@PENN T HE J EWISH S TUDIES N EWSLETTER Fall 2009 Jewish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania Penn, through its Jewish Studies Program and the Herbert distinguished scholars to Penn as fellows to pursue scholarly D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, offers one of the research on selected themes. These fellows are selected from the most comprehensive programs in Jewish Studies in America. finest and most prominent Judaic scholars in the world. Every The Jewish Studies Program (JSP) is an interdisciplinary year several Katz Center fellows teach courses at Penn, and both academic group with twenty-one faculty members from eight graduate students and University faculty participate in the Katz departments that coordinates all courses relating to Jewish Center’s weekly seminars. The Katz Center is also home to one Studies in the university, as well as undergraduate majors and of America’s greatest research libraries in Judaica and Hebraica minors and graduate programs in different departments. JSP and includes a Genizah collection, many manuscripts, and early also sponsors many events, including two endowed lectureships printings. Together the Jewish Studies Program and the Herbert and the Kutchin Faculty Seminars. The Herbert D. Katz Center D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies make Penn one of for Advanced Judaic Studies (Katz Center) is a post-doctoral the most rich and exciting communities for Jewish scholarship research institute that annually brings eighteen to twenty-five and intellectual life in the world. Loading of wheat in the Emek [Jezreel Valley], 1936. The Jewish Agency included this extraordinary image in an album given to General Waulkhope on his departure at the end of his term as high commissioner for Palestine (Feb. 1938). Lenkin Family Collection of Photography, University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Table of Contents Greetings from the Director, JSP . 2 2008–2009 Special Events and Programs . 10 Greetings from the Director, Katz Center . 3 Penn’s Judaica Library News . 12 Jewish Studies Program News . 4 Graduate Studies . 15 Faculty News . 7 Recent Gifts . 20 Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies . 8 1 Jewish Studies Program GREETINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR , JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM It is no secret that this has been a difficult year Professor Jonathan Karp of Binghamton throughout the country. Penn’s Jewish Studies University to present his work on Jewish musical Program has not been immune to the entrepreneurs who pioneered the production and vicissitudes of the economic downturn, but I am sale of commercial black music. We also invited glad to report that despite some trimming of our Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr., of Penn’s Music budget, we remain as committed as ever to department, a specialist in African American serving our students, supporting our faculty, and music, to offer a response. What emerged was a making sure that Jewish Studies at Penn lively discussion about race, ethnicity, and the continues to be a vital and thriving program. music industry. Because our program defines itself During these trying times, we are especially as an integral and organic part of the humanities grateful to our donors, and thank them for their at Penn, we seek out opportunities to connect generous support of our program. Jewish studies to other fields of inquiry, creating new ideas and generating fresh perspectives. As always, this was a busy year in Jewish Studies. We were particularly pleased to sponsor – along Jewish studies is, by definition, a multidisciplinary with the Penn Museum and many other field. Our students’ work spans the centuries and departments – a conference titled, “Tablet and they study with professors in a variety of academic Torah: Mesopotamia and the Biblical World.” departments. If you were to have attended the Organized in honor of Professor Barry Eichler, Jewish Studies student research presentations at the recently retired founding director of the the end of last year, you would have heard our Jewish Studies Program, the conference brought graduating seniors discussing projects that ranged together distinguished colleagues and former from Biblical interpretation to the experience of students for a wonderful day of exploring the Cuban Jewish refugees, from rabbinic preaching in languages, literatures, and cultures of ancient the early modern period to Yiddish poetry. I Mesopotamia and the Biblical world. welcome you to read more about our students’ research inside this newsletter. We are especially enthusiastic about plans for this year’s conference. Together with the Middle We thank the dedicated supporters of Jewish East Center, our program is sponsoring a Studies at Penn whose generosity enables our groundbreaking conference that will explore Program to flourish. I hope you will join our issues of gender in Judaism and Islam. Fostering community and I welcome you to contact me this kind of cross-cultural dialogue and and to become a part of our Program in the intellectual exchange remains a primary mission coming year. of Jewish Studies at Penn, made possible only within the open climate of the university. In fact, if you were to drop in on one of our programs (as I welcome you to do), you would Beth S. Wenger often find us bringing Jewish studies into Associate Professor of History conversation with other fields and disciplines Director, Jewish Studies Program across the university. Last spring, for example, the Silvers Visiting Scholar Program welcomed 2 Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies GREETINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR , HERBERT D. K ATZ CENTER FOR ADVANCED JUDAIC STUDIES It is a pleasure once again to report to you about e-mail newsletter for the Katz Center that has been the activities of the past year at the Herbert D. sent to all former fellows, friends of the Katz Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. Center, rabbis, educators and many others. (If you Focusing on the theme “Jews, Commerce, and have not received a copy, please let Yechiel know so Culture,” the Center brought twenty outstanding he can send you one: [email protected]). scholars from all over the world to Philadelphia. They came from Poland, Australia, France, The Jewish Quarterly Review continues to thrive England, Belgium, Germany, as well as from Israel and because of its popularity online, it attracts and North America. The fellows not only met in many readers who seek out individual articles. their formal weekly seminars but arranged study We continue to actively recruit new books for our groups and informal seminars as well. The Gruss monograph series, Jewish cultures and contexts, Colloquium was a major success, elevating a and to publish the annual volume of the Katz relatively new field of study in Jewish history. Center. Several new volumes are nearing completion or in press already. In conjunction with the theme, the Center sponsored a series of three lectures with Wharton As I complete my fifteenth year and begin a new on Wharton’s site. Each lecture brought 100-200 term as director, I feel most privileged to have people. Several fellows were interviewed about our observed and participated in the Katz Center’s program in a feature article that appeared in the emergence as the leading institution of its kind in first page of the Business section of the Philadelphia North America and even beyond this continent. It Inquirer . Others appeared on the Radio Times is also most satisfying to have worked in tandem program of National Public Radio for an hour-long with the dynamic program in Jewish Studies at interview on our annual theme. The Pennsylvania Penn. Penn has emerged as a major leader in Gazette also featured our year in a lead story. Jewish studies in the world primarily because of this synergy between the two programs. We eagerly We also ran ten highly successful lectures in the look forward to preserving and enhancing the larger Philadelphia community, a series at the excellence of both programs in future years. Center for Jewish History in NYC, and several seminars for local rabbis. Our board retreat was held in October following parents’ weekend and it continues to be the highlight of the year for board members and other invited guests. Many also returned for our annual conference and for the first time, we ran an evening program on the current economic woes especially afflicting the Jewish community. The panelists were board members and fellows who shared their wisdom and experience with each other. Yechiel Schur, our new director of public programs, now called the Klatt Family Director of Public Programs [we celebrated David B. Ruderman this naming at the conference dinner], launched an Joseph Meyerhoff Professor of Modern Jewish History Ella Darivoff Director, Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies The Jewish Studies Program at Penn produces the Jewish Studies @ Penn newsletter annually. Editor: Christine Walsh Assistant Editors: Beth Wenger and Rebecca Stern We are grateful to Michelle and Peter, C’81/WG’85, Roth for their ongoing sponsorship of this newsletter, and for the Newton Family Fund’s support this year. 3 Jewish Studies Program News A BOUT OUR S TUDENTS Graduation Eleven students graduated with majors or minors in the different Jewish Studies departmental tracks. Five seniors completed the Jewish Studies Program’s Interdisciplinary Major: Rebecca Bootin, Jonathan Klatt, Yael Landman, Adam Teitcher, and Drew Feith Tye. One student completed the Jewish History Major in the Department of History: Max Greenky. Five seniors completed the Jewish Studies Program’s Interdisciplinary Minor: Benjamin Benjamin Bernstein, C’09, (center) listening to fellow Jewish Studies students presenting their research. Bernstein, Ryan Bernstein, Jennifer Guttman, Lindsay King, and Rikki Steil. “I Dance Between Daggers: The Audacious In addition, JSP has established the Judah Poetry of Celia Dropkin,” by Drew Feith Tye. Goldin Memorial Prize for Excellence in Advanced Hebrew Studies (replaces the Prizes and Honors B’nai Zion Award).