@PENN

T HE J EWISH S TUDIES N EWSLETTER Fall 2004

Jewish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania

Penn, through its Jewish Studies Program and the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, offers one of the most comprehensive programs in Jewish Studies in America. The Jewish Studies Program (JSP) is an interdisciplinary academic group with a faculty of twenty-one from ten departments that coordinates all courses relating to Jewish Studies in the university, as well as undergraduate majors and minors and graduate programs in different departments. JSP also sponsors many events including two endowed lectureships and the Kutchin Faculty Seminars. The Center for Advanced Judaic Studies (CAJS) is a post-doctoral research institute that annually brings eighteen to twenty-five distinguished scholars to Penn as fellows to pursue scholarly research on selected themes.

These fellows are selected from the finest and most prominent Judaic scholars in the world. Every year several CAJS fellows teach courses at Penn, and both graduate students and University faculty participate in the Center’s weekly seminars. The Center is also home to one of America’s greatest research libraries in Judaica and Hebraica and includes a Genizah collection, many manuscripts, and early printings. Together the Jewish Studies Program and the Center for Advanced Judaic The image above—a whale swallowing or spitting up a man (an obvious allusion to the story of Jonah)—was the coat-of-arms of the prominent Italian-Jewish Morpurgo Studies make Penn one of the most exciting and richest family, and is found on the front and back of the 18th c. silver binding encasing a communities of Jewish scholarship and intellectual life daily prayerbook, Tefilah Kol Ha-Shanah Ke-Minhag K"K Ashkenazim (Venice: in the world. Bragadine, 1793). This magnificent book was recently donated to the University Library by Ms. Iris Newman; for more on our donor and her book, see p. 12 inside.

Table of Contents COVER PAGE: JSP AT PENN statement ...... 1 Center for Advanced Judaic Studies ...... 8–9 Greetings from the Director, JSP ...... 2 2003–2004 Special Events and Programs ...... 10–11 Greetings from the Director, CAJS ...... 3 Penn’s Judaica Library News ...... 12-14 Recent Gifts ...... 4 About Our Students ...... 14-17 Jewish Studies Program News ...... 5–7 Faculty News ...... 17-20 1 Jewish Studies Program Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

GREETINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR, GREETINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR, JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM CENTER FOR ADVANCED JUDAIC STUDIES

This past year has been a banner year for Jewish wealthy in resources, could make to the At the annual banquet of the Gruss colloquium Add to this achievement the several volumes of Studies at Penn. Our course enrollments continue Jewish community in America with complete held this past spring, we marked several milestones essays based on the Gruss colloquium and on the to grow, as does the presence of Jewish Studies as an intellectual credibility. Jewish Studies at in the history of CAJS. First, we celebrated with weekly seminars that are edited by the fellows intellectual force within the Penn community. So Penn is blessed with many riches—our Martin Gruss the tenth anniversary of the Gruss themselves and published in our book series at the does our presence within the larger Philadelphia faculty, our students (on both undergraduate colloquium, the culmination of each year’s University of Pennsylvania Press – five have been community. Last year we ran an international and graduate levels), and our rich experience seminars and deliberations. Second, we formally published, one is in press, and three more are in conference on Marcus Jastrow and the History of in teaching texts as a window into Jewish named the Ella Darivoff directorship of the Center, preparation – and one begins to appreciate the Rabbinic Lexicography which drew large audiences history and culture. By joining forces with the ensuring the future of this critical position for impact CAJS has had on the world-wide academic of both academics and laypersons. This year we Graduate School of Education and helping to years to come. Finally, we also presented to our community in its short life time. Judging from the will be co-sponsoring two additional conferences— shape a truly challenging and compelling program board and fellows our new publication, Breaking larger number of applicants we receive each year, it one, on the Israeli novelist Amos Oz, which is to train Jewish teachers with high Hebraic and New Ground: Scholars and Scholarship at the Center is no exaggeration to say that CAJS has become the taking place just as this newsletter is going to press; Judaic literacy we felt we could give back to the for Advanced Judaic Studies 1993-2004, edited by address for post-doctoral research within the the other, in the spring, to celebrate the 350th Jewish community some of the support we have Drs. Natalie Dohrmann and Elsie Stern. academic world of Judaic Studies. It has helped anniversary of the Jews’ arrival in America. Two of received from it and make a real impact on Jewish shape and re-define fields of study, opened new This volume documents the history of the annual our faculty (including myself) were fortunate to be education in America. scholarly questions, and offered fresh thinking programs of CAJS for the last eleven years, awarded Guggenheim Fellowships—probably a first about the meaning of Jewish civilization for years The new Masters in Jewish Education is only one describing each of the topics, listing all of the for any Jewish Studies Program in America, and a to come. great testimony to the strength of our Program and of several new programs we have recently initiated. fellows who participated each year – some 250 its faculty. Several students—both undergraduates Others include the Manfred Lehmann Master scholars from North America, Israel, and Europe – As CAJS begins its twelfth year, it seeks to engage and graduate students—also won awards and prizes. Workshop in the History of the Jewish Book, and and documenting the publications that emanated even more scholars, young and old, in its You will find articles about all these achievements, a new Post-Baccalaureate Program in Hebrew and from their time at the Center. It also includes programs, and to create conversations between and more, inside this newsletter. Jewish Studies launched by the faculty in the newly several reflections on the place of the Center in the individuals that would not take place outside the renamed Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and academic world, as well as several short essays on special environment of the Center. We also seek to The biggest news of last year was the launching of Civilizations. You will find articles about all these important manuscripts in our precious library locate new avenues of cooperation and plans to begin an M.S. Ed. in Jewish Education in initiatives inside. You will also find an article collection. In short, the book represents a collaboration between institutions and individual Penn’s highly-ranked Graduate School of spotlighting our various graduate programs and remarkable testimony to the variety of projects and scholars around the world so that the kind of Education, an initiative co-sponsored by GSE, the their graduates and the Falk Fellowship. Finally, in themes pursued in our seminars, the interchange of programs we have created will serve as a model for Jewish Studies Program, and the School of Arts recognition of the Library’s growing role as a major ideas and approaches that transpire each year, and other programs and as a catalyst for new thinking and Sciences. force in Jewish Studies at Penn we’ve also given it a the rich human relationships that emerge out of and creativity within the academic community and section of its own, complete with what we hope these ongoing encounters. As the book This new program is the final outcome of the various beyond it. will become a regular part of this newsletter—a demonstrates, CAJS has indeed “broken new initiatives in Jewish education that JSP has developed short essay on an especially important holding in ground” in creating on-going communities of As always, I invite you to visit the Center and to over the past years—our joint undergraduate minor, the library collection. scholars throughout the world. Perhaps most explore the full scope of our academic and public the annual course in Jewish education we sponsor, impressive is the larger number of Europeans who programs on our website [www.cjs.upenn.edu]. A and the Akiba-Penn collaboration. As my colleague David Ruderman explains more visit Philadelphia each year and interact, some for complimentary copy of Breaking New Ground can fully in his letter on the facing page, The Center the first time, with colleagues from the major be obtained by writing to us. A lengthy article inside will tell you more about for Advanced Judaic celebrated its tenth programs in Judaic studies in Israel and in this the Masters in Jewish Ed, but here I want to say a anniversary as part of Penn last year. The Jewish country. For these scholars especially, CAJS makes few words about what led us to begin this Studies Program joins with the rest of the a powerful impact in opening up new lines of program. The idea for the new program basically university in congratulating its “sister” Jewish communication, new opportunities for interaction came from two sources. The first of these was Studies institution on reaching this milestone and student demand: about eight years ago, several of and collaboration even years after the initial on contributing so much through its presence to David B. Ruderman our best and most talented majors asked if it were encounters have taken place. Jewish Studies at Penn and in America. Joseph Meyerhoff Professor of Modern Jewish History possible for them to combine Jewish studies with Director, Center for Advanced Judaic Studies courses in education because they were interested in becoming teachers in Jewish day schools. The second impetus for the course came from the sense of faculty in Jewish Studies that establishing a David Stern high-caliber program in Jewish education at a Ruth Meltzer Professor of Classical Hebrew COMING ATTRACTIONS prestigious secular university was the kind of Literature contribution that we, as a Jewish Studies program Director, Jewish Studies Program Sunday, March 20, 12 pm - 9:30 pm Conference: Jews and the American Republic at the National Constitution Center

Panels to cover the themes of religious liberty, American citizenship and the Philadelphia Jewish experience. The Jewish Studies @ Penn newsletter is produced annually by the Jewish Studies Program at Penn. Keynote address by Professor Nathan Glazer. An evening musical program, Jack Gottlieb, “Funny it Doesn't Editor: Christine Walsh Sound Jewish: How Yiddish songs & synagogue melodies influenced Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, & Hollywood.” Assistant Editor: D.M. Stern We are grateful to Michelle and Peter, C’81/WG’85, Roth for their ongoing sponsorship of this newsletter. 2 3 Jewish Studies Program News Recent Gifts NEW MASTERS IN Human Development, and Elements of please contact us at [email protected]. Curriculum Design, and a series of graduate- The Jewish Studies Program would like to Mr. and Mrs. Myron J. Brodie Mr. and Mrs. Carlyn Mayer and Carlo JEWISH EDUCATION level electives in specific areas of Jewish OTHER JEWISH ED thank the following alumni and friends for Mr. and Mrs. Irving Brown Enterprises PROGRAM Studies, like Bible or Medieval or Modern their generosity during the 2003-04 UPDATES Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mazer and the Mazer Last April, at a special dinner at the Penn Club in Judaism, as offered by JSP in SAS. academic year: Larry Buchsbaum, GEE’63 Family Foundation New York City, Penn’s Graduate School of In addition to launching the Masters in Jewish Eric S. Cantor • Mentored teaching placements each semester Mr. and Mrs. A. Melvin Alpern, parents Carol Ellen Kronick Mest, NU’81, GNU’87 Education (GSE) and the Jewish Studies Program varying from half days to two full days a week Education, JSP continued its commitment to Edith Cohen Reina Marin Bassini, CW’72, and Emilio and Stuart Mest, C80 of Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences jointly in existing and new collaborations with Jewish expose undergraduates at Penn to Jewish announced the launching of a campaign to raise education. For the fourth time, JSP sponsored Bassini W’71, C’71, WG’73, parents Josephine Cohen, OT’52 Rebecca Meyerhoff Philanthropic Fund day schools in the Philadelphia area on the funds to establish a new Master’s Program in elementary, middle, and high school levels. last spring its annual course, “Teaching Jewish Robert L. Blacksberg Congregation Emanu-El of New York City David J. Millstein, W’67, parent Jewish Education. The dinner was hosted by GSE This fieldwork will be closely coordinated with Texts,” taught again by Ruth Fagen, the former Betsy Marks Darivoff, C’79, Philip M. Mr. and Mrs. Raymond B. Brenner, parents Robert Y. Mosenkis, GEE’66, parent Dean Susan Fuhrman and University Trustee coursework so as to increase its impact. head of HaSha’ar, the institute for Jewish Darivoff, W’79 W’G85 and the Darivoff George Weiss and attended by nearly forty education at the Drishah Institute in New York Solomon and Sylvia Bronstein Foundation Irving J. Olshin, C’50 M’54, parent Family Foundation supporters. This past October, a second dinner • Continuing education courses to those City. The course—which combines both The Charlotte Yiddish Institute Beryl Richman Dean, L’64 Irving Orenstein, parent was held co-hosted by George Weiss again and experienced teachers of Jewish Studies in the pedagogy and content— focussed on the teaching Mr. and Mrs. David Ellenson Jewish philanthropist Michael Steinhardt, W’60. Philadelphia-area who will be involved in of TaNaKh and was enormously successful with Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Deckelbaum Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Pittell mentoring student teachers in the Masters some eight students enrolled. This spring Ruth Michael D. Ellis, C’66, parent, and the Julie Beren Platt, C’70 and Marc E. Platt, The new Master’s Program is the culmination of Morris Deckelbaum Program; and down the line, continuing will again teach the course, which has been made Abraham M. and Rose Ellis Foundation C’79, parents the many initiatives in Jewish education that JSP education courses to all Jewish Studies teachers possible through the generous gifts of Jeffrey Melvin A. Dow and GSE have jointly sponsored over the past Edward J. Falk, W’66 Ronnie Pleet in existing day school programs in the Schwarz (W’80, MBA’81) and from the Terrene Drucker several years. The two-year program, which will Forward Association Harriet Potashnick Philadelphia area so as to increase the impact Lindenbaum Family (parents of Abigail, C’97). Dr. and Mrs. Paul Ellant, parents offer a Masters of Science degree in Education of our resources. Annette Freund Brad A. Prutkin, C’95, and the Dain (M.S. Ed), is being developed in response to the JSP also continued its colloboration with the Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Feibusch Louis Kaplan, ED’49, GED’50 Rauscher Incorporated increasing demand for prepared teachers in Jewish • An optional summer session at the conclusion of Akiba Hebrew Academy in Merion Station, PA, Dalck and Rose Feith day schools who are educated in both pedagogy the second year in Israel devoted to the teaching which involves sending Penn undergraduates into Rabbi and Mrs. Vernon H. Kurtz, parents, Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel and Jewish studies. The specific focus of the of modern Jewish literature and Israel studies. Akiba classrooms where, for an hour or two every and the Northern Sub Synagogue Beth El Howard Friedman Selma Ruben Foundation program is to educate teachers with a high degree • A required summer workshop offering week, they study Judaic subjects—Talmud, Bible, Manfred and Anne Lehmann Foundation Goldman Sachs & Co. Alan A. Shuch, WG’75, and Ann Shuch, and of Jewish and Hebraic literacy—teachers with the additional training intended to support and Jewish Thought—with the high school Mr. and Mrs. Arthur D. Magilner Nason S. Goldstein, C’64 the Shuch Family Foundation knowledge, skills and preparedness to teach all graduates of the Program in their first two or students. The double purpose of the program is aspects of Jewish Studies with a deep familiarity to expose Penn students to the experience of David H. Marion, W’60, L’63 Martin B. Goodman Judy Silverman three years of teaching, as well as ongoing on- of the culture and primary sources, both classical line or telephone mentoring during the course Jewish education, and to expose the Akiba Audrey Stein Merves, CW’56, and Stanley Esther Zinn Gordon Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M. Snyder and modern, in their original language as well as of the school-year. students to the Penn undergraduates as mentors Merves, parents, and the Louis and Bessie Eli W. Gottlieb Mr. and Mrs. Don Solomon in translation. and role models. Last year was the program’s Stein Foundation #2 While there exist several excellent programs in Andrew and Jan B. Groveman and the Belz Audrey Stein Merves, CW’56, and Stanley second, and the number of students participating Jewish education at other educational institutions Michelle and Peter, C’81/WG’85, Roth Foundation Merves, parents, and the Louis and Bessie increased from two to six. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE in America—mainly seminaries and Hebrew Stein Foundation Edward M. Schultz, W’50 Mr. and Mrs. Chester Heller PLANNED PROGRAM colleges, though more recently at a few In addition, the program last year expanded to include the Stern Hebrew High School, a modern Jeffrey E. Schwarz, W’80, WG’81 and the Joseph M. Hopen, GM’51 Marcia W. Stein INCLUDE: universities—Penn’s M.S.Ed. will be unique Schwarz Family Foundation insofar as it will be the first such program Orthodox institution in Northeast Philadelphia. Arthur H. Joseph, W’47, parent Michael H. Steinhardt, W’60, and Judith A. • An ongoing seminar on Central Issues in established at a graduate school of education of a The program will resume this spring. Caroline M. Simon Steinhardt, parents, and Judy and the Jewish Education that will address such topics Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence A. Joseph premiere American university that is specifically Michael Steinhardt Foundation as: the philosophy and goals of Jewish Graduate students Naftali Cohn, Tammy Ione Apfelbaum Strauss, CW’54 designed to educate teachers with high Hebraic Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Kaplan Rosemary A. Stevens education; contrasting conceptions of Jewish Jacobowitz, and Shalom Holtz also continued to Abigail Lindenbaum Tambor, C’97, the and Jewish literacy. By establishing this program Carole Weinheim Karsch, ED59, GED’78, education; Jewish education and spiritual serve as mentors for senior research projects at Lindenbaum Family and the Etzioni Ione Apfelbaum Strauss, CW’54 at a secular American university of the first rank, and Samuel H. Karsch,W’56, L’59, parents growth; the ethics of teaching; and the history Akiba Hebrew Academy. In addition, Tammy Charitable Foundation we hope to make our program a national model Roselyne C. Swig of Jewish education. This seminar will be Jacobowitz taught several classes in Midrash at the Eleanor Meyerhoff Katz, Herbert D. Katz, for other programs in Jewish Education, and to Susan Zeelander, G’98, GR’04, and the Frieda Tabak taught by the Professor of Jewish Education Drisha Institute’s summer and winter-week W’51, parents, and the Eleanor M. & add prestige to the field of Jewish education Zeelander Foundation who will also direct the Program. programs; Susan Zeelander taught a course on Herbert D. Katz Foundation Judith Shadden Torrance generally. With our unusually rich resources in “Religion of Ancient Israel” at the Adult The Center for Advanced Judaic Studies is Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Katz Debbie Feith Tye and Cary S. Tye, parents • A five-part sequence of courses that will both Education and Jewish Studies, Penn will Education Institute at Tiferet Bet Israel; and grateful to the following individuals and combine the teaching of pedagogy and an area attract the best and the brightest to the field of Mr. and Mrs. Sherman A. Katz Estate of Louis Vederman Shalom Holtz taught at Congregation Ahavas friends for their ongoing support and of specific content: Bible; Rabbinic and Jewish education, including our own Penn Achim in Highland Park, NJ. contributions during the past academic year: Mr. and Mrs. Bradford R. Klatt, parents Marvin Verman, GAR’60 Medieval Jewish Literature; Siddur and Hagim; undergrads! And by attracting these students, we If you are interested in helping us further any of Mr. and Mrs. Norman S. Klein Carroll A. and Charlotte Cohen Weinberg Jewish Thought and Theology; and Jewish hope to raise the bar for Jewish education Jerome L. Abraham History and Civilization. The goal of this throughout America. these initiatives in Jewish Education, please Mr. and Mrs. Neil M. Koreman Charitable Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Ronald H. Abraham sequence, which will be the heart of the new contact us at [email protected]. Estate of Helen Weiss Several volunteer leaders have already pledged Miles E. Kuttler, D’70, parent Program, is to prepare teachers to engage Mr. and Mrs. Beny R. Alagem, parents support for this program including Jeffrey Annabel F. and Philip B. Lindy, W’52 and If you, too, would like to support Jewish Studies students in the singular features of Jewish JEWISH STUDIES Richard L. Benkin, C’73, G’73, GR’76 Schwarz, W’80, WG’81, Gary D., C’67, and at Penn, please contact the School of Arts and civilization and values through the study of its the Lindy Family Trust Karen B. Rose, CW’67, GED’68. A major INTERNSHIP Dr. and Mrs. Jack I. Berne Sciences Office of External Affairs at (215) literature and texts. Alan H. Maurer, GEE’71 and Marilyn Erber development campaign is under way. If you are In 2003-04, JSP also continued its Jewish Studies Alan Edward Boroff, W’53 898-5262. Maurer, CW’68 • Required courses offered by GSE such as interested in joining and helping us to develop Internship program. This program, supported by Foundations of Teaching and Learning, this exciting new program in Jewish Education, a gift from Emilio, C’71, and Reina, C’72/71, 4 5 Bassini, is designed to encourage students to variety of archaeological sites in Israel, I was G RUSS V ISITING heated discussions, AMES decided to split into Robert and Molly Freedman Annual Concert at F ACULTY AWARDS explore aspects of Jewish Studies outside the able to argue that these stones were not solely P ROFESSOR IN two separate departments for its two main the Annenberg Center at the University of AND H ONORS classroom. Under the direction of aniconic idols but served multiple functions, constituents—East Asian Languages and Pennsylvania. Adrienne Cooper, Mikveh’s lead T ALMUDIC L AW Undergraduate Director Kathryn Hellerstein both religious and secular.” Civilizations (EALC) and Near Eastern Languages singer, also lectured on women’s Eastern Talya Fishman (Religious Studies) and David and graduate student coordinator Tammy Stern (NELC) received Guggenheim Fellowships Marla Dunn: “Shoes and Descent from Man In 1987, Mr. Joseph S. Gruss, through a and Civilizations (NELC). The latter consists of European Yiddish songs to Hellerstein’s class. Jacobowitz, a number of students initiated, bequest from his wife Caroline’s estate, Ancient Near East Studies, Egyptology, last spring for 2004-05. The Guggenheim to Häftling”—a study of the relationship Through the continuing generous support of the organized, and produced the following events established the Caroline Zelasnik Gruss and Arabic/Islamica, and Hebrew/Judaica, and is now Fellowship is the most prestigious grant awarded between the material shoe and the several Forward Association, the Yiddish Language during the year: Joseph S. Gruss Chair in Talmudic Civil the home department for Professors Jeffrey Tigay in America, and this may be the first time in identity shifts that individuals were forced to Program has been able to support a second language Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law (Bible), Barry Eichler (Assyriology and Bible), history that two members of one Jewish Studies In November 2003, Tiffany Behringer endure while transitioning to and living in a instructor for first year Yiddish in order to provide School. Since then, nearly every year, the David Stern (Classical Hebrew Literature), Nili Program have simultaneously won it. Past organized a discussion on “Representations concentration camp; the paper also discussed two years of language instruction every year. Guggenheim Fellows among Jewish Studies of the Holocaust in Literature and Film,” led shoe theft, which was in many respects the Gruss Chair has brought a distinguished Gold (Modern Hebrew Literature), Michael The 2004 Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring Prize faculty include Dan Ben-Amos (NELC and by Dr. Al Filreis (UPenn, English); and ultimate crim the camps, and attempts on scholar specializing in some area of Jewish Carasik (Biblical Hebrew) and Ronit Engel, Maya for Excellence in Yiddish Studies at Penn was Folklore), Liliane Weissberg (Germanic Joshua Schainker and Ted Rosenbaum ran the part of prisoners to maintain some law to the Penn Law School. Past chair Buchsbaum, and Nechama Sataty, the Modern awarded to Jacob Shabason (CAS junior), who Languages) and Kathryn Hellerstein (Germanic a program entitled “Finding a Jewish semblance of identity despite the Nazis holders include Professors Hayyim Hebrew Language instructors. The Department completed four semesters of Yiddish at Penn. Languages/Yiddish). Counter Culture-Spirituality and a New constant denial that these prisoners were Soloveitchik, Aaron Kirschenbaum, and is still located on the seventh and eighth floors of Thanks to gifts from the Charlotte Yiddish Judaism” with two visiting CAJS fellows, Dr. human. Marla adds: “Conducting the Moshe Halbertal, and Israel Supreme Court Williams. Aside from the name, little else has Liliane Weissberg, Professor of German and Society, Alexander Botwinik awarded Yiddish Riv-Ellen Prell (University of Minnesota) and research and writing the paper was an Justices Menahem Elon and Yitzhak Englard. changed. We’re all hoping this is the Comparative Literature, was named Christopher department’s last name change. book prizes to seniors Jason Auerbach and Dr. Chavah Weissler (Lehigh University). extremely rewarding, emotional and This past fall, Dr. Josef Stern, Professor of H. Browne Distinguished Professor in the School David Goldstein in GRMN 402. challenging experience, that was prompted of Arts and Sciences. In December 2003, Galit Heller and Philosophy at the University of Chicago, by my own personal connection to the EBREW Andrew Joseph screened and discussed the served as the Gruss Professor for the third H Nili Gold, Kathryn Hellerstein, and Liliane subject matter, as the granddaughter of an consecutive year. Stern taught a course in N EW P OST-BACCALAUREATE Israeli film Passover Fever with a group of The Modern Hebrew Language Program sponsored Weissberg all received fellowships for this year at Auschwitz survivor who devoted much of his the Law School on Maimonides and ROGRAM IN EBREW AND Penn students who were joined by two a rich set of cultural activities during the 2003- P H Penn’s Center for Advanced Judaic Studies where life, both in Poland and later in the U.S., to delivered the Gruss Lectures. The lectures visiting Israeli soldiers. 2004 academic year. Several important Israeli J E WISH S TUDIES they will participate in the current research group the designing and construction of shoes.” this year were on the subject of “The Torah, on Modern Jewish Literatures. In March 2004, Angelika Zilberman and writers, including Sami Michael, Orly Castel Blum, The newly renamed Department of Near Eastern David Shyovitz: “‘You Have Saved Me from Terrorism, and Counter-Terrorism: Diana Claybon ran an academic panel Nurit Zarchi, and Yossi Alfi have visited campus, Languages and Civilization (formerly, the Middle the Judgment of Gehenna’: The Origins and Maimonides on the Commandments to discussion on Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the and gave public lectures or readings, or participated Eastern section of Asian and Middle Eastern J UDAH G OLDIN ON Development of the Mourner’s Kaddish in Eradicate Amaleq,” and “Law, Memory, and Christ with David Stern (UPenn, AMES), in special seminars in Hebrew with students. Studies) last spring launched a new Post- Twelfth Century Ashkenaz”—a study of the the War against Idolatry.” The lectures were P IRKEI AVOT Ann Matter (UPenn, RELS), Penny Marcus widely attended, both by people interested in In addition, the Jewish Studies Program Kutchin Baccalaureate Program in Hebrew and Jewish Kaddish’s development in medieval Germany Many readers of this newsletter will personally (UPenn, Italian Studies) and Tim Corrigan the topic and others who came to observe Seminar Series, the Middle East Center, the Studies. The program is currently accepting and its historical and social context within remember Judah Goldin (1914-1998), Professor of (UPenn, Cinema Studies). Nearly 200 Stern’s continued uncanny resemblance to his Creative Writing Program, the Women’s Studies applications and hopes to enroll its first class in within the new Christian interest in Postbiblical Hebrew Literature at Penn from 1973- people attended the panel on the Passion of identical twin brother. Program, and Kelly Writers House co-sponsored a Fall 2005. purgatory and obsession with the dead in the 1985. Many more will be familiar with his work Christ, and the Daily Pennsylvania ran a lead reading of poetry and translations from the 12th century. Shyovitz’s thesis was awarded The one-year, non-degree program—which is as one of the great scholars of Classical Jewish article on the event. Hebrew by the distinguished American-Israeli poet the Lynn Case Prize for the best Honors modeled upon Penn’s famous Post-Baccalaureate in Literature. Professor Goldin’s last sustained and translator Shirley Kaufman in March, 2004. In addition to supporting the Jewish Thesis in European History. Classics Program—is designed for college graduates scholarly project was a year-long series of lectures Internships, the Bassini Fund also continues who wish to continue the formal study of Hebrew Jacob Freedman: “Reconstructing Jewish on Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) that he to fund the Bassini Dinners, our continuing Y IDDISH and Jewish Studies beyond the B.A. but without Culture: Jewish Scholars and the Fate of the presented to faculty and graduate students at Penn and very successful program to support immediately entering an M.A. or Ph.D. program. Jewish Book after World War II”—an In addition to their regular course-offerings in in 1993-94. The lectures were recorded and student-faculty dinners (or lunches) that The program, which will include a special year-long analysis of the formation and activities of the Yiddish language and literature, Jewish film, and subsequently transcribed, in the hope that they seeks to extend faculty-student interaction seminar and smaller supervised study-groups, will “Jewish Cultural Reconstruction” (JCR), Eastern European Jewish culture, Yiddish at Penn might become the basis of a commentary on Pirkei outside the classroom. focus upon improving the Hebrew text-skills of which was entrusted with the task of organized and conducted two annual Sing- Avot. When Professor Goldin’s declining health students who already have two years of college made it clear that this would not be possible, with redistributing Jewish cultural property alongs (Zingeray) led by Alexander Botwinik; Hebrew and wish to gain additional fluency in S TUDENT R ESEARCH plundered by the Nazis. Jacob’s thesis built the second of these Sing-Alongs brought together his permission the transcripts were put at the reading Hebrew literature. The Post-Bac program disposal of Rabbi Reuven Hammer, who was in the Undergraduate student research continues to on his work at Penn’s CAJS library and at the Will the real Dr. Stern stand up? Yiddish students with Penn students of Russian aims to offer such students a rigorous—yet Library of Congress’ Hebraic Section where and Hebrew. As they have done in the past, process of writing a full-length commentary on the be one of JSP’s priorities. Last year a good inexpensive and flexible—way to do this. The Jewish prayer book, a work which traditionally number of students in both the Jewish Studies he interned during summers. Freedman was Meltzer Senior Lecturer in Yiddish Kathryn target audience for the program are students awarded to Honorable Mention for the Lynn includes Pirkei Avot. Rabbi Hammer distilled the major and in History wrote senior thesis Hellerstein and Botwinik assigned their students considering graduate studies in Jewish Studies, or Case Prize in the History Dept., and received A MES IS N O L ONGER, transcripts into a commentary on Pirkei Avot and projects on Jewish topics. Thanks to the projects utilizing the Robert and Molly applying to Rabbinical school or programs in the Leo Wasserman Student Essay Prize from L ONG L IVE NELC has now published it, under Professor Goldin’s generous support of Phillip, C’34, and Freedman Jewish Music Archive at Penn. Jewish education or Jewish professional work. the American Jewish Historical Society for name, in Or Hadash. A Commentary on Siddur Sim Robert, C’63, and Raymond and Ruth Penn alumni will fondly remember the Dept. the best student essay in American Jewish Hellerstein and Bowinik also enriched the If you wish to receive further information, please Shalom (New York: Rabbinical Assembly and Brenner, PAR’99/01/05, JSP annually awards of Oriental Studies, which served as the History. classroom experience by introducing students to write to: Post-Baccalaureate Advisor, Hebrew and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, 2003), some $10,000 to support student research original base for Jewish Studies out of its Yiddish culture through resources in the Jewish Studies, College of General Studies, pp. xxx-xxxiii, 257-280. projects. Among the theses and projects Angelika Zilberman: “Enlightenment and famous section on Bible and Ancient Near Philadelphia and New York areas. Thanks to a 3440 Market St. Suite 100, Philadelphia PA supported last year were the following: Ambivalence: The Metz Essay Contest of Eastern literature which had been the home Interested readers may acquire a copy from the generous annual gift from the Charlotte Yiddish 19104; or email Dr. David Stern at 1787 and the Jews”—a study of a fascinating of such legendary professors as James United Synagogue of America. Sarah Koplick: “Aniconic Idols? Interpreting Institute, they took the Yiddish language [email protected]. chapter in French- Jewish intellectual history Montgomery, E.A. Speiser, Zelig Harriss, and the Meaning and Function of Matzebot in students to the Folksbiene Yiddish theater in the 18th C, received the History Moshe Greenberg. In 1992, largely because Ancient Israel.” Sarah writes: “By studying production of the 1912 popular comedy, Di department’s James Saporito Memorial Prize of what had become politically incorrect A RRIVALS AND D EPARTURES the role of matzebot—standing stones and nekst-dorike (The Lady Next Door) in for the Best Essay in Intellectual and overtones to the term “Oriental,” the name stele—in ancient Israelite culture, as described November, 2003. In February 2004, Yiddish We wish a fond farewell to Ewa Morawska, long- Cultural History. of the department was changed to the in Biblical passages and other ancient Near students heard Mikveh, the leading all-women time Professor of Sociology, who left Penn this fall Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Eastern texts as well as those reported from a klezmer revival musical group, perform at the in order to assume a professorship at the Studies. Last spring, after many long and 6 University of Sussex in England. 7 CENTER FOR ADVANCED JUDAIC STUDIES University of Pennsylvania 2004-2005 Center for Advanced Judaic Studies MODERN JEWISH LITERATURES: LANGUAGE, IDENTITY, WRITING

F ROM S TRENGTH TO by Yossi Chajes (CAJS Fellow, 2003-4), was P UBLIC P ROGRAMS: also nominated for the same award. S TRENGTH FELLOW AREA OF RESEARCH Alan Mintz A Critical Introduction to American 2004 PENN L ECTURES IN In 2003-4 CAJS marked the beginning of its Other books published in the series in 2003-4: Olga Borovaya New Forms of Ladino Cultural Production in Jewish Theological Hebrew Poetry J UDAIC S TUDIES the Ottoman Empire: 19th-20th Centuries Seminary/NY second decade and celebrated this milestone • Sanctifying the Name of God: Jewish Martyrs with the publication of Breaking New Ground: CAJS, in conjunction with a consortium of Moscow State University for the Humanities Michael R. Steinhardt Term Fellowship and Jewish Memories of the First Crusade Primo Levi Fellowship Scholars and Scholarship at the Center for (2004), by Jeremy Cohen. Philadelphia area synagogues and community Gideon Nevo Natan Alterman’s Journalistic Poetry Advanced Judaic Studies, 1993-2004. The institutions, sponsored a lecture series entitled Stephan Braese (F) German as a Jewish Language: Ben-Gurion University publication chronicles the history of the Center, • Cultural Intermediaries: Jewish Intellectuals Synagogues, Shrines and Summer Camps: The University of Bremen German Sprachkultur of European Jews Nancy S. and Laurence E. Glick Teaching Fellowship the accomplishments of its past fellows, and the in Early Modern Italy (2004), Worlds of Jewish Belief and Practice. Lecturers Martin Gruss Fellowship Anita Norich Trading Places: Translating Yiddish role it plays in the realms of Jewish Studies and edited by David B. Ruderman and included CAJS fellows and associates and Penn Marc Caplan Monological Mosaics: The Problem of University of Michigan and Yiddishism in America academia at large. If you would like a copy of Giuseppe Veltri. faculty, Ra’anan Boustan, Michael Swartz, Elliot Indiana University, Bloomington Narrative Form in the Fiction of Sholem Erika A. Strauss Teaching Fellowship this publication, please contact Etty Lassman at • Hebraica Veritas? Christian Hebraists and the Horowitz, Riv-Ellen Prell, Shalom Sabar, David Aleichem, Y.L. Peretz, and Der Nister Alan Rosen Evidence of Trauma: David Boder and Writing [email protected], or by phone at 215- Study of Judaism in Early Modern Europe Stern, Elsie Stern, Chava Weissler and Oren Betty and Morris Shuch Term Fellowship Michlala College, Israel the History of Holocaust Testimony 238-1290 x406. (2004), edited by Allison P. Coudert and Kosansky, who drew on the disciplines of Bryan Cheyette (S) Diasporas of the Mind: Ruth Meltzer Distinguished Fellowship anthropology and history to explore a diverse University of A Critical History of British-Jewish Literature Our second decade was also marked by the Jeffrey S. Shoulson. Laurence Roth (F) American Jewish Popular Literatures: set of Jewish beliefs and practices, ranging from Southampton, UK endowment of the Ella Darivoff • Renewing the Past, Reconfiguring Jewish Susquehanna University Narrative and Kosher Hybridity ancient Jewish belief in angels and magic to Michael R. Steinhardt Term Fellowship Charles W. and Sally Rothfeld Fellowship Directorship of CAJS. We are deeply Culture: From al-Andalus to the Haskalah Passover texts and rituals to summer camps and Nurith Gertz (F) Jewish Historical Memory grateful to the Darivoff Family Foundation (2003), edited by Ross Brann and Adam Maurice Samuels (S) Metaphors of Modernity: Jews in French contemporary kabbalistic practice. Tel Aviv University, in Modern HebrewLiterature for ensuring the strong leadership of CAJS for Sutcliffe. University of Pennsylvania Literature, 1830-1870 The Open University years to come. We are also pleased to CAJS fellows also lectured widely in the Martin Gruss Fellowship • Souls in Dispute: Converso Identities in Iberia Ruth Meltzer Distinguished Fellowship welcome Edwin Berkowitz, C’49, Robin Philadelphia area and in cities nation-wide. Anita Shapira Yosef Hayyim Brenner: A Biography and the Jewish Diaspora, 15801700 (2003), by Amelia Glaser (S) To Market: Jewish-Christian Exchange in East Klatt, P’05, Albert Perlstein, W’57, CGS One highlight of these public presentations Tel-Aviv University David L. Graizbord. Stanford University European Literatures 96, and Richard Ruben, C’82, as new was the inauguration of an annual lecture series Herbert and Ellie Katz Distinguished Fellowship Moses Aaron Dropsie Term Fellowship members to the CAJS Board of Overseers. • Unveiling Eve: Reading Gender in Medieval at the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew Union Rose and Henry Zifkin Teaching Fellowship Hebrew Literature (2003), by Tova Rosen. College-Jewish Institute of Religion as part of Nili Gold (S) Inside the Apple: A Comprehensive Reading of Deborah Starr Jewish Literature and the Cultural Imaginaries 10TH ANNUAL G RUSS that institution’s Sephardic Studies program. University of Pennsylvania Yehuda Amichai’s Poetry Cornell University of Cosmopolitan Egypt The Jewish Quarterly Review completed its first C OLLOQUIUM In a program sponsored by a generous grant Ella Darivoff Term Fellowship Maurice Amado Foundation Fellowship full volume year since its new editors, David IN J E WISH S TUDIES from the Amdao Foundation, CAJS fellow, Kathryn Hellerstein (S) A Question of Tradition: Nadia Valman (F) East End/Eastern Europe: Ghetto Myers, Elliott Horowitz, and Natalie Shalom Sabar presented three lectures on University of Pennsylvania Women Poets in Yiddish University of Southampton, UK Fiction in Fin de Siecle England On April 26-28, 2004, CAJS hosted our Dohrmann, assumed their positions. Paid topics relating to Sephardic art and culture. Charles W. and Sally Rothfeld Fellowship Selma Ruben Term Fellowship annual conference, entitled this year, subscriptions to the journal have more than Sheila Jelen (F) Intimations of Difference: Qualified Challenging Boundaries: History and doubled, and the rate of submission of articles Liliane Weissberg (F) Heroines and Pariahs: German-Jewish Women University of Maryland Canonization and the Hebrew Anthropology in Jewish Studies. The has nearly tripled. The first volume year 2004-5 AT CAJS: University of Pennsylvania Writing at the Turn of the 19th Century Fiction of Dvora Baron Dalck and Rose Feith Family Fellowship conference challenged its participants and includes two special issues: JQR 94.4 [Fall, M ODERN J EWISH Louis and Bessie Stein Term Fellowship audience to rethink the conventional 2004] focuses upon Jews in America; in place L ITERATURES Michael Kramer (S) The Art of Assimilation in Jewish American categories that shape our understanding of of traditional articles, this issue collects scholarly SHORT TERM FELLOWS Bar-Ilan University Thought and Writing Judaism and Jewish culture with sessions reflections and extensive review-essays from Since September, this year’s group has been Arnold Band University of California, Los Angeles devoted to the topic of Modern Jewish Louis and Bessie Stein Term Fellowship devoted to such inter-disciplinary and cross- scholars both within and without Jewish- Stuart Schoffman Journalist, writer historical topics as: Sacred Space, American studies; the next issue, JQR 95.1 Literature: Language, Identity and Scott Lerner (F) After Exile: Narrative and Jewish Representation of Jews, and The Making of (Winter, 2005) will focus on Jewish Writing. Current fellows specialize in a wide Franklin & Marshall College Experience in Modern France Moses Aaron Dropsie Term Fellowship Tradition. Fellows Raanan Boustan, Oren Autobiography, another prominent field in range of Jewish literatures including Ladino Kosansky and Marina Rustow will jointly edit current cultural studies. literature in the Ottoman empire, Israeli a volume of essays deriving from papers literature and film, Yiddish literature in delivered at the Colloquium. The Gruss Colloquium is made possible through the generous support of Martin D. Gruss, W’64. Europe and the US, Jewish literature from the Arab world, and contemporary • The 2004-5 Penn Lecture Series in Judaic Studies has already begun in the American Jewish popular culture. Research centers upon such questions as: Philadelphia area and will continue through the year. A full schedule is P UBLICATIONS What makes Jewish literature Jewish? How do host cultures affect their posted on our website at www.cajs.upenn.edu. 2002-3 was a great year on the publishing resident Jewish cultures, and vice versa? How do Jewish and non-Jewish • We are proud to announce a new partnership with the Skirball Center for side at the Center. Our book series, Jewish authors represent the Jewish experience? Adult Jewish Learning at Temple Emanu-El in New York City. This Cultures and Contexts, published by the Penn students and public audiences in Philadelphia and nationwide will have February, CAJS fellows will present a three-part lecture series entitled Stories University of Pennsylvania Press, continues to many chances to learn from this years fellows. of Our Lives: Literature and the Modern Jewish Experience. expand and attract strong manuscript In conjunction with this year’s theme, CAJS has also posted resources for submissions. One of the first books • Four CAJS fellows, Stephan Braese, Gideon Nevo, Anita Norich and Anita book clubs and readers on its website. CAJS has also initiated a Friends of published in the series, Shmuel Feiner’s The Shapira are teaching courses at Penn while several other fellows are CAJS group in the Philadelphia area. For more information about this group Jewish Enlightenment, won a prestigious Koret participating in a modular seminar for graduate students co-sponsored by JSP and other CAJS programs, consult our website at www.cajs.upenn.edu. Jewish Book Award for Jewish History in and CAJS. 2003. A second book, Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism left: CAJS fellows attending the Silvers Visiting Scholar Program. 8 2003-2004 JOSEPH ALEXANDER “Yiddish Sing-Along,” with Alexander Botwinik with “Mikveh,” co-sponsored with the History Cultures,” with Tessa Rajak (University of COLLOQUIUM (University of Pennsylvania), co-sponsored with the Department, Library, Women’s Studies Program, and Reading, UK), co-sponsored with Religious SPECIAL EVENTS Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Freund Yiddish Fund, on February 5, 2004. Studies and Classical Studies, on April 20, 2004. On November 25, 2003, Professor Jonathan and Penn Hillel, on November 11, 2003. AND PROGRAMS Steinberg (University of Pennsylvania) Acclaimed Israeli writer, Orly Castel Bloom, co- delivered a lecture on “Milton Steinberg - “Trumpet in the Wadi” (2001), directed by Lina & sponsored with the Middle East Center and the JUDAH GOLDIN MEYERHOFF LECTURE American Rabbi: Thoughts on his Centenary.” Slava Chaplin, co-sponsored with the Middle East Women's Studies Program, on February 17, 2004. GRADUATE STUDENT IN JEWISH HISTORY Center and Penn Hillel, on November 12, 2003. SEMINAR Professor Steinberg, who is Milton Steinberg’s “Midrashic Techniques in the Book of Chronicles,” The Seventh Annual Joseph and Rebecca son, offered the lecture in commemoration of Reading and Book Signing by Sami Mikhail, with Jordan Penkower (Bar-Ilan University), co- Initiated in January, 2000, by Professor Jeffrey Meyerhoff Lecture in Jewish History was a the hundredth anniversary of the birth of his Israel, Iraqi-born author, co-sponsored with the sponsored with the Department of Asian & Tigay, and named after late professor of symposium entitled, “Fences and Neighbors: father, the distinguished rabbi, theologian, and Consulate General of Israel, Middle East Center Middle Eastern Studies, on February 18, 2004. Postbiblical Hebrew literature and long-time above: Jonathan Steinberg (University of Jews and Muslims at the Last Millennium,” novelist. The brilliant lecture was a major and Penn Hillel, on November 13, 2003. faculty member Judah Goldin, the Golden Pennsylvania) delivering the Alexander Colloquium. Conference on “Addressing Quality of Life: A with Joseph Lowry (University of event, attended by more than three hundred Seminar is a graduate student seminar in Biblical “Judaism and Other Religions in an Age of the Challenge for Jewish Bioethics,” with Jerome Pennsylvania), Marina Rustow (Emory people. The Joseph Alexander Colloquium, studies and related fields. Coordinated by the Clash of Civilizations,” with Dr. Alan Brill Groopman (Harvard oncologist and New Yorker University), Menahem Ben Sasson (Hebrew Penn’s oldest endowed lectureship in Jewish Josef Stern (University of Chicago), giving graduate students, the Seminar was chaired last (Yeshiva University), co-sponsored with the staff writer) and respondent, Rabbi Elliot Dorff University), and moderator, David Studies, is supported through the generosity of the Gruss Lecture in Talmudic Civil Law: The year by Matthew Rutz. Scholar-in-Residence Committee of the Orthodox (University of Judaism), co-sponsored with the Ruderman (University of Pennsylvania). The the Joseph Alexander Foundation and the Unbinding of Isaac: Maimonides on the Community at Penn, on November 15, 2003. Academic Coalition for Jewish Bioethics, on The following papers were delivered at the event was co-sponsored by CAJS, JSP, History Mackler Family. ) Aqedah, co-sponsored with the Law School on September 18, 2003. February 29 to March 1, 2004. Seminar last year: Department, and the Middle East Center. “International Conference on Marcus Jastrow and Rabbinic Lexicography,” with Michael Sokoloff “Punctuation and the Formatting of the Bible in Matthew Rutz The Meyerhoff Lecture was established in KUTCHIN SEMINARS “Pagans and Jews,” with Erich Gruen (Bar Ilan University), Neil Danzig (Jewish the Middle Ages,” with Paul Saenger (Newberry (Penn, grad. AMES), 1997 through the generosity of a gift from the (University of California, Berkley), co- AND OTHER Theological Seminary of America), Joanna Library in Chicago), co-sponsored with the “The Stele in and out of Cultic Contexts in Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Foundation sponsored by the Center for Ancient Studies, LECTURES IN JEWISH Weinberg (Oxford University), Stephen Burnett Library at the University of Pennsylvania, on Bronze Age Syria: Signs of Authority at Emar and to honor the appointment of Herb Katz, Classics department, Gratz College, National STUDIES (University of Nebraska), Lewis Glinert March 16, 2004. Ekalte.” W’51, as chair of the Board of CAJS. Herb Museum of American Jewish History, Penn (Dartmouth College), Arthur Kiron (University and Ellie Katz have been among the most The Kutchin seminars are supported by the Hillel, Jewish Community Relations Council of Pennsylvania), Lance Sussman (Congregation “Reading at the Table: New Perspectives on the Professor Jacob Milgrom devoted supporters of Jewish Studies at Penn. generosity of Mel, C’50, and Mitzi Kutchin. of Greater Philadelphia, and M. Daniel Knesset Israel), and Michal Galas (University of Haggadah and Seder Rituals,” with Shalom Sabar (University of California – Berkeley), Their gifts include the Joseph Meyerhoff Cantor, on September 18, 2003. “The Kidnapped Haggadah: A 15th C. Cracow), co-sponsored with Van Pelt Library, the (Hebrew University), David Stern (University of “The Mishkan: The Priestly Chair in Modern Jewish History, the Katz Passover Haggadah Belonging to the Abbot of “The Enemy at Home: Sexual Politics in a Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Pennsylvania) and Elsie Stern (CAJS), co-sponsored ‘Picture of Dorian Gray.’” Family Term Chair in American Jewish Medieval Hebrew Marriage Debate,” with by the Public Lecture Series of the Center for the Monastery at Tegernsee with a Prologue in Jewish Archives, and Congregation Rodeph Shawn Aster History, and the Herbert D. Katz Tova Rosen (Tel Aviv University), co- Advanced Judaic Studies, on March 23, 2004. Latin by the Erstwhile Monk Erhard”, with Shalom, on November 16, 2003. (Penn, grad. AMES), Distinguished Fellowship at the Center. sponsored with the Middle East Center, David Stern (University of Pennsylvania), “Sing-Along: Yiddish-Hebrew-Russian,” with “The Excavations at Jezreel and the Symbolism of Comparative Literature, Medieval Studies, and “The Jewish Community in Berlin Before and sponsored by the History of Material Texts Alexander Botwinik (University of Pennsylvania), Jezreel in Hosea 1-2.” Women’s Studies, on September 23, 2003. After Unification,” with Hermann Simon SILVERS VISITING Workshop on September 8, 2003. co-sponsored with the Department of Germanic (Director of the Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin- Professor Menahem Ben Sasson SCHOLAR IN “Law and the Excess of Philosophy,” with Languages and Literatures, Penn Hillel, and the “Greeks and Jews: Mutual Misperceptions in Centrum Judaicum) in commemoration of (Hebrew University), JEWISH STUDIES Josef Stern (University of Chicago), giving Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Josephus' Contra Apionem,” with Erich Kristallnacht, co-sponsored by the Department of “The Un-Finished Story of the Keter: the Gruss Lecture in Talmudic Civil Law: The on March 25, 2004. On February 27, 2004, Professor Riv-Ellen Gruen (University of California, Berkley), co- Germanic Languages and Literatures, and the A Few Chapters from the History of the Aleppo Unbinding of Isaac: Maimonides on the Prell (University of Minnesota, Center for sponsored with the Department of Classical Department of History, on November 19, 2003. Colloquium on “Anthropology & Jewish Studies,” Codex.” Aqedah, co-sponsored with the Law School, Advanced Judaic Studies) gave a public lecture Studies on September 17, 2003. with Oren Kosansky (Lawrence University), on September 25, 2003. “Euergetism and the Epigraphical Culture of First on “Why Aren't We One? American JudaismS Tamar Katriel (University of Haifa), Michael Professor Nili Fox “Martyrdom Versus the Life of the Law,” with Century Jerusalem,” with Seth Schwartz (Jewish (Hebrew Union College- in the 21st Century.” Following the public “De-Orientalizing Judaism: Moses Swartz (Ohio State University), and moderator, Theological Seminary), co-sponsored with the Jewish Institute of Religion), lecture, Professors Beth Wenger (History), Mendelssohn and the Frustrations of Brian Spooner (University of Pennsylvania), co- Classics department, on February 5, 2004. “Academic Life Beyond the Dissertation.” Charles Bernstein (English), Kathryn Oppositional Discourse,” with Jonathan sponsored with the Department of Anthropology, Hellerstein (Germanic Languages), and Hess (University of North Carolina, Chapel Robert and Freedman Annual Jewish Music Concert on March 25, 2004. Shalom Holtz David Stern (AMES), addressed small Hill), co-sponsored with the Department of (Penn, grad. AMES), breakout sessions of undergraduates on the Renowned poet and Germanic Languages and Literatures, on “Ancient Near Eastern Visions of Prosperity topics of “Jewish Consumerism,” “Secular translator, Shirley October 1, 2003. and the Unity of Psalm 144.” Jewish Poetry,” and “Weird & Untraditional Kaufman, co-sponsored Haggadot.” “Jews & Latinos: Unlikely Partners,” with Ilan with the Middle East Dr. Miroslav Bárta Stevens (Amherst College), co-sponsored with Center, Kelly Writers (an Egyptologist from the Czech Republic), The Silvers Visiting Scholar program, La Casa Latina and the Latin American and House, Creative Writing “Sinuhe, the Bible, and the Patriarchs” endowed by Patricia, CW’72, and David Latino Studies Program, on October 15, 2003. Program, and the Silvers, C’71, was established to bring Women's Studies Bill Zimmerle distinguished scholars to campus to interact “Bells and Trains,” with One Little Goat Program, on (Penn, grad. AMES), with students and other members of the Theater Company, directed by Adam Seelig, March 30, 2004. “Second Impressions: university community. performing Yehuda Amichai's radio play, co- The Iconography of Hebrew Seals.” sponsored with the Middle East Center and “Whose Septuagint? Penn Hillel, on November 6, 2003. The Jewish-Greek Bible above: Riv-Ellen Prell (University of Minnesota) Translation Between leading a small group discussion with students. above: R to L: Donor, Patricia Silvers, CW’72, David Stern, Riv-Ellen Prell 10 11 Library News

J UDAICA AT P ENN’ S • In both October and May, Dr. Arthur G IFTS AND D EVELOPMENT seniors in the Philadelphia area The following individuals and TREASURES FROM L IBRARIES Kiron and Dr. David Stern led our annual to audit courses at Penn, and in institutions also gave important THE LIBRARY rare-book tours at CAJS for parents and Over the past year, Penn’s Judaica Collections Fall 2003, Iris happened to audit gifts and contributions: The Judaica collections at Penn—in Van Pelt alumni and their families. Nearly a received many significant gifts. David Stern’s “Great Books of Beki L. Bahar; Amgen Inc.; With this issue we introduce a new feature in our Library, at the Center for Advanced Judaic hundred people attended the tours. annual newsletter: A short essay on a remarkable Among them surely the most magnificent is Judaism” course, in the course of American Jewish Agency Inc.; Studies Library, at the Fisher Fine Arts book or holding in our Library collection. In the • And on the web: to mark the conclusion the early 18th C. Italian prayerbook whose which Dr. Stern takes the class to Adina Bar-El; Miriam and Ben- Library and at the University Museum— following essay, Judaica curator Arthur Kiron writes of the 2004 CAJS seminar year, spectacular silver gilt double-cover graces the the Center for Advanced Judaic Zion Barlev; Hakan Bengtsson; continue to grow under the management of about Sabato Morais’ unique Commonplace Book. Jerchower, the CAJS Public Services cover of our newsletter. The siddur, printed Studies to see its fabled Rare Terri Binder and Joseph Arthur Kiron, Curator of Judaica, and his The essay first appeared last year in the volume Librarian, in collaboration with CAJS in Venice in 1797, appears to have been given Book Collection. Iris relates: Koschitzki; Mr. Bobby Block; staff, Judith Leifer, Seth Jerchower and Josef published by the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, Fellows, designed, edited and mounted a as a wedding gift. As was the custom among Howard A. Blum; Ann Bonn and Gulka. Indeed, Penn’s Judaica division has As we sat around a table Breaking New Ground: Scholars and Scholarship at beautiful virtual exhibit based on the wealthy Italian Jewish families of the time, Helen Weindling; Petr Charvat; emerged as one of the most advanced in the looking at one fabulous old the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, 1993-2004. year’s research theme, “Challenging such gift books were bound in highly Alma Orlowitz Cohen, FA’44; country to integrate its collections with Boundaries: History and Anthropology book after another, I thought Boris Cohen, Martin Cohen; expensive and elaborate silver gilt covers Sometime during the early 1950s, Marvin Weiner, undergraduate and graduate education, in Jewish Studies.” Check it out at to myself, “Hey, I have Iris Newman with her early 18th Gloria Cohn; Flora Campos which bore the family coat-of-arms of the a Philadelphia area businessman and collector of faculty research, and public programming. http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/cajs/ something like that at home!” C. Italian prayerbook Cornfield; Muhammad A. couple to be married (and whose families early Americana, was browsing “Sam Kleinman’s Just to give you an idea of the Library’s I went home, looked in a Dandamayev; Avi Decter; Yvonne Edels; Michael would now be “bound” like the books in Schuykill Book Shop,” located at the corner of activities: In the last year, over 10,000 buffet drawer, and there was my silver- E. Eigen, C’57; Jeremy-Stuart de Fishberg; M ANFRED R. LEHMANN marriage). In this case, the family was the Lancaster and Belmont in West Philadelphia. He volumes were circulated to Penn patrons, and covered siddur from Venice, 1797. Sandra Fifer; Pamela Foa; Megan Foley; John L. M EMORIAL M ASTER famous Morpugo family of Venice whose found there a ledger-sized volume filled with over 5,000 reference and public service Frank; Jack and Naomi Friedman; Michal Galas; W ORKSHOP IN THE coat-of-arms was an insignia of the prophet How did I come to have the siddur? Well, it’s clippings by Sabato Morais, a Sephardic Jew born queries were fielded by library staff. Do you Mr. Michael Garin; Gilad J. Gevaryahu; Allen H ISTORY OF THE J E WISH Jonah as he was being swallowed (or spewed an interesting story. My parents, Mish and in Livorno Italy and one of the preeminent have any questions? and Adele Gottfried; Adele and Bertram forth) by the whale. Because both the back Nettie Buten were passionate collectors with American Jewish leaders of the 19th century. B OOK Greenspan; Guido Guastalla and Silvia and front covers bear the same Morpugo several good collections. (Their largest Realizing its significance, Weiner purchased the Guastalla; Bruna Herzfeld; History Now; Eric P UBLIC P ROGRAMS The fourth Manfred R. Lehmann Memorial insignia, it is likely that the marriage collection was of Wedgwood china, which scrapbook and thus saved one of the most Hoffman, GR’78 L’84; Irving Horn; Thomas Master Workshop in the History of the celebrated by the book was between two eventually became the Buten Museum of remarkable documentary treasures of American Over the last year the Library organized a Jefferson Foundation, Inc.; Seth Jerchower; the Jewish Book was held last May, repeating the relatives who were both Morpugos. Wedgwood in Merion.) They loved Judaism, Jewish history. In 1992, during the quincentenary number of programs to increase public Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven; the enormous success of the earlier three they loved silver, and so they also had a of the discovery of the New World, Mr. Weiner, awareness of its collections: The story behind the book’s donation to Penn Jewish Publication Society of America; the workshops. Cosponsored by JSP, Van Pelt collection of Judaica, mostly silver, including by then the chairman of the library committee of is as interesting as the history behind its Jewish Theological Seminary of America; • During Fall 2003, Jerchower and Kiron co- Library, and CAJS, this workshop was this siddur, which they had purchased from the Annenberg Research Institute, donated the covers. The book was donated to the Library Maxine Kalina; Michael Kaplan; Melvin Kates; curated an exhibit “The Meaning of Words: established to further the study of the history the Art Institute of Chicago. They used to scrapbook to the library. The re-discovery and by Iris Newman, a Philadelphia native who is Murad El-Kodsi; Norman Kransdorf; Lakoff Marcus Jastrow and the Making of Rabbinic of the Jewish book in all its aspects. Named travel around the Philadelphia region giving donation of the Ledger, whose loss had been a long-time participant in Penn’s Senior Family Trust; Judith Korman Langsfeld CW’67; Lexicography” at the Rosenwald Gallery in after Dr. Lehmann, a distinguished talks on “Gracious Jewish Living”, using reported and lamented as early as 1947, has Associates program. This program allows Eric Laupot; Judith Leifer; Marvin Lessen; the Van Pelt Library. The exhibit, which independent scholar and one of the most items from their collection as examples of, prompted a number of reevaluations of our Walter A. Levy, G’73; Lenora M. and John E. was described more fully in last year’s important collectors of Jewish manuscripts in say, how to set a Sabbath table. understanding of American Jewish history. Link; Eleanor Chana Mlotek; Jane Moskowitz newsletter, celebrated the 100th anniversary the last century, the Workshop was supported After my father died, my mother sold the Mack; Mona Magnis; Paul David Mandel; Selly of the publication of Jastrow’s Hebrew and by generous grants from The Manfred and The profound significance of this unique treasure is Judaica. But first she gave me the siddur, Mizrahi; Tamara Morgenstern; Jeffrey I. Pasek, Aramaic Dictionary of Rabbinic Literature— Anne Lehmann Foundation, Mr. Albert clearly evident, both in terms of its scope and knowing that I would appreciate it. I loved L’76; Jerry and Ellen Prince, G’74; Rose still today the standard dictionary in Friedberg, and the University of content. Its 831 items of newspaper clippings, having it, but I didn’t know how to display it Rechnic; Frieda Reider; Barry S. Robbins; Lois Rabbinics—and detailed the history of Pennsylvania Research Foundation. pamphlets, circulars and typescripts, spanning the properly at home. After my visit to CJS, I Satalof; Faye Schper Rosenthal, CW’71; David Hebrew dictionary-making. The exhibit second half of the 19th century, cover almost every The fourth Workshop was conducted, for the realized that it would be the perfect place to Ruderman; Mr. and Mrs. Alvin T. Schwartz; Mr. was accompanied by an international major public event, political debate and theological second year, by Professor Mordecai Glatzer of care for and exhibit the siddur. Jeffrey L. Seltzer; Shalom Club at Lake Ridge, conference on Rabbinic Lexicography held the Hebrew University on the topic of Hebrew Toms River, New Jersey; Moshe A. Shaltiel- in Van Pelt last November. Now I’m finally able to hand it over to a good Printing 1470-1570. Over forty scholars, Gracian; Morris Shelanski; Harvey Sheldon; home. I think my parents would be pleased. •In February 2004, the Library with the professional Judaica librarians and curators, Philip M. Shiekman, Esq.; Ms. Illeana Jewish Studies Program co-sponsored the and graduate students from all across America Graduate students, faculty and librarians at the And so are we!! Silverman; Francine and Marvin Silverstein; Flor annual Robert and Molly Freedman participated in the intensive two-day seminar. Lehmann Workshop. Siperstein; Eric L. Stern; Harry Stern; Ione Jewish Music Concert, featuring the all- As the basis for the workshop, Professor Penn’s Judaica collections were additionally Apfelbaum Strauss in honor of Erika A. Strauss; women’s troupe, Mikveh. The sold-out Glatzer selected original sources, including enhanced by a generous contribution made by Paul A. Tanker; Stephen D. Toback; Iosif I. concert was held at the Annenberg genizah fragments and illuminated Hebrew Albert J. Wood, Emeritus Board member of the Vaisman; Wout Jac. Van Bekkum; Marvin Center for the Performing Arts. manuscripts, from the rare book collections of Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and long-time Verman; Saul Viener; Naomi Vogelman- the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. supporter, in honor of his ninety-fourth birthday. Goldfeld; Temira Volcanyi; George H. Weiss; Happy Birthday, Al! Falk Wiesemann; Anita J. Willens; Mr. Stephen The fifth Lehmann Workshop, to be held on M. Wind; Gerald Wolpe; Albert J. Wood; Ele May 22-23, 2005, will be conducted by Dr. Other Library gift purchases include the deluxe Wood; Leonard Wood; Gilbert Young; Roza Sarit Shalev-Eyni of the Hebrew University on facsimile edition of the Washington Haggadah Zaks; Joseph Zernik. the topic, “Jewish Book Art and Illustration.” facsimile, made possible by a generous gift from Numerous CAJS Fellows and guests also donated Persons interested in attending should contact Annette Freud; and the Florsheim Haggadah copies of their scholarship to the CAJS Library the Jewish Studies Program immediately. facsimile, acquired through the generosity of Ione Strauss. collection The all-women’s ensemble, Mikveh, Graduate students Yacob Dweck and Francesca Morais Ledger performed at Annenberg Bregoli attend the Lehmann Worshop 12 13 About Our Students UNDERGRADUATE NEWS Patriarchs;” Hrisoula Gatzogiannis, for an essay, selective, nonetheless remain among the strongest educate and produce the scholars and teachers of “Philo's Use of Excerpts from Euripides in Ebery in America in our various fields of specialization: tomorrow. As the following portraits of our controversy of that era. In particular, the 9 students graduated in May 2004 with majors in the different Jewish Studies Good Man is Free;” and Sarah Koplik, for an Bible and the Ancient Near East, Rabbinics and graduate students will tell you, the Falk fellowship Ledger documents the fundamental role departmental tracks. essay, “Aniconic Idols? Interpreting the Meaning Biblical Interpretation, Jewish Intellectual History has been a major boon for Jewish Studies at Penn. Morais played as the principal founder of the and Function of Matzebot in Ancient Israel.” The from the Medieval through Modern periods, Early We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Ed Falk Jewish Theological Seminary in New York • 3 seniors completed the Jewish Studies Program’s Interdisciplinary Major: graduate prizes went to L. Caroline Kelly, for a Modern and Modern Jewish History, Modern for his generosity! City in 1886. Adam Booken, Marla Dunn, and Sarah Koplik. paper entitled, “Ancient Jewish Epitaphs;” and Jewish Literature, and American Jewish History. Morais’ copious handwritten annotatations • 4 seniors completed the Jewish Studies Program’s Interdisciplinary Minor: Sigrid Peterson, for travel and report on summer The Jewish Studies Program itself does not run to his own (often anonymously published) Jason Auerbach, Todd Cutler Goodell, Jordana Kafka, and Edan Shapiro. Aramaic workshop at Duke. graduate programs—these continue to be located writings offer a window into his private in graduate groups run through departments, like • 5 seniors graduated with a major in the Hebraica and Judaica Concentration Thanks to gifts from the Charlotte Yiddish reflections and views on such matters as the History, Near Eastern Languages and in the Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies: David Goldstein, Society, Alexander Botwinik awarded Yiddish American Civil War, Capital Punishment, Civilizations, and Religious Studies—but JSP Sharon Mori, Jacob Pizem, David Rendsburg, and Elliot Weiner book prizes to Jason Auerbach and David the creation of a uniform, abbreviated sponsors an on-going student-run graduate Goldstein in GRMN 402. American Jewish prayer service, his • 1 senior completed a major in the Jewish History Concentration in the student seminar. It also awards research stipends differences with Isaac Mayer Wise, the leader Department of History: David Shyovitz In addition, JSP established two new prizes this year. to every entering graduate student as well as of the American Jewish Reform movement, special-needs and research grants to support as well as his reactions to Christian Thanks to a $10K endowment gift last winter by graduate education and scholarship. Current Falk Fellows, Naftali Cohn (NELC) missionaries, ethnic intolerance, mass Dr. Rosaline Goldin and Ms. Julia Goldin of and Kerry Wallach (Germanic Languages) migration, and political Zionism. The Bala Cynwyd, JSP was able to create The Samuel THE FALK FELLOWSHIP Scrapbook also contains the only extant Esther Goldin Endowment Award Fund to benefit fragments, clipped from the short-lived an outstanding student majoring or minoring in Most important, the JSP administers the LIFE AFTER GRADUATE Philadelphia newspaper the Jewish Index, of Jewish studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Margaret Schoenfeld Falk Fellowship, the only SCHOOL Morais’ translations of Italian Jewish This year’s award, the first, went to Sarah Koplik, graduate fellowship “owned” and controlled by literature (the first English translations ever a senior Jewish Studies interdisciplinary major. Jewish Studies. Because the cost of graduate Every year in this newsletter we include short made) for an American audience. school has reached virtually astronomic heights, updates from all our current grad students, as we do The Bnai Zion Award for Excellence in Hebrew Jewish Studies majors fellowship support has become virtually in this issue as well. But our grad students do Elliott Weiner, David language, awarded annually by the Department of In short, the scrapbook alters the familiar indispensable, both for supporting graduate eventually finish our programs. Over the past five Rendsburg, Sarah Koplik Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, was given to picture of nineteenth-century American students once they enter the program, and for years, some eight of our graduate students at graduation party. Adina T. Zoltan. In addition, JSP has established Jewry as “German” and Reform in its recruiting the very best candidates and persuading completed their doctorates, and left the comfortable the Judah Goldin Memorial Prize for Excellence in orientation. It shows how Morais them to come to Penn. The Falk Fellowship was halls of Penn for the “real world.” Here’s an update Advanced Hebrew Studies. This year's award, was disseminated his traditional Sephardic PRIZES AND HONORS endowed by Edward Falk, W’66, in memory of on what some of them have been doing. religious worldview to a national and given to Sharon Mori, ‘04. (The namesakes of the his mother, Margaret Schoenfeld Falk, to support Rachel Anisfeld, a former William Penn fellow, international audience through the medium The Philip E. Goldfein Scholarship Award in Jewish Studies, which is supported by two Goldin Prizes are not related to each other.) a graduate student who works specifically in the received her Ph.D. from the Asian & Middle of both the Jewish and non-Jewish press. a generous gift from Robert, C’63, and Phillip, C’34, Goldfein, is awarded to both And a special congratulations to our alumnus area of Jewish Studies. Current Falk Fellows are Eastern Studies department in Spring 2003, with undergraduates and graduate students to support research projects and unusual Karen Plotkin, ‘99 for winning a prestigious third-year grad student Naftali Cohn (NELC) and a dissertation on the rhetoric of homiletical academic experiences. This past year’s awards went to undergraduates Erin Springer, Wexner Graduate Fellowship. Karen began New first-year student Kerry Wallach (Germanic midrash. She is now serving as a Research Andrew Joseph, Diana Claybon, Marla Dunn, and Neha Kamani. York University’s Program in Nonprofit Languages); Naftali is studying Rabbinic Associate at the Center for Jewish Studies at the literature, Kerry modern German-Jewish and The B’nai Zion Award for Excellence in Hebrew and Hebraic Studies was awarded to Management and Judaic Studies this past fall. University at Albany and preparing her Hebrew literatures. COMING Adina T. Zoltan. This award of a $100 United States Savings Bond is sponsored by the dissertation for publication. In addition, she B’nai Zion Foundation. SPECIAL FEATURE: Through the years, Ed has been one of Jewish taught classes in Midrash and Psalms as part of an ATTRACTIONS Studies’ most faithful and generous supporters. adult education program at a local Albany The Workmen’s Circle/Arbeiter Ring Prize in Yiddish Studies is supported by a gift GRADUATE STUDIES Ed began to make annual gifts in 1991, and from synagogue, Congregation Ohav Shalom, and this from the Philadelphia Branch of the Workmen’s Circle and the United Worker’s IN JEWISH STUDIES the beginning, he focused upon Jewish Studies, year will teach a course on the Siddur. This past Educational Organization to reward excellence in Yiddish Studies. This year’s prize was AT PENN Silvers Visiting Scholar Program primarily because he wished to endow a fellowship summer, she and her husband had their second awarded to Jacob Shabason. Thirty years ago, Jewish Studies at Penn was in memory of his mother, who had been a deeply child, Margalit Dinah. Tuesday, February 22, 2005 mainly geared towards training graduate students The Raymond and Ruth Brenner Grants in Jewish Studies, designated for special observant and committed Jew. From the Idana Goldberg, a former Benjamin Franklin for doctorates, with a heavy focus upon the FOOD AND JUDAISM opportunities in Judaic Studies, were awarded to graduate students Sharon Vance (Near beginning, Ed also concentrated upon graduate fellow, completed her dissertation “Gender, Ancient Near East, the Bible, and early Post- Eastern Languages & Cultures), Anne Oravetz (History), Uri Horesh (Linguistics), students because of their seriousness and Religion, and the Jewish Public Sphere in Mid- with keynote Silvers Scholar, Hasia Diner, Biblical literature and Rabbinics. Since then, Shawn Zelig Aster (Near Eastern Languages & Cultures), Rebecca Cutler (History), commitment. This was the genesis of the Falk Nineteenth Century America,” and received her Paul and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of Jewish Studies—along with the university in Naftali Cohn (Near Eastern Languages & Cultures), Sigrid Peterson (Religious Fellowship which, over the years, turned from one doctorate last spring. She currently lives in New American Jewish History in the Skirball general—has changed radically, with a massive Studies), Anne Oravetz (History), Francesca Bregoli (History), Julie Lieber (History), to two. At present, JSP is able to award Falk York City and works as an independent scholar. Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at Yaacob Dweck (History), Shalom Holtz (History), and Alex Novikoff (History). This shift towards undergraduate education. In the fellowships every two out of three years. New York University on Food and Folkways award was established through the generosity of Raymond and Ruth Brenner and meantime, Penn’s Jewish Studies faculty and Debra Kaplan, a former Franklin Fellow, Awarding the Falk Fellowship is one of the most into Jewish Culture. their family (parents of Jason, W’05, Adam, W’01, and Gregory, W’99, Brenner). programs have become as strong in the modern currently holds the Rose and Morris Danzig period as in the ancient and medieval, and our important things that the Jewish Studies Program Break-out sessions with Penn professors Paul Postdoctoral Appointment in Jewish Studies at The Merle Saunders Schaff Memorial Award is awarded annually by the Department courses and students have changed in at Penn does. Because of Ed’s foresight in Rozin on Psychology and Jewish food; Jeffrey Queens College, City University of New York. of Religious Studies for the best essays written by undergraduate and graduate students corresponding ways as well. establishing the fellowships, Penn is able to ensure Tigay and David Stern on boiling kids in She completed her dissertation, Negotiated on a topic in the history of Judaism or Ancient Israel. Last year’s recipients for the to future of Jewish Studies in America, and Boundaries: Jewish-Christian Interactions in their mothers' milk (that is, young goats); undergraduate award went to Alicia Oltuski, for an essay, “An Aesthetic Morality; Our graduate programs, though small and highly and more. Joseph as Merger of Piety, Integrity and Chastity in The Testaments of the Twelve 14 15 About Our Students

Strasbourg, 1530-1648, in December 2003. dissertation for publication. Since 2001, he the summer 2004, with the support of a graduate student coordinator of the JSP Bassini Interns Program, and served Asian & Middle Eastern Studies. He taught several courses at the Drisha has been an Assistant Professor in the Brenner award, she continued her research on as a mentor for a high school senior research project at Akiba Hebrew Institute, including “Introduction to Midrash,” “Mediveal Biblical Exegesis” Rebecca Kobrin, a former Wexner Fellow, Department of Religious Studies at the rare texts in New York. In Fall 2004, thanks Academy in Merion, Pa, for the fourth year. Tammy continues to teach in a and “The Body of God in Jewish Literature.” In the fall, Jonathan took a completed her doctorate in Modern Jewish University of Pittsburgh where he is one of to a Salvatori research award from the Center variety of community settings in Philadelphia, and this past summer, taught leave from Penn and began Stanford Law School; he hopes to combine History in Spring 2002. Since then, she has the core faculty in the Jewish Studies for Italian Studies at Penn, she will continue Midrash at the Drisha Institute in New York City. In the spring, she will be Rabbinics and law in his career. He and his wife Shlomit had their first held a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at program. He is enjoying life in the her work in Italy. This past year she teaching an AP course in Biblical interpretation at the Gratz Hebrew High child, a girl, this fall. Yale in Judaic studies, and is currently the metropolis of Western Pennsylvania with his contributed an article titled “Among the School in Wilmington, Delaware. AAJR post-doctoral fellow at New York wife Shoshanna, and two children (Daniella, Mourners of Zion and Jerusalem: Jewish Susan Zeelander (AMES/NELC) completed her comprehensive exams, and has University. She has also received the Rose born 2001, and Samuel, born 2004). Funerary Monuments in Italian Cemeteries, Tamar Kaplan, a former Falk Fellow in the Department of History, is begun working on her dissertation. This past year she taught ‘The Religion of Young Historian's Award from the Center for 1860-1920” to a book on Italian funerary continuing to research and write her dissertation on rabbinic authority in Ancient Israel’ at Tiferet Bet Israel, Blue Bell, Pa., and in the fall, she will teach a Jewish History. She lives in New York with Andrea Weiss received her doctorate from memorials, and published a review in Late Imperial Russia. She is currently the recipient of a dissertation second course there, ‘Selected Shorts: Entertaining Narratives in the Bible.’ her husband and two daughters. Her recent AMES last winter and was promoted to Sixteenth Century Journal. fellowship from the Center for Jewish History in New York, where she publications include the articles, “Visiting Assistant Professor of Bible at the Hebrew regularly conducts research at the YIVO archives. She presented two papers Vanished Worlds: American Jewish Tourism Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Naftali Cohn, a Falk Jewish Studies fellow, last year, one at the Association for Jewish Studies conference, another at a to Poland and the Lower East Side” in The New York. This year, she plans to deliver completed coursework in AMES, and is now conference at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Tamar continues to teach Other Promised Land: Vacationing, Identity papers at the Society of Biblical Literature studying for his comprehensive exams. Last Jewish adult education in the Melton program, and this year she is also ABOUT OUR FACULTY and the Jewish-American Dream, Avi Decter conference, and is continuing to work both spring, he served as a Teaching Assistant for teaching at Ma'ayanot, a Jewish high school in northern New Jersey. Dan Ben-Amos, Professor of Folklore and Folklife, was a Fellow at the Center and Melissa Martens, eds. (Baltimore, 2005); on the topic of her dissertation, “Biblical Prof. David Stern’s Haggadah course. In Julie Lieber, a former Falk Fellow, continues research for her dissertation on for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania during the and “Contested Contributions: Émigré metaphor, and approaches to Biblical addition he continues to teach at Stern 2003-4 year. During the year he presented two papers at CAJS, the first on Philanthropy and Polish-Jewish Relations in Translation.” Last January, immediately after College for Women of Yeshiva University with Jewish Women in fin de siecle Vienna. Last summer, with the help of a Brenner Award, she studied intensive German in Frankfurt, Germany. This year, she is a Elijah the Prophet, and the second, at the annual conference of the Center, on Inter-War Poland, 1919-1929,” Gal-Ed: A depositing her dissertation, Andrea gave birth a course entitled “Women's Dress and “Kol Nidrei.” In addition, coming out of his research at the Center, Ben- Journal of Polish Jewish History (Fall 2004). to a son, Ilan Max Tauber. Adornment in the Mishnah,” and also served fellow at the Center for Jewish History in New York and an Alice Paul Fellow of Penn's Women's Studies Program. Amos published with Dov Noyan an article entitled, “Die Zeichen als as a mentor for a senior learning project of a Metasprache in der jüdischen Folklore,” in 10+5=Gott: Die Macht der Susan Marks, who received her Ph.D. from student at Akiba Hebrew Academy. Religious Studies in 2003, is now the Kevin McGeough (AMES/NELC) is currently finishing his dissertation Zeischen, a catalogue of an exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. entitled “Economic Modalities at Ugarit.” For the 2004-2005 year, he will Klingenstein Assistant Professor of Judaic Rebecca Cutler, a Franklin Fellow, completed Alexander Botwinik, lecturer in Yiddish, teaches first-year Yiddish and Studies at New College, the Honors College of her first year of coursework in the History be teaching survey courses on European history and Mesoamerican archaeology at the University of Lethbridge in Canada. coordinates Yiddish sing-alongs at Penn each semester. In addition, as choir Florida. Her dissertation, “Jewish Weddings in Dept. focusing on American Jewish history, director of Congregation Beth Am Israel, Alexander leads his choir in many the Greco-Roman Period: A Reconsideration of the history of Zionism, and gender. This year Anne Oravetz, a fifth-year Franklin Fellow in History, is currently working on concerts including, most recently, a well-received concert of Yiddish music Received Ritual,” explored rabbinic attention she will be studying Hebrew texts with the aid her dissertation, which focuses on politics among seventeenth-century for the Jewish Studies Program at Drexel University, and others at Gratz and lack of attention to weddings, and she is of a Brenner Fellowship as well as enjoying conversos and Sephardi Jews in western Europe and the Atlantic world. College, Trinity Church, and Haverford College. currently presenting papers based on her being with her new husband, Robert Kalmar. findings. At New College, Susan teaches Alexandra Rothstein, a Jacob Javits Fellow, Honorary Mellon Fellow, and Michael Carasik, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biblical Hebrew, spent last courses in Judaism, scriptural interpretation, Yaacob Dweck, a Wexner Graduate Fellow currently a William Penn Fellow, is currently finishing her course work and summer as a fellow of the Summer Seminar on Aramaic in Post-Biblical and theoretical aspects of religion. and Ben Franklin Fellow, completed his first preparing for comprehensive exams in Rabbinic Literature with a minor in Judaism and Early Christianity, sponsored by the National Endowment for year of coursework in the History department, Islamic literature. During the summer she and her husband, Shawn Aster, the Humanities at Duke University. During the year, he began work on the Michael James Williams received his Ph.D. Graduate students Rachel Anisfeld, Idana specializing in Early Modern Jewish History. welcomed to the world their first child, Yehosheva Rachel. Leviticus volume of “The Commentators’ Bible,” an English-language version from AMES in 1999 with a dissertation Goldberg, and Andrea Weiss at graduation. This past summer, he received a Brenner of the traditional Miqra'ot Gedolot biblical commentaries, to be published by Matthew Rutz, a former William Penn fellow and current Louis J. Kolb entitled “Deception in Genesis”— he’s not Award from the Jewish Studies program to the Jewish Publication Society. His recent publications include “Qohelet’s fellow, he continues to work on his dissertation, “The Diviner in Late Bronze trying to fool you—that explored the GRADUATE STUDENT travel to Germany and study German at the Twists and Turns,” in the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 28 (2003), Age Syria: Emar between Babylon and Bo_azköy.” In the past year he has significance, interrelatedness, and implications NEWS Goethe Institut in Berlin. and reviews of Baruch Halpern, David’s Secret Demons: Messiah Murderer presented papers at the annual meetings of the American Schools of Oriental of the frequent accounts of deception in the Traitor King, in the Review of Biblical Literature John Fishman, a William Penn fellow, Research (Atlanta) and the American Oriental Society (San Diego). He also narratives of Genesis. Since graduating, Shawn Zelig Aster, a former William Penn [http://www.bookreviews.org] and Duck-Woo Nam, Talking About God: Job completed his first year of coursework in served on the Penn Graduate Humanities Forum Conference Committee as Michael has been appointed Professor of Old Fellow and Dissertation Fellow, is completing 42:7-9 and the Nature of God in the Book of Job, in the Journal of Hebrew AMES/NELC. Over the summer, he studied well as in the Undergraduate Humanities Forum Mentorship Program. In Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary in his dissertation on “The Phenomenon of Scriptures [http://www.jhsonline.org]. Carasik continues to serve as darshan German at Penn and taught an Introduction addition, he has co-edited the forthcoming collection of essays in honor of Grand Rapids, MI., where he teaches courses Divine Radiance in the Hebrew Bible and in of the Gershman Y Congregation in Center City. on ancient Near Eastern and biblical languages Mesopotamian and Northwest Semitic to Judaism course at a local synagogue near Penn Professor Emeritus in Assyriology, Erle Leichty. and texts. He has also lectured in Kenya and Literature,” in which he surveys the Biblical his home in Westfield, NJ, where he lives Natalie B. Dohrmann, Executive Editor of the Jewish Quarterly Review and Ellie Schainker, a Jacob Javits and William Penn Fellow, completed her Ukraine, and published two books, Deception passages describing God as radiant and relates with his wife, Rabbi Jennifer Clayman. This Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, has just second year of coursework in the History department, specializing in in Genesis: An Investigation into the Morality of them to contemporary Akkadian literature. year he is TAing for Dr. Natalie Dohrmann. finished her first year in residence at the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and Russian-Jewish History in the Modern period. Last year, she was a teaching a Unique Biblical Phenomenon and The Shawn is also teaching Bible and Jewish Studies as a member of the Jewish Studies Program faculty. She is currently co-editing Shalom Holtz, former William Penn Fellow, assistant for courses on the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and Modern Prophet and His Message: Reading Old at the newly-established Stern Hebrew High Jewish Biblical Interpretation in a Comparative Contex, to be published by the received a University dissertation fellowship Jewish Intellectual and Cultural History. She is currently completing her Testament Prophecy Today. School in Northeast Philadelphia this year. University of Pennsylvania Press, in which she also has an article, “Manumission and a Goldfein award for work on his coursework and hopes to take her qualifying exams late this spring. and Transformation in Jewish and Roman Law.” Other publications include: Adam Shear completed his doctorate in the Francesca Bregoli, a Franklin fellow, is doctoral dissertation, “Neo-Babylonian Legal Moshe Simon, a former Wexner Fellow, William Penn Fellow, and Falk “The Boundaries of the Law and the Problem of Jurisdition in an Early History department in 2001 with a working on her dissertation, which focuses on Proceedings and Related Records: Structural, Fellow, is completing his dissertation on “Narrative and Law in the Palestinian Midrash,” in Rabbinic Law in its Roman and Near Eastern Context, dissertation on the reception—the influence Jewish-Christian cultural relations in the port Procedural and Comparative Aspects.” Mishnah.” This year he is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of ed. Catherine Hezser (Tübingen, 2003). Forthcoming work includes an article, and interpretation—of Judah Halevi's twelfth- city of Livorno, from the Sabbatian outburst Tammy Jacobowitz, a former Wexner Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Reading as Rhetoric in Halakhic Texts,” in Scribes and Sages, ed. C. Evans century Jewish apologetic, the Book of the to the impact of Enlightened Absolutism. She Graduate Fellow and Falk Fellow in AMES, is (London, 2005); as well as two review essays, one of Martin S. Jaffee’s Torah in Kuzari, from the 12th century to the 19th spent the winter in Italy researching her topic currently completing her comprehensive Jonathan Stein, a Wexner Graduate Fellow, completed his coursework and the Mouth (Oxford, 2001), and the other of Peter Ochs and Nancy Levene, eds., century. He is currently revising the in the archives of Livorno and Pisa. During exams. She also completed her second year as comprehensive examinations in Rabbinic Literature and Hebrew Bible in Textual Reasoning (London, 2002), both for Prooftexts. 16 17 About Our Faculty

Barry Eichler, Associate Professor of Culture convened at Wesleyan University this Kerem and on the Editorial Advisory Board Association for Jewish Studies conference. At the “Return of the Repressed: Contemporary Italian address at the Lower Merion and Narberth Assyriology, continues to serve as the summer. She also led a text-study session at for Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies same conference, he also served as Respondent in a film and Holocaust Memory.” Democratic Association Annual Dinner on undergraduate chair of the Department of Near the annual retreat of the CAJS's Board of and Gender Issues, as well as on the Jewish session entitled “Health Status and Jewish Life and “Evangelical Christianity and the Re-Election of Eastern Languages and Civilizations and as its Trustees. During the year, she was also Publication Society's National Council. Community.” He also published an analytic review Benjamin Nathans, Associate Professor of History, George Bush”. He gave a talk “What is Hebrew & Judaica major advisor, and will serve appointed to the Board of Directors of the essay on Milhemet Haatzmaut: 1948-1949, Diyun is currently working on a book about the human Antisemitism?” to Bnai Brith at Beth Shalom in as the acting undergraduate chair of Jewish Association for Jewish Studies and to the Seth Jerchower, Public Services Librarian at mehudash in the Summer 2004 AVI Newsletter. rights movement in the Soviet Union after Stalin. Elkins Park and lectured on “Nathan Mayer Studies for the Spring 2005 term. Eichler Advisory Council of the Princeton University CAJS, co-curated an exhibit on Petrarch, He is co-editing a collection of essays on Jewish Rothschild, the first modern billionaire” to the recently finished co-editing an anniversary Program in Jewish Studies; she continues to marking the 700th anniversary of the poet’s Robert Kraft, Professor of Religious Studies culture in Eastern Europe, drawing on the research Sunday Brunch series at the Gershman Y. volume of scholarly articles on cuneiform and serve as a member of the Editorial Board of death, which was jointly sponsored by the Emeritus, spent his first year of “semi-retirement” of fellows at the 2002-3 seminar on Eastern biblical studies, honoring Professor Jacob Klein, the Association for Jewish Studies Review. Penn Library and Cornell University. teaching a graduate seminar each term (Varieties of European Jewry at Penn’s Center for Advanced David Stern, Ruth Meltzer Professor of Classical Early Judaism, and Varieties of Early Christianity) Judaic Studies. He is also editing The Book of Life, Hebrew Literature, continued to serve as Director of which will be published this coming year. He Ari Kelman, Post-Doctoral Fellow in also continues to lecture on Biblical and ancient Nili R. Gold, Assistant Professor of Modern and preparing various scholarly presentations, the first English translation of the memoirs of Simon the Jewish Studies Program. Over the course of the Hebrew Literature and Israel Studies, traveled to American Jewish History, continues to serve as especially a long term project to investigate Dubnov, one of the great Jewish historians of the year, he published several articles including “The Near Eastern literatures at the Revel Graduate resident historian at the National Museum of School of Yeshiva University. Israel last summer where she presented a paper continuities and discontinuities between Jewish and 20th century. In 2003 Nathans received fellowships Alphabet of Ben Sira and the Early History of Jewish on Yoel Hoffmann in an academic conference American Jewish History where he coordinates early Christian scribal practices in transmitting from the American Philosophical Society, the Parody,” in The Idea of Biblical Interpretation; Ronit Engel, Modern Hebrew Language dedicated to his work, and continued her research for the Museum's new core exhibition, Jewish scriptures in Greek. He continues to work University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation, and “Midrash and Midrashic Interpretation,” in The Program Coordinator, was invited to participate research in local archives for her English- which is scheduled to open in its new home in on describing the various items in the Penn papyri the National Council for East European and Jewish Study Bible; and “My Teacher, Edward Said,” in an international workshop on teaching language book on the Israeli poet Yehudah 2007. Last year, Ari taught American Jewish collections as part of the Advanced Papyrological Eurasian Research. The American Association for in Remembering Edward W. Said. This September, Hebrew at the university level, held at Tel Aviv Amichai (under contract with U. of Wisconsin history at Penn; this spring, he will lead a Information System project – which links digitized the Advancement of Slavic Studies awarded Nathans’ his edited volume The Anthology in Jewish Literature University in July 2004. She also conducted an Press). In 2003-2004 Gold was a fellow in the seminar on the Political Culture of American images with their descriptions – and on an first book, Beyond the Pale: The Jewish Encounter with (Oxford University Press) was finally published; in evaluation of the Hebrew Language Program at Penn Humanities Forum on “belief.” This fall Jews. He has just completed his first book, electronic version of the 1908 English translation of Late Imperial Russia, the Wayne S. Vucinich Prize for addition to the Introduction to the volume, Stern McGill University in Montreal. (2004) she is on sabbatical, and in the spring, Station Identification: A Cultural History of Adolf von Harnack's Mission and Expansion of an outstanding monograph in any discipline of the also published in the book an article entitled she will be a fellow at the Center for Advanced Yiddish Radio, to be published by the Early Christianity. Hopefully these and other such humanities in Russian, Eurasian, and East European “Anthology and Polysemy in Classical Midrash.” Alan Filreis, Kelly Professor of English, Judaic Studies. During the past several months, University of California Press, and is beginning basic resources will become useful to a new Studies. Now out in paperback, Beyond the Pale was During the year, Stern also delivered lectures and Faculty Director of the Kelly Writers House, Gold has helped plan and organize a major a new research project about cantorial music generation of electronically aware students. Bob also a finalist for the 2003 National Jewish Book papers at the History of Material Texts Workshop at and Director of the Center for Programs in international conference on the Israeli novelist, and the trade in ethnic recordings. also attended three scholarly conferences in The Award in History, and is currently being translated Penn; the Baltimore Hebrew University, and the Contemporary Writing, is currently finishing Amos Oz. Her recent publications include, Netherlands and Finland in late July - the into Russian. Nathans published an article on the University of Miami. He also continues to serve on a book about the anticommunist attack on Arthur Kiron, Curator of Judaica and “Notes on Love and War in the Life of Yehuda Adjunct Assistant Professor of History, co- International Society of Biblical Literature and Russian-Jewish encounter in the journal Ab Imperio several boards, including the panel on Jewish modernism in the 1950s which treats, among Amichai” (Israel Studies Forum: An Dead Sea Scrolls meetings in Groningen, the vol. 4 (2003) and an op-ed piece on the Andrei Thought and Philosophy for the Koret Jewish Book others, many relatively obscure radical Jewish- curated the library exhibit, “The Meaning of Interdisciplinary Journal Vol. 19, #1, 2003). Words: Marcus Jastrow and the Making of International Organization for Septuagint and Sakharov Archive in the International Herald Tribune Award and the Academic Advisory Committee of the American poets. With Professor Penny Cognate Studies in Leiden; then finally, the (Aug. 29, 2003). He delivered public lectures at the National Foundation for Jewish Culture. Stern was Marcus, he taught “Representations of the Kathryn Hellerstein, Ruth Meltzer Senior Rabbinic Dictionaries” last fall, and gave a talk entitled “A Biographical Sketch of Morris Papyrology Congress in Helsinki. University of Michigan, Hofstra University, Johns also awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Holocaust in Literature and Film” as part of Lecturer in Yiddish and Jewish Studies, Hopkins University, and the Center for Research on Foundation Fellowship for 2004-5 to continue his the College of Arts & Sciences “pilot continues to serve as Undergraduate Director Jastrow, Professor of Semitic Languages and Ian Lustick, Bess W. Heyman Professor in the Librarian, University of Pennsylvania” at the Russian and East European Jewry (Moscow). research on the Jewish book; he has deferred curriculum,” and last year, he hosted a of the Jewish Studies Program. In Spring Political Science Dept., is teaching an advanced beginning the fellowship until July 2005. month-long online discussion group with 2005, she will be on leave as a Fellow at Penn’s Jastrow symposium on rabbinic lexicography undergraduate seminar in the fall on “Arab-Israeli David B. Ruderman, Joseph Meyerhoff Professor Penn alumni on Jon Avnet's film “Uprising,” CAJS. Recent publications include: “Gender held at Penn in November, 2003. During the Relations.” During two trips to Israel and the of Modern Jewish History, began his eleventh year Jeffrey Tigay, A.M. Ellis Professor of Hebrew & about the Warsaw Ghetto revolt. and the Anthological Tradition in Modern year, Kiron was a Fellow at the Penn Palestinian Authority last spring he gave five as Ella Darivoff Director of the Center for Semitic Languages & Literatures, was honored in Yiddish Poetry,” in The Anthology in Jewish Humanities Forum where he delivered a paper lectures on such topics as “The Pieds Noirs and Advanced Judaic Studies this fall. Last spring he May, 2004 by the United Synagogue of Talya Fishman, Associate Professor of Literature, ed. David Stern (Oxford University on “Belief and Humor.” At the Association of the Unravelling of French Algeria” (Leonard Davis concluded his presidency of the American Academy Conservative Judaism, Mid-Atlantic Region, with Religious Studies, served as a fellow at Penn’s Press); “A Letter from Lincoln’s Jewish Jewish Studies conference last December, he Institute, Hebrew University); “Negotiating Truth: for Jewish Research, but he continues to serve as its Ateret Kavod (“Crown of Honor”) Award, for his CAJS during the 2003-2004 academic year, Telegrapher,” Jewish Quarterly Review; and organized a panel on “Port Jews in the Comparing German-Israeli and, Lehavdil, Israeli- editor of the University of Pennsylvania Press Series commentary on Deuteronomy, published by the was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim translations of poems by Hamutal Bar Yosef, Atlantic World” and delivered a paper Palestinian Negotiations over Statements of called “Jewish Culture and Contexts”, and on the Jewish Publication Society in 1996 and, in abridged Memorial Foundation Fellowship to continue Miriam Ulinover, Celia Dropkin, Kadya “Reading Port Jews in the Atlantic World Responsibility” (Truman Center, Hebrew academic advisory board of Scholion, the Mandell form, in the Etz Hayim Torah commentary (2001). her research on the inscription of Oral Torah Molodowsky, and Hadassah Rubin, as well as during the Victorian Era.” During the year, University); “Emigration from Israel, the Peace Center for Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University. During the 2003-04 academic year Jeff presented a and the formation of Jewish culture in her own poems, in Kerem and in the online he also lectured at the College of Jewish Process, and the Al-Aqsa Intifada (Association for This past year he edited a book with Giuseppe series of seminars on Biblical and Ancient Near medieval northern Europe. During the year, poetry journal The Drunken Boat Studies in Binghamton, NY on Israel Studies Conference, Jerusalem); and "Israeli Veltri called Cultural Intermediaries: Jewish Eastern studies, sponsored by the U.S. Department she gave several papers, including “Custom’s (www.thedrunkenboat.com). Among the “Mythologizing 1654” and spoke at the Settlements in the Context of a Two State or One Intellectuals in Early Modern Italy (Philadelphia, of Education, to the faculty of Community College Emergence as a Competitor to Law: A papers she presented were “A Jewish Education Philobiblon Society in Philadelphia on the State Solution” (PASSIA, Jerusalem). 2004). He also published several articles including of Philadelphia. He published an article about Revolution of Medieval Ashkenaz” at CAJS in Redux,” at the Amercan Literature Association subject of “An Atlantic Jewish Republic of “Greenville Diary: A Northern Rabbi Confronts Biblical names, “What’s in a Name?” in Bible October; “Rhineland Pietist Approaches to Symposium on Jewish American Women Letters?” As Curator, he continues to Millicent Marcus, Mariano DiVito Professor of the Deep South,” Jewish Quarterly Review, fall, Review 20/1 (February, 2004), an article “Sharing Prayer and the Textualization of Rabbinic Writers (Oct., 2003); “On the Other Side of coordinate the Penn-Cambridge Genizah Italian Studies and Director of the Center of 2004 (about his late father); and “Reflecting on Weal and Woe: Expressions of Solidarity,” in Culture in Medieval Northern Europe” at a the Yiddish Poem: Translating Yiddish Poems project, which now includes new collaborative Italian Studies and Film Studies, team-taught a American Jewish History,” American Jewish History, Studies in Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, and Dead Sea Princeton University conference on Sefer by Women,” at the Boston University initiatives with the Bodleian Library, Oxford course with Al Filreis last year entitled fall, 2004. He presented papers at Tel Aviv Scrolls in Honor of Emanuel Tov (Brill, 2003), and Hasidim and Jewish-Christian Relations in Translation Seminar (March 2004); and “The University, and the Library of the Jewish “Representations of the Holocaust in Literature University, University of Michigan, and at an “The Presence of God and the Coherence of March; “Ashkenazic Sacralization of the Question of Esther in Yiddish Poetry,” Theological Seminary of America. and Film.” Her recent book, entitled After Fellini international conference in Madrid. Exodus 20:22-26,” in Sefer Moshe: The Moshe Newly-Inscribed Oral Torah”at CAJS’es Gruss University of Texas, Austin (April 2004). includes two chapters on recent Italian films that Weinfeld Jubilee Volume. Studies in the Bible and the Colloquium in May; and “Anxieties About Samuel Z. Klausner, Professor of Sociology take as their subject the Shoah: Francesco Rosi’s Jonathan Steinberg, Walter H. Annenberg Hellerstein was Coordinator of the Yiddish Emeritus, presented a paper on “Sociological Ancient Near East, Qumran and Post-Biblical Jewish Identity in Early Modern Europe” at a Literature Section for the 2004 Annual “The Truce,” based on Primo Levi’s second Professor of Modern European History, completed Judaism (Eisenbrauns, 2004). He also contributed a Mellon Foundation conference of Methodology in Biblical Studies: The Case of Holocaust memoir; and Roberto Benigni’s “Life Is his term as Chair of the History Dept. in June Meeting of the Association for Jewish Studies the Kid in Its Mother’s Milk” at the 2003 chapter about anthologies in the Bible to David international scholars of Early Modern Jewish and continues to serve as poetry editor of Beautiful.” Her current research project is entitled 2004. In April 2004, he delivered the keynote Stern’s just-published book The Anthology in Jewish 18 19 About Our Faculty Literature (Oxford University Press, 2004). In Studien in Heidelberg. During the academic past year, she lectured at several conferences and press is “The Priestly Reminder Stones and year 2003-4, she gave many lectures in communal celebrations of the 350th Ancient Near Eastern Votive Practices,” in a Germany, Israel, and America as well as the first anniversary of Jewish settlement in the United festschrift for the Israeli scholar Sara Japhet, Leo Baeck Institute/German Historical Institute States, including “Making American being published in Israel. The article was first lecture (on the state of German-Jewish Studies) Civilization Jewish: Mordecai Kaplan’s Civic presented as a lecture at a symposium honoring in Washington, DC, and the Fritz Thyssen Religion,” at Stanford University; “Jewish the memory of the late Prof. H.L. Ginsberg, Lecture in German-Jewish Relations at the Ben Patriotism on Parade” at the Jewish Theological held at the Jewish Theological Seminary in Gurion University of the Negev. In Summer Seminary; “Soldiers, Symbols and Service: The New York last April. Plans are under way for 2004, she was named the Maria Sibylla Merian Narratives of Jewish Patriotism,” at SUNY republishing Jeff’s Empirical Models for Biblical Fellow of the Universität Erfurt. At Penn, she Binghamton; “Jewish Celebrations of the Criticism (1985). His 1996 commentary on served on various search committees, including Nation,” at the College of William and Mary, Deuteronomy is being translated into Hebrew those for the Director of Libraries and for the as well as participating in a roundtable on the for the Israeli commentary series Mikra le- Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. future of American Jewish history at the Yisrael. He is currently working on two multi- Weissberg published articles on Freud, Goethe, Scholars Conference in American Jewish year projects: writing a full-length Hebrew Lessing, Börne, Herder, the Jewish Salon, and History in Washington, D.C. She is currently commentary on Exodus for the same Israeli Arendt; and wrote an essay on the Beer family organizing a conference on “Jews and the series and editing the first volume (on the in Berlin for an exhibit at the Berlin historical American Republic” to be held at Philadelphia’s Biblical period) of The Posen Library of Jewish museum, and on the films of Alan Berliner for National Constitution Center in March 2005 Culture and Civilization: Anthology of Primary the tenth year anniversary of the Berlin Jewish and co-sponsored by Penn’s Jewish Studies Sources, Documents, Texts, and Artifacts, a ten- Film Festival. She also organized conference Program. Wenger continues to serve as co-chair volume series being published by Yale sessions at the AATG (on German-Jewish of the Women’s Caucus of the Association for University Press. Jeff currently serves on the education) and at the MLA (on the Jewish Jewish Studies and as historical consultant for Editorial Board of Hebrew Studies, published reception of Lessing). She was interviewed the National Museum of American Jewish by the National Association of Professors of and/or featured in several radio and television History. She remains an active member of the Hebrew. He continues to serve as the Chair for shows in Germany and Austria. In Fall 2004, Academic Advisory Board of the Center for Graduate Studies in the Department of Near she will be a fellow at the Center for Advanced Jewish History in New York and the Executive Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Judaic Studies, where she will pursue her Committee of the American Jewish Historical research on German-Jewish women writers. Society’s Academic Council. Wenger’s newest Liliane Weissberg, a professor of German and book project, “History Lessons: The Invention Comparative Literature, was named this fall the Beth S. Wenger, the Katz Family Term Chair of American Jewish Heritage,” is under contract Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor and Associate Professor in American Jewish with Princeton University Press. in the School of Arts and Sciences. In summer History, currently serves as Undergraduate 2003, she taught at the Hochschule für jüdische Chair of Penn’s history department. During the

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