Regent University to launch Institute on Israel Studies this fall
Regent University this week announced that it will launch the Institute for Israel Studies in the fall.
The program will be housed in the Robertson School of Government and “will be home to the nation’s leading Biblical studies—enriched education on the history, culture, society, and politics of contemporary Israel,” according to a news release.
Regent is an evangelical Christian college based in Virginia Beach. It enrolls more than 13,000 students at its campus and online.
“This profound initiative amplifies Regent University’s unwavering commitment to Israel,” said Gordon Robertson, Regent’s chancellor, in the release. “You can’t understand today’s headlines without a thorough knowledge of the modern history of Israel.”
Associate professor A.J. Nolte will lead the project. According to the release, Nolte has more than 10 years of experience teaching about Israel and the contemporary Middle East. Nolte is also a member of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board.
The university currently offers a course on the history and politics of Israel. That class will continue in the institute, Nolte said in an email. New offerings, along with co-curricular seminars and other events, are being developed. Nolte will be the program’s primary professor. He said the university is considering other instructors and guest speakers and will announce appointments before the start of the semester.
“Studying the history of modern Israel includes the history of Palestinians, Arab-Israelis and other groups in the Middle East,” Nolte said. “Our goal is to provide students a thorough grounding in the reality of modern Israel and to increase understanding of its context.”
In the press release, Michele Bachmann, dean of the Robertson School, expressed her support for the program.
“We are pleased to have the Institute for Israel Studies under the direction of Dr. Nolte, who greatly recognizes the divine responsibility of believers to support Israel,” she said. “The coursework will help expand national and global understanding of the Jewish state, its people’s right to their land, and the good Israel does for the world.”
A university spokesperson said Bachmann was not available to comment on a question from The Virginian-Pilot/ Daily Press regarding whether she believes support for Israel should be unconditional.
Bachmann, a former congresswoman and presidential candidate, came under scrutiny for controversial remarks she made in December about Israel’s current offensive in Gaza. Speaking on “The Charlie Kirk Show” during a conservative convention, Bachmann called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.
“It’s time that Gaza ends,” she said. “The 2 million people who live there, they are clever assassins. They need to be removed from that land. That land needs to be turned into a national park.”
Despite using the term “removed” in her remarks, Bachmann later told the Pilot she was referring to a voluntary relocation of Palestinians from Gaza.
Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com
