From the Director of the Bennett Center from the Director of the Bennett Center

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY Summer 2012 annual newsletter VOLUME SEVENTEEN • NUMBER ONE A PUBLICATION OF THE CARL & DOROTHY BENNETT CENTER FOR JUDAIC STUDIES AT FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY TABLE OF CONTENTS From the Director of the Bennett Center From the Director of the Bennett Center ..................... 1 Throughout the academic year, we worked with Rev. George Collins, S.J., coordinator of the Office of Mission and Fall 2011 - Spring 2012, Identity (and as of July 1, the director Highlights and Events ................ 2 of Campus Ministry), and Rabbi Suri Krieger, in holding monthly Kabbalat Kabbalat Shabbat Services ....... 5 Shabbat services and dinners that attracted a good number of Jewish and non-Jewish Focus on Faculty ........................ 5 University members. My thanks to Fr. Collins and Rabbi Krieger, as well as Lunch & Learn Honorees ............ 6 the staff of the Bennett Center: Elaine Bowman, Caroline Carrier, Laura Stakey, Looking Ahead ............................ 6 and Meg Collins, plus Gavriel Rosenfeld, Dr. Umansky receives the Distinguished Faculty Award from Paul Lakeland, Philip Eliasoph, Elyse University President Jeffrey von Arx, S.J. Raby, Meg McCaffrey, Nina Riccio, Ed Course Offerings – Fall 2012 ...... 6 nother terrific year for the Carl Ross, Michael Doody, Paul Fitzgerald, and Robbin Crabtree of Fairfield University. A Year in the Making .................. 7 and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies! Thanks to a recent My gratitiude to Cheryl Podob of the A Bridgeport/Fairfield Young Emissaries’ gift from Carl Bennett, we also began Honor Roll, to move in new and exciting directions, Program along with this year’s wonderful July 2011 - June 2012 ................. 8 including some related to the Arts. In Israeli emissaries, Avital Goshen and October, in celebration of the Daniel Pearl Rotem Prag; Steve Wendell and UJA/ Judaic Studies World Music Days, we brought to campus Federation of Eastern Fairfield County Faculty & Friends ....................... 8 Jewish male a cappella group, Six13, whose for co-sponsoring “Lunch and Learn” and memorable performance of Hebrew and Rabbi Jim Prosnit of Congregation B’nai English songs was preceded by a few Israel in Bridgeport for hosting this year’s musical numbers from Fairfield University’s clergy luncheon with our Scholar-in- male a cappella group, The Bensonians. In Residence, Steven M. Cohen. A final note the spirit of the Daniel Pearl Music Days, of thanks to our many donors for making meant to emphasize the unifying power possible all that the Bennett Center has of music, the Bensonians joined Six13 on accomplished. stage to end the concert with a special Lastly, my best wishes to Dr. Orin rendition of Matisyahu’s “One Fine Day.” Grossman, who is retiring after 37 years of In March, the Bennett Center hosted service to the University. I will miss having its first staged reading of a play: Jason him as a colleague but look forward to Mitchell’s The Red Box, a riveting story of many more years of friendship. gay Holocaust survivors that focuses not on the hardships of the war but rather on ~ Ellen M. Umansky, Ph.D. the strength and beauty of love. www.fairfield.edu/judaicstudies UDAIC STUDIES Jannual newsletter Fall 2011 – Spring 2012 Highlights and events… September 8 Interfaith Service • “Negotiating the Boundaries: The students from Dr. Umansky’s classes in Commemoration of the 10th Contested Contours of Jews and erected a sukkah on the plaza between Anniversary of 9/11 – The Bennett Judaism in the U.S.A.” Donnarumma and Canisius Halls. Center co-sponsored a service and Jewish Forum discussion, attended by Throughout the week, members of the candle lighting ceremony with the 16 faculty and staff. University community enjoyed having lunch and holding classes in the sukkah. University’s Office of Mission and • “Israel’s Strategic Challenges and Identity and the Center for Catholic American Jewry” A luncheon discussion hosted Studies. The featured speaker was October 24 “St. Ignatius, Jesuits, by Congregation B’nai Israel in Fred Kuo, associate director of Spirituality, and Art” – Professor Bridgeport. Twenty Jewish clergy and University Activities, who shared Ori Soltes, curator of the B’nai B’rith community leaders participated. his own personal story. Klutznick National Jewish Museum, * The annual Judaic Studies Scholar in Residence Washington, D.C. and Goldman program is made possible by a gift from David and Professorial Lecturer in Theology and Edith Chaifetz of Fairfield. Fine Arts, Georgetown University, presented a lecture as part of the September 26 Jewish New Year University’s week-long exploration Get-Together – Faculty, staff, and of Fairfield’s Ignatian Heritage. The students gathered in the Bennett Bennett Center was a co-sponsor of Dr. Center to welcome the Jewish Year Soltes’ presentation. 5772. Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, director Steven M. Cohen (center) with Edith and David of the University’s Judaic Studies October 26 In celebration of Chaifetz. program, presented a brief explanation Daniel Pearl World Music Days, of Rosh Hashanah, and everyone “Six 13: A Night of Pop-Rock September 21 & 22 Annual enjoyed tasting apples dipped in honey and other foods symbolizing the hope Jewish A Cappella” – Judaic Studies Scholar in for a sweet and happy new year. Fueled by a strong, Jewish identity and Residence – Dr. Steven M. Cohen, anchored by beat box arrangements research professor of Jewish Social and dramatic harmonies, this six-man Policy at Hebrew Union College October 4 “Bloodlands: Europe vocal band brought an unprecedented – Jewish Institute of Religion and Between Hitler and Stalin” Dr. style of Jewish music to the stage. The director of the Berman Jewish Policy Timothy Snyder of Yale University group performed before a full house Archive at New York University, presented an impressive talk which of 600 people, who delighted in its Wagner. Dr. Cohen spent two days on delved into the history of German energetic performance. campus meeting with members of the and Russian policy and actions in University and general community. His Europe between 1933-1945. This event, presentations included: which attracted over 150 people, was • “Comparing Identity Patterns presented by the undergraduate Judaic Between Generations” Studies Program and the Bennett A study session with Ellen Center. Umansky’s Introduction to Judaism undergraduate class of 30 students. • “Changing Patterns of Jewish October 12-20 Sukkot Identity in the U.S. Today” Experience – For the eleventh Members of Six13 delight a packed audience at the A public lecture, which attracted over consecutive year, members of Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. 200 students and individuals from the KADIMA (Fairfield’s undergraduate University and general communities. Jewish cultural organization) and 2 www.fairfield.edu/judaicstudies Summer 2012 Seventy-five people heard this master March 1 Fifth Annual Lecture in storyteller relate the fascinating story Jewish-Christian Engagement of the plan to save dozens of young “Opening the Covenant: a Jewish Jewish students from Gross Breesen Institute, an agricultural science school Theology of Christianity” – in Nazi Germany. The Bennett Center One hundred fifty people gathered extends a special thank you to Rabbi to hear Dr. Michael S. Kogan, Arnold Sher, who helped make this professor of Religion at Montclair event possible. State University, present a liberating, Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lecturer Barry Scheck pluralistic vision of Jews and Christians (center) with David and Deborah Zieff. as divine witnesses called upon in November 17 The 2011 Adolph different ways to build the earthly November 7 The Fourteenth and Ruth Schnurmacher Lecture Kingdom of God. This lecture was Annual Jacoby-Lunin in Judaic Studies “Beyond co-sponsored by the Bennett Center Humanitarian Lecture – the Battlefield: Jews and the and Fairfield University’s Center for Co-founder and co-director of The Catholic Studies. Civil War” – In recognition of Innocence Project and professor at the 150th anniversary of the Civil the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, War, Dr. Adam Mendelsohn, Barry Scheck addressed an audience assistant professor of Jewish Studies of over 600 in Fairfield’s Quick Center at the College of Charleston, gave a on “DNA Evidence and the Saving presentation on the important, non- of Human Lives.” Attorney Scheck military roles Jews played within the sparked a great deal of thought as Union and the Confederacy, as well as he related stories of individuals who, the effects of the war on the position wrongfully, had been convicted of of Jews within greater American crimes and, with DNA testing, had society from that time forward. One Jason Mitchell and cast members of The Red Box. been found innocent. The annual hundred fifty audience members Jacoby-Lunin lecture is underwritten attended this lecture, which was March 22 A staged reading of The sponsored by the Adolph and Ruth by the Frank Jacoby Foundation in Red Box by Jason Mitchell in the Schnurmacher Foundation. collaboration with the Bennett Center Quick Center’s Wien Experimental and Fairfield’s Open VISIONS Forum. Theater drew a full house of 120 December 12 KADIMA Chanukah people. This drama explores the rarely November 8 Class trip to Party – Members of KADIMA discussed subject of homosexual The Jewish Museum, NYC – organized and hosted a gathering persecution during the Holocaust. Augmenting their classroom learning, for over 30 students in McCormick An on-stage discussion with the twenty-six students in Dr. Umansky’s Residential Hall. Everyone enjoyed playwright followed the reading. “History of the Jewish Experience” playing dreidle and eating potato class enjoyed having lunch at a kosher latkahs (pancakes) and sufganiyot April 2 Passover Seder – Forty delicatessen in Riverdale, NY and, (doughnuts). students, faculty, and staff enjoyed afterwards, touring the Museum with this year’s “model” Seder, led by Dr. trained docents. February 16 “Peddlers and Gavriel Rosenfeld. Everyone present Modern Jewish Migration” – enjoyed sampling some traditional November 16 “The Virginia Plan: Award-winning New York University Passover foods and Dr. Rosenfeld’s explanations of the Seder.

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