Author: Pamela Weathers

Local Synagogues Provide Online Programming

Several UConn Judaic Studies affiliated faculty members will be providing classes for local synagogues organizing online programs. You can find their full schedule below!

Beth David Synagogue, Beth El Temple, Temple Beth Hillel, Congregation Beth Israel, Temple Beth Torah, Congregation B'nai Tikvoh Sholom, The Emanuel Synagogue, Congregation Kol Haverim, Temple Sinai and Young Israel of West Hartford invite the entire community to a:

VIRTUAL ADULT EDUCATION ACADEMY
Beginning the week of April 20th, and running for 9 consecutive weeks, we are pleased to present each week a class by a member of our local academic community. We thank them for their participation in this program and hope that you will take advantage of the opportunity to study with them.

All classes will be accessible on Zoom by clicking on the following link or using the call-in number below.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/934142286?pwd=T1pGbjdNa0xhM3FxWWYxdkRWbFViUT09

Meeting ID: 934 142 286

Password: lectures

One tap mobile
+19292056099,,934142286# US (New York)

Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 934 142 286

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abehp2Kc8M

Questions? - E-mail Rabbi Howard Rosenbaum at hrosenbaum@cbict.org or leave a phone message at (860) 920-5686.

All classes will begin at 7:30 PM

Wednesday, April 22nd
Dr. Avinoam Patt, Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies and Director, Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, University of Connecticut
"Yom Ha-Shoah Veha-Gevurah: On Jewish Heroism, Martyrdom, and Sacrifice"

Wednesday, April 29th
Dr. Jeremy Pressman, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of Middle East Studies, University of Connecticut
"Camp David, 40+ Years Later: Strategy, Peace, Autonomy"

Monday, May 4th
Dr. Joshua Lambert, Academic Director, Yiddish Book Center and Visiting Assistant Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts
"Sholem Aleichem's Motl the Cantor's Son and How We Think about Immigrants"

Thursday, May 14th
Dr. Ron Kiener, Professor of Religious Studies, Trinity College
"Jewish Imagination in a Time of Pandemic: Apocalypse, Messianism, and Lament"

Wednesday, May 20th
Dr. Deena Grant, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, 
Hartford Seminary
"Divine Love and Punishment in Deuteronomy and Beyond"

Tuesday, May 26th
Dr. Sarah Willen, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Connecticut
""Love the stranger": Migrant Workers, Asylum Seekers, and Israeli
Activists in Tel Aviv"

Tuesday, June 2nd
Dr. Sara Johnson, Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, University of Connecticut
"Not Lost in Translation: The Greek Bible from Aristeas to the Rabbis"

Monday, June 8th
Dr. Sam Kassow, Charles H. Northam Professor of History, 
Trinity College
"David Ben Gurion and the Making of the Jewish State"

Thursday, June 18th
Dr. Stuart Miller, Professor of Hebrew, History, and Judaic Studies and Academic Director, Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, University of Connecticut
"Separating out the Facts: The Origins of Christianity and the History of Judaism"

May 13, 2020 | The Plot Against America: Online Discussion

The Plot Against America May 13 2020

On Wednesday, May 13, at 7:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada), please join us on Zoom for an online discussion of The Plot Against America (book and HBO series).

 

Director of the Center for Judaic Studies at UConn, Avinoam Patt, will moderate the discussion which will feature a panel of four scholars:

 

Victoria Aarons, Trinity University (Philip Roth scholar)

Susan Herbst, UConn (Political Science and President Emeritus)

Stuart Miller, UConn (Judaic Studies, Newark native)

Aimee Pozorski, CCSU (Editor, Philip Roth Studies)

 

This program is co-sponsored by ALEPH: The Institute of Jewish Ideas, the Mandell JCC, the Jewish Community Foundation, UConn Center for Judaic Studies, Voices of Hope, and the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford.

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/934142286?pwd=T1pGbjdNa0xhM3FxWWYxdkRWbFViUT09

Meeting ID: 934 142 286

Password: lectures

One tap mobile
+19292056099,,934142286# US (New York)

Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 934 142 286

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abehp2Kc8M

2020 Student Award Recipients in Hebrew and Judaic Studies

The Center for Judaic Studies is proud to announce our 2020 student award recipients in Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Center for Judaic Studies awards are made possible thanks to the continued support of our donors. Through their generosity, we are able to support and recognize the achievements of our students.
Graduate Students in Judaic Studies, Joscha Jelitzki and Matheus Rinco, received LCl graduate student awards in the HEJS section. 

Undergraduates in Judaic Studies received the following awards:

The Cohen Henes Award

in recognition of outstanding scholarship in Hebrew and Judaic Studies

Emma Barnes
Tiera Everitt 
Natasha Sibirzeff

The Frances and Irving Seliger Memorial Award

in recognition of excellence in Holocaust studies

Zoe Blevins
Julia Markfield
Xiao Xin Xie

The Sylvia and Leo Dashefsky Award

in recognition of excellence in Hebrew

Alex Breinan
Rachel Fein
Doron Feller
Jacob Goldberg

Dr. Arnold Dashefsky Receives Sklare Award

Arnold DashefskyThe Marshall Sklare Award is given annually by the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry (ASSJ) to a senior scholar who has made a significant scholarly contribution to the social scientific study of Jewry, primarily through the publication of a body of research in books and articles or of published work related to public policy.

We are proud to share that Professor Emeritus Arnold Dashefsky, founder of the Center for Judaic Studies, will receive the Sklare Award this year for his career-long distinguished contributions to the field of sociology. Awardees are prolific scholars who have helped to shape the modern study of Jewish life

The Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry is a cross-disciplinary organization of individuals whose research concerns the Jewish people throughout the world. The ASSJ encourages and facilitates contact among researchers, supports the dissemination of research, and assists in the cultivation of younger scholars.

Available for Viewing: “Laughter After: Humor and the Holocaust Book Launch” | April 13, 2020

Our virtual book launch, hosted by Wayne State University Press on April 13, for Laughter After: Humor and the Holocaust is now available for viewing!

Dr. Avinoam Patt, co-editor of the new book, was joined by several contributors of the volume for an online discussion. 

Details about the book can be found on the publisher's website.

Available for Viewing: “How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish” | March 31, 2020

Online Yiddish Event

Our Zoom event, hosted by the Yiddish Book Center (yiddishbookcenter.org), "How Yiddish Changed America and How America Changed Yiddish" with Ilan Stavans, Josh Lambert, and Avinoam Patt, is now available for viewing at the following link!

https://vimeo.com/403455485/a1e5511b28

This program was made possible by ALEPH: The Institute of Jewish Ideas, the Jewish Community Foundation, the Jewish Hartford European Roots Project, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, Mandell JCC, the UConn Center for Judaic Studies, and the Yiddish Book Center.

A Letter to the UConn Community | April 2020

The Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish life joins other Centers and Institutes at UConn in signing the letter below to stand in solidarity against all acts of racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and hatred now and always.


A Letter to the UConn Community

From: Asian American Cultural Center, African American Cultural Center, Rainbow Center, Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center, Women’s Center, Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, El Instituto, Africana Studies Institute, Human Rights Institute, Dodd Center, Center for Judaic Studies, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, American Studies Program, International Student & Scholar Services, and Office for Diversity and Inclusion

As the concerns about the COVID-19 virus rapidly increase on a daily basis, we want to acknowledge how this pandemic is impacting members of our community differently.

  • There has been a rise of incidents of anti-Asian racism in our local community, our state, our nation and worldwide. Asian and Asian Americans have been subjected to verbal and physical attacks, cyberbullying, discrimination against their businesses, and xenophobic portrayals. We would like to firmly state that such acts of hate will not be tolerated in our community. Such acts only further perpetuate the cycle of violence and fuel white supremacy. We encourage those who have experienced bias of any kind to report the incidents at https://dos.uconn.edu/bias-reporting/
  • Going home is not safe for everyone. For some family, partners, and/or guardians may be abusive. For support around gender-based violence, please visit the Title IX website at https://titleix.uconn.edu/
  • Going home is not an option for everyone. Many of our International students are facing travel restrictions that preclude them from leaving and/or returning to the US. We encourage you to participate in the University’s Town Hall on April 14th to share your concerns and suggestions.
  • We would like to acknowledge that many folx may be isolated from supportive networks during this time of physical distancing. For many LGBTQIA+ students, returning home may have required concealing one’s true identity in order to survive in a space with family members/others who are not affirming/safe. Connecting to positive resources, people, organizations, and leaders at this time can be helpful. Visit the Cultural Centers’ websites to learn about the different opportunities for support available to you.
  • As the concerns about the COVID-19 virus keeps rapidly changing, more and more anti-immigrant sentiment keeps also growing. Unfortunately, a political narrative of a “foreign threat” has accompanied information about the spread of the virus. This anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic speech is wrong and dangerous. The political environment of the pandemic has given rise to hateful conspiracy theories and disinformation meant to scapegoat Asians and Jews, along with Israel and China internationally. We stand in solidarity with our international students, our Asian American students, our undocumented and DACAmented students. In particular, we acknowledge our undocumented and DACAmented students who continue to face the threat of deportation while negotiating the constraints of the pandemic. As if these conditions were not difficult enough, the Supreme Court is poised to rule on the DACA case in the upcoming months, putting additional strain on our DACAmented friends, peers, and family members.Additionally reports can be made to the following websites:

Students have shared with us how vulnerable and targeted they are feeling. We are aware that many of our students are facing unemployment, limited access to health care, and other hardships. We also understand that these experiences, coupled with isolation, may manifest in mental health related concerns as well.

We would like you all to know that you do not need to navigate these difficult times alone and that we will stand and work with you to get through this together. If you find yourself feeling disconnected or not supported in your current living arrangements, please reach out to us.

You all are citizens of UConnNation, and in this nation, we do not discriminate, we do not use a narrative of hate, we are citizens that stand in solidarity with one another. Now is the time for us to be safe, be compassionate and empathetic towards each other, particularly those who have been affected by the COVID-19 virus and be engaged citizens. We would like to remind each and every individual that they are valued and needed in this world.

The Cultural Centers staff are available to discuss any COVID-19 concerns you may have.
Asian American Cultural Center Website
African American Cultural Center Website
Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center Website
Rainbow Center Website
Women’s Center Website

On-campus resources and updated information about the COVID-19 virus, can be found at https://uconn.edu/public-notification/coronavirus/.

Director Avinoam Patt Presents “Laughter After: Humor and the Holocaust”

Center Director Avinoam Patt provided virtual presentation "Laughter After: Humor and the Holocaust" for TJC at Home, a Project of the Adult Education Committee of The Jewish Center in Princeton, NJ. The presentation reflects on Professor Patt's newly published monograph Laughter After: Humor and the Holocaust (Wayne State UP 2020) https://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/laughter-after.