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fe^ssbciation for Jewish Studies IfiiVSLETTER Number 45 Fall 1995 25-Year Report of the Executive Secretary From the Seventh Annual Conference, 1975 From the Twenty-Sixth Annual Conference, 1994 Standing, 1. to r.: Charles and Judith Berlin, Frank Talmage, Ismar Schorsch Left to right: Bernard Cooperman, Jehuda Reinharz, Marvin Fox, Seated, 1. to r.: Marvin and June Fox, Salo and Jeanette Baron, Arnold Band Charles and Judith Berlin, Herbert Paper, Arnold Band, Robert Seltzer members, the premier association in its 25-Year Report IN THIS ISSUE field. of the Executive Secretary It has been a quarter-century of Page 1 Charles Berlin enormous achievement. This, our 26th 25-Year Report Harvard University annual conference has 74 sessions and of the Executive Secretary some 300 individuals on the program; in AT THE ANNUAL BANQUET of the AJS on 1973, at our Fifth conference there were Page 6 December 18, 1994, Charles Berlin pre- 8 sessions and 24 names on the program. Gender and Women's Studies sented his report on the state of the Associa- As of this evening, we have some 600 tion after twenty-five years. His report is conference registrations. At our Tenth Page 8 followed here by the edited remarks of the annual conference, in 1978, we had 210 Pedagogy at the AJS current and former officers of the organi- members registered at the conference. zation who spoke on that occasion. After The annual conference of the AJS has Page 10 twenty-two years as Executive Secretary, become the primary meeting for the Jewish Music in the Curriculum Dr. Berlin retired December 31, 1994. field of Jewish Studies. The AJS annual (Ed.) conference now houses the largest dis- Page 11 play of academic Judaica publications in AJS in the ACLS FROM ITS MODEST BEGINNINGS in 1969, the country and has become an impor- Page 14 when forty-seven of us gathered to- tant meeting place for publishers and ACLS Travel Grants gether at Brandeis University to estab- authors. lish the Association for Jewish Studies, The Association itself has made sig- Page 14 the Association has grown into an in- nificant contributions as a publisher of Notes ternational learned society and profes- Judaica scholarship. Its journal, the AJS sional organization with over 1500 Review, now in its nineteenth year of 1 25-Year Report (continued from p. 1) may still be of value in the future. First, technological "wish list" implemented in and of paramount importance has been the not too distant future—to supple- publication, is the leading general jour- assuring the independence of the Asso- ment the instant communication net- nal of Jewish Studies in the United ciation, independence of any ideology work of e-mail, fax and voice mail al- States. The four volumes of AJS confer- or institution, of any community or ready instituted for AJS members since ence proceedings are major contribu- partisan group, whether external or in- the start of this transition period by our tions in their disciplines. In addition to ternal. Equally important has been an very talented incoming Executive Secre- academic conferences and scholarly pub- inclusive approach rather than an exclu- tary, Aaron Katchen, as part of a wide- lications which reflect the role of the sive one—assuring that all concerned ranging technological enhancement pro- AJS as a learned society, the Association with Jewish Studies, regardless of field gram. has compiled an impressive twenty-five- or rank, feel welcome in AJS. This de- Our founders have done their work year record in its function as a profes- mocratization also manifests itself in the well and have passed on to a new gen- sional organization. Its catalog of internal affairs of the Association, where eration a strong, disciplined, thriving, courses in Jewish Studies at American volunteerism has become the Associa- and respected organization, a solid and Canadian universities is now a stan- tion's greatest strength—witness the foundation on which to build even dard reference source. Its Information work of the AJS Review Editorial Board, more impressively. It has been a privi- bulletin: positions in Jewish Studies, of the Conference Program Committee, lege to have participated in this process which twenty-eight issues have ap- other Association committees, and fi- over the last quarter-century, as Treas- peared, plays an important role in dis- nally the AJS Board of Directors, most urer for the first three years, and as Ex- semination of information and recruit- of whose membership in recent years ecutive Secretary for the past twenty- ment. The Association's mailing list had not yet completed their graduate two years. I am grateful to the Associa- rental service has become a major source studies when the AJS was founded. To tion for this opportunity to have par- of information about positions, confer- these should be added two other ele- ticipated in this effort to enhance Jewish ences, and publications in Jewish Stud- ments: the first is a sense of realism. Studies in the academy. And I shall al- ies. Issues of significance to the profes- That is, an awareness of the real ways cherish the warm friendships of sion have been addressed in Association strengths of the Association—and they the many AJS colleagues with whom I publications such as The Teaching of Ju- are many—that always took into ac- had the pleasure of working closely dur- daica in American Universities which count the equally real limitations and ing those twenty-five years, and who appeared in 1970; forty-four issues of constraints. The second is a sense of offered their unstinting support and the AJS Newsletter, and the recently pub- humor that always served to provide a encouragement, individuals like Arnie lished Report of the Task Force on Acqui- sense of proportion and proper perspec- Band, Berny Cooperman, Marvin Fox, sitions: Israel, a joint project of the AJS tive in Association affairs and kept our Jane Gerber, Ben Ravid, Jehuda Rein- and the Association of Research Librar- founding fathers and their heirs from harz, Nahum Sarna, Bob Seltzer, and ies. All this activity is reflected in the taking themselves as seriously as some- Ruth Wisse, and our colleagues now of growth of the Association's budget times the many achievements of AJS blessed memory Frank Talmage and from some $23,000 in 1973 to one cur- might allow. Independence, openness, Marshall Sklare, and many others whom rently of some $104,000. Recognition of democratization, volunteerism, realism, I cannot mention for lack of time. the Association's achievements and of humor—they have served the Associa- However, I would like to express my its proper place in the academy was ac- tion well in its first quarter-century; gratitude to Elizabeth Vernon who has corded it in 1985 when the Association they can serve the Association well in for the past five years assisted me in the was admitted as a constituent member the future. administrative tasks of the Association of the American Council of Learned Finally, the AJS is moving from and has served so ably as Conference Societies. what in many respects was—to use a registrar. And a very special and im- However, it is not my intention, in popular term—a virtual reality, certainly measurable "thank you* to one whose the few minutes allotted me by the Pro- in terms of office location and its accou- support, encouragement, and counsel gram Chairman, to attempt a descriptive trements, to what is very much a real have lovingly sustained me throughout or chronological account of those office, thanks to the generous hospital- my AJS endeavors, as in all that I do, to twenty-five years of achievement; a dif- ity of our colleague Jehuda Reinharz. my dear wife Judy. ferent, perhaps printed, forum would be The Association will be well-positioned I am very pleased to welcome my more appropriate for that. At this time to avail itself of new technologies to successor, Aaron Katchen; it gives me of transition, as the AJS emerges from assist its future growth both in size and great pleasure to know that the AJS is the generation of its founders and enters in services offered. Electronic newslet- being entrusted to a person of such tal- its second quarter century, I would like ters with current book reviews and a ent, dedication, and integrity. I look to point to certain operating principles calendar of conferences and events; elec- forward to being of assistance to the that have served the AJS administration tronic conference programs and advance Association in the coming years and I as guidelines in the Association's devel- listings of conference abstracts—we will wish it well as it enters its second quar- opment until now in the belief that they not be surprised to find such items on a ter-century. 2 For Charles Berlin: Remarks by Colleagues and Friends (continued) Arnold. J. Band God is found in the details." The choice first—Charlie's reason—the price was UCLA led to a partnership which, I believe, right; and second—my reason—when I Past President was special. We discussed business fre- was a boy growing up in Boston, this quently, and often rung up impressive "Von Berlin Nach Boston" hotel did not welcome Jewish guests. telephone bills. We agreed on most The irony was irresistible. Again and THE END OF THE BERLIN PERIOD in the issues, but, when we didn't, I noticed again, we complemented each other history of the AJS should occasion the that Charlie had an uncanny under- remarkably. He liked lists of figures beginning of the writing of the history standing of Max Weber's theories on and bibliographies, while I liked figures of our Association.