JIlana M. Horwitz is an assistant professor of Jewish Studies and Sociology, and the Fields-Rayant Chair of contemporary Jewish life at the Stuart and Suzanne Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience at Tulane University. In her research, Dr. Horwitz takes a sociological approach to examine how people’s religious upbringing, race, ethnicity, social class and gender shape their life course, especially their educational experiences.
Born in Russia, Dr. Horwitz immigrated to Philadelphia when she was seven years old as part of the Soviet Jewry Movement. Having grown in a country where Jews were persecuted, Dr. Horwitz had almost no exposure to Jewish traditions growing up. In Philadelphia, her family received significant help from different Jewish agencies and Jewish philanthropists, which allowed Dr. Horwitz to participate in Jewish schools, camps, and youth groups. In addition to learning about Judaism, Dr. Horwitz’s immersion in Jewish institutions required her to learn how to navigate a middle-upper-class social world as a working-class immigrant.