, and a Bachelor’s from Emory University.
Dr. Golan Moskowitz
Sizeler Family Professor of Judaic Studies
Associate Professor and Chair of the Jewish Studies Department
Wild Visionary, Maurice Sendak in Queer Jewish Context.
Dr. Golan Moskowitz is a cultural historian and literary scholar who studies how marginalized Jewish creatives and descendants of Holocaust survivors process legacies of embodied otherness. His most recent book-in-progress traces a Jewish American history of drag, from Yiddish vaudeville through contemporary reality TV; contracted with NYU Press, this project was supported by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute and a fellowship at the University of Michigan’s Frankel Institute. His first book, Wild Visionary: Maurice Sendak in Queer Jewish Context (Stanford University Press, 2020), won Tulane’s top faculty book award. Dr. Moskowitz chairs Tulane’s Jewish Studies Department, directs the Jewish American & Holocaust Literature (JAHLit) Symposium, and serves as Book Review Editor forHolocaust and Genocide Studies. His published articles appear in journals like Memory Studies, Jewish Film & New Media, and The Journal of Jewish Identities. Dr. Moskowitz has delivered invited lectures to a wide variety of audiences—from Columbia and the University of Münster to Sha’ar Zahav and Sydney’s Qtopia. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern & Judaic Studies from Brandeis University and a BA in Art from Vassar College.
Emily Brauninger-Swan
Assistant Director of the Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience
Emily Brauninger-Swan Discusses her Role at the Grant Center
Emily Brauninger-Swan is the Assistant Director of the Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience. A career project manager, Brauninger-Swan’s passion for Jewish history and educational storytelling has lead her to the Grant Center by way of the National WWII Museum and local New Orleans companies, like Top Right Corner, who are making waves in the education sector. Brauninger-Swan has led as writer and director on educational programming for TV and web, including “Cannot Remain Silent,” a web series on the history of antisemitism in the United States; as well as production assistant for “Seize & Secure: The Battle for La Fiere,” a 2019 historical documentary produced by the WWII Museum and Louisiana Public Broadcasting, which won a Suncoast EMMY award for Best Historical Documentary. With her current role, Brauninger-Swan hopes to combine all of her skill sets to continue shining a light on Jewish history and making learning and content accessible to all.
Dr. Jason Silverman
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Jason Silverman is a scholar of international relations whose research examines Israel’s relationship with the Jewish diaspora, with a particular focus on how states engage diasporas as integral part of foreign policy and nation-building. Jason earned his PhD in International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Before coming to Tulane, he spent a decade working with policy-oriented civil society organizations in Israel on issues related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and regional affairs.
Outside of work, Jason is especially excited to explore New Orleans’ jazz scene and everything else the city has to offer with his wife and three children.
Dr. Jacob Beckert
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Jacob Beckert is a historian of American Jewish history, Israel/Palestine, and capitalism. His research explores how American Jewish investors became involved in Mandate Palestine and how their investments helped shape the region’s economy, cities, and communities — as well as the conflicts that accompanied these changes. His work also places this history within the broader story of America’s growing economic influence abroad.
At the Grant Center, he is working on the American Jewish Economic History project, which seeks to make economic life a more central part of American Jewish history and to connect Jewish history more closely with the broader history of American capitalism. Jacob earned his PhD in History from the University of Washington. He also writes for broader audiences, with essays appearing in The Washington Post, Time, and The Atlantic.
When not doing research, Jake is an avid climber and can often be found at the local climbing gym — or, whenever possible, in the mountains.
Tracy Snyder
Operations Manager I of the Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience and Tulane Department of Jewish Studies
Tracy Snyder is the Operations Manager I for the Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience and the Jewish Studies Department at Tulane University. In this role, she offers administrative support to faculty, staff, and students within the programs. Tracy holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Albright College and has experience working in childcare and administrative positions across various age groups. She is dedicated to advancing her career at Tulane University while pursuing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
“The Grant Center’s leadership has redefined what it means to study American Jewish life on a global scale. Its work with Monash University is not just a partnership — it’s a beacon for how Jewish Studies can thrive though international cooperation.”
David Slucki
Director, Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, Monash University