072913 Really Really Final Jsp Fall 2013 Newsletter
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FALL College 2013COLLEGE of Charleston, Fall 2004of Page 1 1 CHARLESTON Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program rwdl rwdm from generation to generation FALL 2013 2 Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program The Synergy of Jewish Studies Jewish Studies has come a very long way in its relatively short history, and the rest of this newsletter highlights the everyday activities that make the program so vibrant. In this letter, I will focus on the structure of the program, its faculty and staff, that make it all happen. As I have emphasized repeatedly, Jewish Studies has a unique administrative structure since academics, student life, and community outreach are all under the same umbrella, though with different funding sources. Essentially, the academic side is funded by College of Charleston dollars, while the student and community outreach components are funded by endowment monies (housed at the College of Charleston Foundation), foundation grants, and our increasingly important annual fund. The academic side has four full-time designated faculty positions in Jewish Studies and Hebrew (Josh Shanes, David Slucki temporarily replacing Adam Mendelsohn, Oren Segal succeeding Tsipi Wagner, and me), Ted Rosengarten, the Zucker/Goldberg Professor of Holocaust Studies, and the Arnold Distinguished Visiting Professor of Jewish Studies (Gary Zola this spring). Larry Krasnoff, a professor of philosophy, is the Associate Director of Jewish Studies and Jewish Studies has faculty from other departments who teach regularly in the program. The College offers a Jewish Studies major and minor, a dozen courses each semester, and travel courses, all as part of its academic mission. By the way, the large majority of students enrolled in Jewish Studies courses are not Jewish. On this level, Jewish Studies is like other academic departments, though it has two endowed chairs as part of its regular teaching faculty as well as occasional positions funded by outside sources, like the Schusterman Professor of Israel Studies this past year (Naomi Gale). Jewish student life (JSU/Hillel) addresses the extra-curricular needs of the roughly 800 Jewish students and other students interested in Jewish life at the College of Charleston. These needs might be social (Meet-to-Eats every Wednesday or regular beach outings), religious (Shabbat services and dinners every Friday or Passover seders), cultural (Israel night, Birthright, or the Three-Rabbi Panel), outreach (Carolina Youth Development Center or Ronald McDonald House), or special counseling. Our current Jewish student life staff includes a Jewish student life advisor (Marsha Alterman), a student program coordinator (Dara Rosenblatt), and a student engagement coordinator (Jodie Singer). This staff also supports all Jewish student life activities at the Citadel. Community outreach has been the hallmark of Jewish Studies since the Program’s inception. The impetus for the Jewish Studies program came from the community and the community has always been here for Jewish Studies. Jewish Studies has a community liaison (Mark Swick) to make sure that our significant community programming (Sunday brunches, Brown bag lunch series, Reading Hebrew classes, Chanukah in the Square, A World of Jewish Culture at Piccolo Spoleto, and more) happens without a hitch. The community liaison is also charged with energizing the Advisory Board and managing the Jewish Studies annual campaign, both of which are structural features of Jewish Studies that are atypical for other departments on campus. As director, I oversee all these activities, with the help of a trusted and able administrator (Enid Idelsohn). I am also in charge of fundraising (with Jenny Fowler from Development), directing the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina, overseeing the Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik Jewish Studies Center, and helping with the planning of the new addition to the Center. The efficiency of our unique structure is its synergy. Typically, all the Program’s activities point in the same direction, whether it is Israel as a study abroad destination or as a Birthright initiative, Chanukah in the Square or the Three-Rabbi Panel as a student or community initiative, or a Holocaust exhibition as an academic or community outreach offering. The faculty and staff of Jewish Studies are terrific. They execute the day-to-day classes and events with energy, skill, and commitment. I do far less than I once did because so much happens at Jewish Studies without me. I am deeply thankful for that. I still make my share of coffee, but I have lots of help and lots more coffee drinkers. Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and sweet New Year, Martin Perlmutter, Director On the cover: College of Charleston Taglit-Birthright Israel trip attendees, Summer 2013 FALL College 2013 of Charleston, Fall 2004 Page 3 3 Three Rabbi Panel THE EVOLVING ROLE OF THE SYNAGOGUE Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at 7:30pm Stern Center Ballroom (4th Floor) Corner of Glebe & George Streets Beginning with the arrival of Jews to Charleston in the late 17th century, the Holy City once functioned at the forefront in determining the direction of the American Jewish community, in particular the role of the synagogue. Between 1800 and 1830, Charleston was home to the largest Jewish community in North America, with our temple playing a central role as a gathering place and house of worship for Charleston’s Jews. For generations to follow, in Charleston and across the country, the synagogue was one of the most significant institutions in Jewish life. The 21st century brings a number of challenges: from the increase in secular and unaffiliated Jews, to a financial model that relies heavily on membership dues for operating expenses, to becoming an institution providing a breadth of services once reserved to Jewish community centers. There is a compelling need for a wide-ranging discussion of the diverse issues facing American Judaism, and, in particular, those facing Charleston’s synagogues. What are we going to be? What issues affect some congregations and denominations, but not others? What will congregational Judaism in Charleston look like in ten, fifty or one hundred years? Our panelists will discuss the ever changing role of the synagogue as an institution, as well as their understanding of the direction their individual congregations are heading. Rabbi Adam J. Rosenbaum Rabbi Stephanie Alexander Rabbi Moshe Davis Synagogue Emanu-El Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Brith Sholom Beth Israel (Conservative) (Reform) (Orthodox) Chanukah in the Square Sunday, December 1, 2013 4:00 pm — 6:00 pm Marion Square Park Join us for the ninth annual Chanukah in the Square extravaganza. Once again the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program will team up with the City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Chabad of the Lowcountry, and many other community organizations to create our most festive celebration yet. Chanukah in the Square is the largest annual Jewish event in the state of South Carolina, and is a wonderful, kid-friendly way to end the Thanksgiving weekend. Our local Holocaust survivors will continue the tradition of lighting the candles. Mayor Riley will once again make welcoming remarks. Please plan on being there with your neighbors, friends, and family. Bring an appetite and your dancing shoes. We will supply the hot food, the live music, and the festive atmosphere! For many years Piggly Wiggly Carolina has supported Chanukah in the Square, continuing the warm relationship that Piggly Wiggly and the Jewish community have had for many years. We are deeply appreciative of the support and the relationship, and think the Pig looks very sharp in his custom made yarmulke. Many thanks too to Berlin’s Restaurant Supply, Eli and Ann-Therese Hyman, and the T-Bonz Foundation for their continued generous sponsorship. 4 Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program Sunday Mornings in Arnold Hall Sunday brunches have become a regular feature of the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program. Bagels, coffee, and orange juice will be served in Arnold Hall beginning at 9:00 am. All talks, except for the Citadel panel on September 29th and Consul General Opher Aviran on October 13th, begin at 10:00am on the first floor of the Jewish Studies Center. Our brunches are free and open to the public. Immediately after the presentations, Sig Schildcrout will host an informal discussion with the speaker in the Rabbi Hirsch Levin Library. Free parking is available for Sunday morning events (only) in the Wentworth Street Garage on the corner of Wentworth and St. Philip. Bring your parking ticket to the talk for validation. Thanks to Lora and David Kratzok, Jean and Zev Wolf, and Thelma Becker, our indefatigable and long-time volunteers, for their ongoing commitment, hard work, and good humor while preparing for and serving our many brunchgoers. JEWISH AT THE CITADEL: A PANEL DISCUSSION Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 10:00am LOCATION: Physicians Auditorium (Enter from promenade at the intersection of Glebe and George Streets) Though Jewish cadets have attended the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina since its earliest years in the mid-nineteenth century, little has been recorded, aside from oral histories, about the shared and individual experiences of those cadets. Alumni recall that historically the Citadel fluctuated between accepting expressions of Jewish life based on the college president, all of them generals and admirals, some of them more open than others. Join a panel of Jewish Citadel alumni and current cadets for a discussion of their experiences as Jews on campus, as well as the different movements that altered the Citadel into the college that it is today. Moderated by Dr. Joelle Neulander, Associate Professor of History at the Citadel, our panelists include Bernard Warshaw ’42, Bernard Solomon ’47, Bill Endictor ‘59, Les Bergen ’69, Steve Josias ’70, Alan Reyner ’72, and Jonathan Rosen ’14. THE JEWISH DELI IN AMERICA TED MERWIN, DICKINSON COLLEGE Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 10:00am In New York, Baltimore, and other American cities, the delicatessen was a lifeblood and the linchpin of the Jewish community.