On Monday, April 14th there will be two separate events concerning Jewish-Muslim relations.

The first will take place at 6 p.m. in Memorial Hall. (Room to be determined) The topic is “Brotherhood of Abraham: Islam as an Humanitarian Faith.” Josh Snyder, the Hillel Rabbinic Intern, and Rizwan Khalid, graduate student in Physics and Muslim Student Association member, will teach about the basic beliefs, practices, and sacred texts of Islam. They have been studying each other's religions together during the semester. All are encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be provided, Q & A will follow.

The second event takes place from 7-9 p.m. in which an Imam and a Rabbi will speak on Muslim-Jewish relations. The speakers are Imam Muhammad Magid, the Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America and Rabbi David Kalender, Senior Rabbi of the Olam Tikvah congregation in Fairfax, VA. The event will take place at Purnell 115.

February 12
Rela Geffen
Baltimore Hebrew University
"Kehillah: Maintaining Jewish Identity in the Open Society"

February 19
Rabbi Avraham Reisner
Congregation Chevrei Tzedek, Baltimore, MD
"Tikum Olam: Conservative Judaism Facing the Challenge of Living a Holy Life"

February 26
Michael Cohen
Brandeis University
"How Solomon Schechter's Students Created Conservative Judaism"

March 4
Jordan Rosemblum
Brown University
"Jews, Pork and Identity: From Antiquity to Sen. George Allen"

March 11
Matthew Lagrone
University of Toronto
"The Creation of Conservative Judaism: The Kohut-Kohler Dispute"

March 18
Rebecca Klein-Pesjova
Columbia University
"Relocating Jewish Loyalty, Nationality, and Citizenship in Interwar Slovakia"

March 25
Elliot Ratzman
Swarthmore College
"From Socialism to Peter Singer: Messianic Politics and Radical Jewish Social Ethics"

April 8
Muqtedar Kahn, David Silver
University of Delaware
"Islam and Judaism"

April 15
Asaf Romirowski
Kings College, London
"The Relationship between Israel and the Palestinian Authority"

April 22
Rebecca Davis
University of Delaware
"Family First: How American Jews Put Marriage in its Place

Wednesday, April 30
Laura Levitt
Temple University
"American Jewish Loss After the Holocaust"
*** This talk will be held from 12:20 to 1:10 in Room 116 Gore Hall.
Co-Sponsored with the Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Lecture Series

May 6
Monkia Shafi
University of Delaware
"A Biographical Portrait of the German-Jewish Poet, Gertrud Kolmar"
*** This presentation will begin at 12:45

May 13
Julie Nemeth
University of Delaware
"Jewish Women's Psychological Well-Being: Attachment, Separation, and Jewish Identity"

UD to add to Jewish offerings
New courses to cover law, culture, religion, history

Choosing courses each semester to fulfill his Jewish Studies minor is often a challenge for University of Delaware sophomore Rotem Peretz.
It's not because there are too many classes to choose from - usually it's just the opposite.
"They don't really offer too much right now," Peretz, 19, said. "I think they maybe offer one or two Jewish Studies classes every semester, other than the Hebrew language itself."
Beginning next fall, Peretz and other students with an interest in the subject will have more options. The school's Frank and Yetta Chaiken Center for Jewish Studies program was awarded a two-year, $80,000 grant that will find a postdoctoral teaching fellowship dedicated to classes in Jewish history, religion, culture and law. Leaders of the Jewish Studies program are hoping more classes will lead to greater interest in the minor and enough support to create a permanent teaching position.
"Here's a way of providing Jewish students with a connection to their heritage. This is a way for Jewish students to be engaged in addition to Hillel, in addition to other student groups on campus," said David Silver, an associate professor of philosophy and director of UD's Jewish Studies program. "This is a way of meeting students intellectually."
The new faculty member will teach four courses a year and organize a lecture series that students take for academic credit. Currently, the program relies on faculty in other disciplines offering courses that relate to Jewish Studies.
"What the program really needs is someone who envisions him or herself a Jewish Studies scholar, who says, 'This is what I do,'" said Silver, who is in the process of reviewing applicants for the position, which begins in fall, 2008. "My interest as director is making sure we offer courses that appeal to a wide range of students."
During the grant application process, Silver said, he asked students about the types of courses they would like to see. They mentioned a wide range of topics, he said, but the consensus was mostly that they wanted to see more variety in the types of courses offered. Silver hopes there will be enough interest in the UD and Delaware Jewish communities to gain funding to continue the teaching position beyond the two-year grant.
The grant was awarded by the Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation as part of a nation-wide initiative to improve and expand Jewish studies curriculum at the nation's colleges and universities. UD was one of six schools, including American University in Washington, D.C. and Towson University in Maryland, to be awarded funding.
"We're hoping to kind of make the argument for Jewish studies on campus and maybe down the line lead to raised awareness of Jewish studies and kind of ignite a spark at the school to help with fundraising efforts," said Paul Zakrzewski, director of the organizations' Jewish Studies Expansion Project and a program officer at the Foundation for Jewish Culture.
Zakrzewski said organizers were searching during the grant application process for colleges that already had significant Jewish populations and active Jewish student groups. But he said increasing the number and type of Jewish studies classes offered is directed at all students.
"If you look at Jewish studies today, the programs run the gamut. There are Jewish kids, there are non-Jewish kids and they're getting somewhat different things out of it but they are both very important," Zakrzewski said. "the Jewish kids are connecting to their roots a little bit and the non-Jewish kids are learning about Judaism."

-The News-Journal, December 27, 2007
Rachel Kipp

The Jewish Studies Program welcomes Professor Rebecca Davis as the newest member of our affiliated faculty. Professor Davis will join the History Department beginning in Fall, 2007 and will be periodically teaching courses in American Jewish History. We very much look forward to having her on campus.

The Jewish Studies Program is investigating the possibility of a study trip to Israel during Winter Session in 2009. Please contact the Jewish Studies Center at 302-831-3324 if you think you might be interested in participating.