Cultural Sociologist of American Jewish Life
Shaul Kelner is Professor of Jewish Studies and Sociology at Vanderbilt University. His research explores how American Jews forge solidarity with Jewish communities abroad—from Cold War campaigns to free Soviet Jews to contemporary Birthright Israel tours—and how those efforts reshape American Jewish identity and culture.
His work sits at the intersection of cultural sociology, social movements, and Jewish studies, drawing on archives, ethnography, and sociological theory to illuminate the creative ways ordinary people build community and fight for justice.
Books
A Cold War Exodus
★ National Jewish Book Award Winner
How American Jewish activists used ingenious tactics—Passover seders, bar mitzvahs, tourists smuggling aid across the Iron Curtain—to wage the most successful human rights campaign of the Cold War and free over one million Soviet Jews.
Tours That Bind
★ Jordan Schnitzer Book Award (AJS)
Seven years of firsthand observation of Birthright Israel. How tourism shapes American Jewish identity and Israel–diaspora relations—a modern pilgrimage blending ancient tradition with contemporary life.
Featured Work
The Wreckage, Season 3: “Open Up the Gates”
A nine-episode podcast series produced with the American Jewish Historical Society (2025). The untold story of how American Jews fought to free Soviet Jewry—told through the voices of the activists who lived it.
Speaking & Public Engagement
Prof. Kelner is available for keynotes, scholar-in-residence programs, panels, workshops, and corporate programming on antisemitism, antizionism, Soviet Jewish activism, and American Jewish life.
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