Program Focus
The Program was successful at initiating a Jewish educational and cultural address at Drexel University. It soon became clear that the Program could do more. Given its expertise and enthusiasm in working with the outside community, the Judaic Studies Program has dedicated itself to collaborations in vital areas which are often overlooked. The first is education about Jewish life in Europe before World War II. Secondly, the Program specializes intergenerational ethnic education. Our third focus is on Israel.
We focus on education about Jewish life in Europe before World War II, in order that future generations learn about this rich and varied civilization that was so brutally decimated by the Nazis. The Program ran an intergenerational Introduction to Yiddish Culture class, in which Drexel students, faculty and staff studied together with children of European immigrants. The program has helped to cultivate the appreciation of Yiddish by running workshops on using Yiddish in English-language poetry writing. The workshops involved Drexel students, Jewish day high school students and senior citizens who are native Yiddish speakers. Another program brought Holocaust survivors into Jewish day school classrooms to give first-hand descriptions of their everyday lives growing up in Europe before World War II, while the observing Drexel students in the course, Yiddish Literature and Culture, created ethnographic reports. At the present, the staff is in the midst of making an educational film on the life and art of Holocaust survivor Toby Fluek, whose inimitable work depicts traditional life in a Polish village. The film will creatively preserve Yiddish language and song for future generations. Furthermore, Drexel Judaic Studies is the initiator of a collaborative institution to train advanced Yiddish experts, who would teach the generations of tomorrow about Yiddish language and culture.
Secondly, we specialize in intergenerational ethnic education programs. One such project brought together Drexel students studying Contemporary Jewish Life, South Philadelphia senior citizens at the JCCs Stiffel Center, and Jewish day school students from the Perelman Stern Center in Wynnewood, to explore issues of living Jewish history. The intergenerational work has also included Yiddish and English poetry writing workshops. In another course, The Jewish Cultural Tapestry, Drexel students joined with pupils in a local synagogue school, and elderly and middle-aged representatives of different Jewish subgroups from the area to examine the meaning gained from observing rituals and customs. Judaic Studies hopes to publish a book which documents our many intergenerational programs in word and image, for the benefit of educators and families from diverse backgrounds.
In addition, the Program organizes educational and cultural projects to underscore the centrality of Israel for the Jewish people during its history. We feel that this is especially relevant today, when often a student’s only familiarity with Israel relates to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Our courses and programs underscore the diverse nature and significant accomplishments of Israeli society. We developed the course, Israel: Language and Society, taught six times, in part to train students planning to take part in Drexel’s Co-op in Israel Program. Between the spring of 1999 and fall of 2001, thirteen of the best Drexel students in a variety of majors worked full-time and lived in Israel for six month periods. They received rave reviews from their employers, and we hope that the political situation will enable us to resume this unique project. In summer 2002, Adjunct Professor Amiram Amitai’s course on Israeli Cinema featured a sneak preview and discussion of his film on the Pollard case. In fall quarter 2003, Drexel students took part in a successful intergenerational project, wherein eight local Israelis met with first, second, sixth, and seventh graders at Congregation Beth Zion-Beth Israel, exploring the topic, Growing Up in Israel. The series of classes were planned together with the staff of the Consulate General of Israel. We have also featured an array of public programs at Drexel that have spanned topics such as the archeology of Jerusalem, the Hebrew poet Bialik in Israel, films on Israel’s minorities, a conversation with best selling author Orly Castel-Bloom, a conversation between a Jewish and Arab Israeli on their connection to the land, and a first-hand recounting of Zionist youth who went to Israel at the time of the creation of the State. Our Program has become a forum for Jewish and non-Jewish students of all ages to examine the issues and history of Zionism and Israel.
Our Supporters
The Louis and Bessie Stein Foundation. An initial generous grant from the Foundation to Drexel University in June of 1998 provided funds to start the Program and hire its first director. Grants in subsequent years supported the administration and running of the Program, including academic instruction, public programs and collaboration with other University units.
Harry Stern '43, '56. Funds donated to the Program from this generous alumnus allowed the Program to renovate office facilities and construct a Judaic Studies Seminar Room. In November 2001 the Harry Stern Judaic Studies Seminar Room was dedicated in memory of his wife, Martha Novosellor Stern. The headquarters and seminar room are located on the third floor of the W.W. Hagerty Library.
The Estate of Simon Bond. Funds provided by the estate of Simon Bond established the Yiddish Studies Fund of the Judaic Studies Program. Its purposes are:
To support the development of educational projects which emphasize the continuity of Yiddish culture.
To create educational programs based on a knowledge and understanding of the Yiddish language.
To promote the training of a new generation of scholars and communal professionals who understand the Yiddish language within its cultural milieu and traditions and who seek ways to transmit this knowledge and appreciation.
To cultivate ways of teaching about the world of Yiddish language and culture in Eastern Europe that was destroyed by the Nazis.
The Robert Saligman Charitable Foundation. The Foundation helped establish the Saligman Program on Intergenerational Ethnic Education within the Judaic Studies Program. The Program funds educational projects that are based on the living resources represented by individuals and groups in the community.
The Milton and Miriam Handler Foundation. The Foundation supports new courses and lectures sponsored by the Judaic Studies Program.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. The Federation has supported intergenerational education programs through annual cultural grants.
The Friends of Judaic Studies. Financial supporters who are committed to our work and take part in our activities. Special events are organized for this group, which was begun in 2002.
The Josephine and Julius Cohen Award in Judaic Studies.
Awarded to students each year in the Judaic Studies Program who have completed outstanding work, the award was established by a gift from Dr. D. Walter Cohen, Judaic Studies Advisory Board Member, Chancellor Emeritus of the Drexel College of Medicine, and is named for Dr. Cohen's grandparents, immigrants to the United States who demonstrated great love and respect for learning.
Dr. Doreen Ray Steg and Dr. Leo Steg Memorial Fund. Upon the death of Dr. Doreen Ray Steg, a Drexel faculty member who initiated the establishment of Drexel’s Judaic Studies Program, and her husband, Dr. Leo Steg, the family designated the Judaic Studies Program as a recipient of gifts. This fund was then established in their memory by the Judaic Studies Program.
Albert Soffa ’44 Memorial Fund. Upon the death of Albert Soffa ‘44, Judaic Studies Advisory Board member, and Trustee Emeritus of Drexel University, the family directed gifts toward the Judaic Studies Program. The Program then established this fund in Mr. Soffa’s memory.
The Judaic Studies Program is grateful for the generosity and support of several individuals and foundations.