SUNDAY PROGRAMS START AT 10:00AM College of Charleston, Fall 2004 Page 1 SPRING 2015 1 Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program rwdm 2015 rwdlfrom generationSPRING to generation 2 Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program REACHING OUT Martin Perlmutter, Director, Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program Jewish Studies at the College is proud of its history of broadening the umbrella to include a wide range of constituencies. The academic component is crucial for a university setting, so extensive coursework, a first-rate faculty, a major and minor in Jewish Studies, and three years of Hebrew instruction are at the heart of what we do. The academic side includes outreach, since the majority of students enrolled in our courses are not Jewish. But we have always thought of Jewish Studies far more broadly, extending our reach to both students outside the classroom and the larger community. Our organizational and financial structures are unique in that way; they are unlike any other Jewish Studies program in the country. Our model has enabled us to provide a range of programs like Chanukah in the Square, A World of Jewish Culture at Piccolo Spoleto, Sunday Morning Brunches, Three Rabbi Panels, Brown Bag Lunches, and the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina on the community side; and Wednesday night Meet to Eats, Shabbat services and dinners, Birthright Israel, the Carolina Youth Development Center, and regular social programming on the student side. Our kosher vegan/vegetarian dining hall, designed to service both students and the larger community, is “scheduled” to open in November 2015. That is an ambitious outreach project, one which is well under way. And next semester we are joining the Arabic Studies Program in co-hosting a Middle Eastern film series, with four films focusing on the challenges of modernity, avoiding the more volatile political issues confronting that part of the world. There are two other outreach projects that I want to highlight. Jewish Studies at the College has been managing the Jewish student life component at the Citadel for the last six years. Marsha Alterman has been arranging Monday night events at the Citadel, organizing community speakers, bringing in food, encouraging College of Charleston students to come along, and creating a Jewish reality in a not particularly Jewish environment. The Citadel cadets often come over to the College, especially for Shabbat meals. We are hoping to secure that initiative with a special endowment fund restricted for that purpose, so that Jewish life at the Citadel will continue long into the future. We are also beginning to reach out to more observant Jewish students trying to attract them to the College. Our new kosher dining facility, the large residential Jewish student population at the College, and the growing appeal of Charleston as a destination makes the timing perfect for diversifying our Jewish student population. Recruiting observant students and making them feel comfortable in a somewhat alien environment poses real challenges, but attending to those challenges will be an educational and enriching experience for many of us. The Citadel’s culture and the culture of a more observant Judaism are both different from the one at the College, and understanding those differences is a wonderful, non-threatening way to understand ourselves better. Jewish Studies at the College is committed to these outreach initiatives because we strive to bring people together, enlarge the Jewish community which we serve, and learn from one another. There are lots of joys in my “work.” Getting to know Stanley obm and Charlot Karesh is high on that list. Their interest in what Jewish Studies is doing, their support from the very beginning, when they were pillars of the community and when Jewish Studies was just an outlier, and their friendship and kindness over many years has been inspirational and energizing to Jeri and to me. Their family’s latest gift, the Charlot and Stanley Karesh Family Fund, is icing on the cake. Many, many thanks to them, to Fern, Jane, and Gail, and to their families. I am deeply appreciative of all your support of Jewish Studies’ vision over many years. Together, we have created an inclusive reality and together, in Charleston and at the College , we are the better for it. Martin Perlmutter, Director [email protected] On the cover: The JSU/Hillel Board. From left to right: Sierra Debrow ’17, Marla Topiol ’15, Elana Malkin ’15, Mollie Selmanoff ’17, Kate Scher ’16, Andrew Spector ’15, Naomi Nudelman ’16, Gabby Sitrin ’17, and Gabe Davidson ’15 Cover photo by Mark Swick. Marty’s photo, this page, by Adam Chandler for CHARLIE magazine. SPRING College 2015 of Charleston, Fall 2004 Page 3 3 EMBRACING CHANGES, MOVING FORWARD Anita Zucker, Chair, Jewish Studies Advisory Board This has been an exhilarating time to be in a position of leadership within the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program. It is a period of transition, yet there are so many impressive things taking place. Jewish Studies has found incredible friends and advocates in the College’s new leadership; President Glenn McConnell, Chief of Staff Debbie Hammond, Provost Brian McGee, and LCWA Dean Antonio Tillis have all made big strides on our behalf, and I am incredibly grateful for their support. I am pleased to let you know that with all of their support, we are moving to secure a line of benefits from the College for the Program’s Jewish Community Liaison, the position currently held by Mark Swick; that is an important step in institutionalizing that position. This has long been a priority for Jewish Studies, as it ensures the future of our non-academic programming. I am equally enthusiastic that the College is moving to extend the line for Jewish Studies assistant professor David Slucki for two years. David and his wife Helen have both become integral parts of the Jewish Studies team. If you have passed by the Jewish Studies Center recently you will have noticed the construction site next door — the future home to our kosher vegan/vegetarian dining hall. That facility is set to open in November 2015, and has generated incredible excitement from the broader community of kosher and vegetarian eaters. Our hope is that it will be open for students and community members alike as a retail facility, be on the College’s meal plan, offering three a la carte meals per day, and serve as a gathering place for advocates of environmentally-friendly, local foods. On a personal note, my family has always had Israel as a core value. This past December I had the pleasure of joining my son Jonathan and other representatives of the South Carolina business community on the South Carolina-Israel Collaboration Trade Mission. The SC- Israel Collaboration is a part of Conexx. Happily, we were also joined by Rene Mueller, Professor in the College’s School of Business and Director of its International Business Program. Over the past year, Rene has worked with the Jewish Studies Program to create a new course in the business school connecting CofC students with Israeli businesses. That course will culminate with a class trip to Israel. Rene will be an important voice as the College moves to expand its connection with Israel, as part of Jewish Studies’ long-term strategic plan. This is a new and exciting direction for the College. It is such an honor to serve as Chair of the Jewish Studies Program Advisory Board, and I extend my gratitude to the community members who serve on the board with me. To that cadre I am happy to welcome two new members: Ben Arnold of Columbia, son of Norman and Gerry Sue Arnold, will continue the Arnold family’s leadership in Jewish Studies. Mady Friedman, of Cleveland and Palm Beach Gardens, grandmother of two freshmen at the College, Sydney and Drew, and wife of Norman Levin, former Advisory Board member, joins Gina Shapiro as a grandparent board member. We welcome them both. My late husband Jerry was a founding member of the Advisory Board, was among Jewish Studies’ first major supporters, and was chair of the Advisory Board when he passed away in 2008. I am honored to follow in his footsteps. He would be thrilled at the progress of the Program in the last six years, and I am honored to be playing a small part in our Ben Arnold incredible trajectory. May we continue to go from strength to strength. CALL FOR STUDENTS AND ALUMNI The College of Charleston has become an excellent choice for students interested in attending a college with a Jewish Studies program with both an academic major and minor, an active Jewish student life, a significant Jewish student population, and a support- ive larger Jewish community. The kosher vegan/vegetarian kitchen will make the College even more attractive to many prospective students. Please let us know of prospective students who might have an interest in the College. Our offices will take it from there. Contact Helen Slucki ([email protected] or 843.953.5657) We are also working to develop our alumni connections. To join our Facebook alumni Mady Friedman and Norman Levin group go to www.cofc.edu/~jsuhillel and click on the “alumni” link. If you have ideas to share about improving our alumni network, please contact Caroline Eichholz at [email protected] or 843.953.3917. 4 SUNDAY MORNINGS Yaschik/Arnold IN ARNOLD Jewish Studies HALL Program THE HISTORIAN IN THE MUSEUM ANTONY POLONSKY Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 10:00AM In this lecture, Antony Polonskyy, Chief Historian of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, will examine the problems faced by historians in attempting to present their understanding of the past in a museum exhibition.