Bennett Center For Judaic Studies Annual Newsletter – Summer 2023

VOLUME TWENTY-NINE, NUMBER ONE SUMMER 2023

JUDAIC STUDIES ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

JUDAIC STUDIES ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

A PUBLICATION OF THE BENNETT CENTER FOR JUDAIC STUDIES AT FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY

Learning how to run the Bennett Center has been made much easier thanks to the able support and insights of Maria King, as well as the guidance of our Provost, Christine Siegel, PhD, and our Dean Richard Greenwald, PhD. I owe a special thanks, as well, to members of the Bennett Center’s advisory board, local rabbis, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield.

As you will see, we have an extraordinary array of programs lined up for next year, including visits by world-renowned

From the Director of the Bennett Center

During the 2023-24 academic year, as the world began to re-open, the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies hosted a rich variety of events in person and on livestream. As the new Carl and Dorothy Professor of Judaic Studies and Director of the Bennett Center, I worked alongside our new program manager, Maria King, to build on the achievements of my renowned predecessor, Professor Ellen Umansky, PhD. We were warmly welcomed by students, colleagues, and members of the greater Fairfield community, and continue to be dazzled by the generosity of the Bennett Center’s supporters.

As a way of honoring Professor Umansky’s legacy, I have been working with University Archivist Elise Bochinski and John Novak, associate dean of the library, on digitizing and scanning nearly two hundred programs sponsored or cosponsored by the Bennett Center over the past twenty-eight years. These videos will be viewable free of charge, thanks to the generous supporters of this project.

FALL 2022 – SPRING 2023 HIGHLIGHTS AND EVENTS…

Rosh Hashanah Celebration

SEPTEMBER 14

Complete with shofar blasts and seasonal food, students, faculty, and staff gathered in the center of campus for a Rosh Hashanah celebration. Jewish students and their friends also took part in a “Pizza in the Hut” gathering the evening of October 4. Co-sponsored by Campus Ministry

Sukkot Celebration

SEPTEMBER

In the fall of 2022 the Bennett Center and Campus Ministry constructed a sukkah in the courtyard by Donnarumma Hall, where students and faculty shared lunch and conversation. In addition, several classes took “field trips” to the sukkah for a discussion on the various themes central to the Festival.

Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies

of the Ukraine crisis embodied in President Volodymyr Zelensky, “a Russian-speaking Jewish comedian accused of being a Ukrainian Nazi stepping into the role of Winston Churchill”. Made possible by the generosity of Debby and David Zieff and co-sponsored by Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies.

“Rabbis and Demons in Late Antiquity”

FEBRUARY 23

Sara Ronis, PhD, associate professor of theology at St. Mary’s University, Texas; author of Demons in the Details: Demonic Discourse and Rabbinic Culture in the Babylonian Talmud (August 2022). Dr. Ronis gave a thought-provoking talk about the unexpected ways in which demons are constructed in the Talmud, and what it tells us about Jewish society in late antiquity.

“Weaving Biblical Stories Through Women’s Work: Textile Exegesis”

FEBRUARY 27

NOVEMBER 16

Marci Shore, PhD, associate professor of history at Yale University and author of The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution (Yale University Press), presented the tragicomic Jewish dimension

Vivienne Rowett, an Old Testament/Hebrew Bible scholar and award-winning artist, demonstrated her use of material culture, stitching, sewing, knitting, and weaving to interpret biblical texts. Co-Sponsored by Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Religious Studies, and Visual & Performing Arts.

“ ‘I Need Ammunition, Not a Lift’: Jews and the Ukrainian Question at a Time of War”

Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies, November 16

Sara Ronis, PhD, February 23

Vivienne Rowett, February 27

17th Annual Lecture in JewishChristian Engagement

and the Far-Right: A Challenge to Jewish-Christian Relations”

MARCH 22

Rev. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, PhD, the new Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College, spoke about the rise of farright, antisemitism, racism and nationalism. Rev. Dr. Joslyn-Siemiatkoski argued for the importance of Christian resistance to these trends, including strengthening JewishChristian relations. Co-sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies.

Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lecture

“Striving for Justice: Searching for Common Ground”

APRIL 3 - 25

Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, founder of Nozizwe Consulting, captivated the audience with stories of growing up Black and female in apartheid South Africa. With humor and passion, Rev. Tutu promoted a much-needed message of healing and wholeness. Sponsored by the Frank Jacoby Foundation, maintained by Debby and David Zieff, and co-sponsored by Open VISIONS Forum.

Annual Holocaust Remembrance Service

APRIL 18

This year’s Holocaust Remembrance service featured prayers, poems, music, and an eye-opening discussion with Emil Fish, a survivor of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp, moderated by Dr. Shay Pilnik, Director of the Fish Center at Yeshiva University. Co-sponsored by Campus Ministry and The Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County.

Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Scholar-in Residence Lecture, “Fradl Shtok and Women Writing Jewish Modernity”

APRIL 20

Allison Schachter, PhD, Chair of the Department of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University, presented a counter-history of modern Yiddish literature during her tenure as Scholar-in-Residence. Dr. Schachter discussed how she has pieced together women’s artistic and literary lives to enable a new account of Yiddish modernism through the example of the modernist writer Fradl Shtok. The following day, Congregation Beth El of Fairfield hosted a lunchtime discussion led by Dr. Schachter for local clergy and Jewish educators. Made possible by the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation.

International Workshop on the Hasidic Sermon

MARCH 24 AND

25

This unique gathering of scholars from Israel and North America was devoted to theorizing the Hasidic sermon, the key genre of the most influential Jewish religious movement in pre-Holocaust Eastern Europe, Hasidism. Elliot R. Wolfson, the Marsha and Jay Glazer Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies and Distinguished Professor of Religion at University of California, Santa Barbara, delivered an evening keynote address. Made possible by The Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation.

Bennett Center Donor Reception

MAY 3

Donors, Judaic Studies faculty, staff, and University administrators came together for a wonderful reception, which featured an avant-garde Jewish Jazz presentation by the Jon Madof and Greg Wall Quartet.

“Antisemitism

Rev. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, PhD, March 22

Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, April 3 - 25

Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Scholarin Residence Lecture, April 20

International Workshop on the Hasidic Sermon. March 24 and 25

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2023-2024 PROGRAMS

Tuesday, September 19 | 7:30 p.m.

Kelley Theater, Quick Center for the ArtsBennett Lecture for Judaic Studies.

Thursday, October 5 | 9:30 a.m.

Barone Campus Center, Dogwood Room

Symposium Day 2: “Arthur Szyk: Art, Propaganda, Memory.”

Honors College at Boston University. Dr Dellheim will tell the story of Jewish dealers of Old Masters, promoters of modern art, and victims of Nazi plunder in two days of lectures, presentations, and discussions Co-sponsored by Congregation B'nai Israel of Bridgeport

Dara Horn, PhD. The acclaimed author and essayist will discuss the recent rise in antisemitism and the problematics of Holocaust education in a new and challenging way. With Evan Bernstein, CEO and National Director CSS (Community Security Service) and former Vice President, Northeast Division, of the ADL.Co-Sponsored by the Quick Center for the Arts and Congregation B'nai Israel of Bridgeport

Thursday, September 28 | 5 p.m.

Bellarmine Hall

Arthur Szyk Exhibition Opening

Join us to celebrate the opening of this landmark exhibition in the Museum’s Bellarmine Hall Galleries and enjoy the reception in the Great Hall, featuring an Introduction by Irvin Ungar and a lecture by Professor Philip Eliasoph. CoSponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield and Open VISIONS.

Wednesday, October 4 | 5 p.m.

Kelley Presentation Room

Symposium Day 1: “Arthur Szyk: Art, Propaganda, Memory.”

Keynote speaker Stephen Luckert, PhD, senior program curator, Levine Institute for Holocaust Education, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will deliver a talk entitled “Depicting Evil: Arthur Szyk’s Anti-Nazi Caricatures”.

Join leading scholars and curators from across the country for perspectives on Szyk’s impact on art, politics, and culture. Speakers include Glenn Dynner, PhD; Samuel D. Gruber, PhD, Wendy Lower, PhD; Jonathan Petropoulos, PhD; Gavriel Rosenfeld, PhD; Ori Z. Soltes, PhD; Francesco Spagnolo, PhD; and Ellen M. Umansky, PhD.

Tuesday, October 17 | 7:30 p.m.

Kelley Theater, Quick Center for the Arts

Art Spiegelman, “Surviving Maus: Visualizing the Unimaginable”

Join Pulitzer Prizer winner Art Spiegelman for a lecture and discussion about Maus, his classic, ground-breaking study of the Holocaust in Poland. Co-Sponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield and Open VISIONS.

Thursday, November 2 | 7:30 p.m.

Kelley Presentation Room

Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation Scholar-inResidence, “Belonging and Betrayal: How Jews Made Art Modern.”

Charles Dellheim, PhD, author of Belonging and Betrayal: How Jews Made Art Modern (2021), professor of history at Boston University, and director of the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand

Tuesday, November 14 | 7:30 p.m.

Kelley Theater, Quick Center for the Arts

26th Jacoby-Lunin

Humanitarian Lecture “Turning Inter-Religious Dialogue into Prayer: Transformations of Abraham Joshua Heschel”

Susannah Heschel, PhD, the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College. Dr. Heschel pays tribute to her father Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most eminent rabbinical scholars and humanists of our time whose philosophical journey, after being deported by the Nazis in 1938 and immigrating to the U.S., led him to fight for the rights of oppressed minorities in the United States and beyond. CoSponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield and Open VISIONS.

Spring 2024 programs are still in the process of formation. For details and locations and to register for events, visit fairfield.edu/ bennettprograms. For general questions, contact the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

"In the Haunted Jewish Present: On (Not) Confronting Antisemitism"

FACULTY FOCUS

This past year, Patricia Behre, PhD, chair of the Department of History, taught two sections of HIST2205: "Antisemitism, Medieval to Modern" and teamed up with Dr. Nick Rutter of the History Department (teaching "The Third Reich") to host the film Weapons of the Spirit about the refuge village of Le Chambon, France during the war years. An appearance by the filmmaker, Pierre Sauvage is scheduled for the near future. She organized a workshop to increase social justice offerings in the History Department, and continues her own research projects on Sephardic Jews in colonial Louisiana, and the history of atheism.

Glenn Dynner, PhD, is the new Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies and director of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies. A recent Guggenheim recipient, he is currently Editor of the journal Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. This year he co-edited the book Jewish Women in Modern Eastern & Central Europe (Springer Press) with Dr. Elissa Bemporad, and authored several book reviews. He also served on the Association for Jewish Studies Nominating Committee, the Center for Jewish History Advisory Board, and the Center for Jewish History Library and Archives Board. Dynner is currently working on a book titled The Light of Learning: Hasidism in Poland on the Eve of the Holocaust, forthcoming on Oxford University Press.

Philip Eliasoph, PhD continues to contribute his weekly reviews for The New York Times as the featured Arts & Visual Culture faculty blogger. Connecting faculty and students on this global platform exclusively available through university libraries linked at nytimesineducation.com, he offers pedagogical insights for articles about art history, museum and gallery reviews, and art market trends. Over the past year, he has hosted at the Quick Center's Open VISIONS Forum many lectures and live interviews and is collaborating with the Fairfield University Art Museum, the Bennett Center, and the undergraduate Judaic Studies program on a major exhibition in fall 2023 featuring the work of Polish Jewish artist Arthur Szyk. This year, he will teach an OPEN MINDS course entitled “Jewish Art & Spirituality from Sinai to Szyk: Defying Idols/Inventing Icons.”

Continuing to teach two courses a semester in the Department of Religious Studies, Rabbi Jim Prosnit will also continue to serve through Campus Ministry as the University's Jewish chaplain. He has been working with the associate director of Transition and Retention in the Office of Student Engagement, Marissa Lischinsky '12, to help revitalize Kadima, Fairfield's Jewish Student Organization.

Karen Langton, PhD comes to Fairfield University from the University of Houston. Her PhD is in Hebrew Bible from the University of Birmingham (UK). She presents at major national and international conferences and is chair of the feminist division of studies for the International Society of Biblical Scholarship. At Fairfield, she has contributed to the university by bringing in visiting artist Vivienne Rowett and organizing a student colloquium entitled Social Justice in the Humanities. In conjunction with the Fairfield University Art Museum's Arthur Syzk exhibit, Dr. Langton is organizing a student symposium entitled "The Art of Arthur Szyk: Student Reflections on Social Justice."

LUNCH AND LEARN

This spring, twenty-three adult learners attended “The Literature of Jewish Modernity” with Dr. Glenn Dynner. This class explored how Jews began to grapple with the challenges of modernity and increasingly virulent forms of antisemitism through literary genres like poetry and fiction. Cosponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County. Next year’s topic is TBA.

MONTHLY KABBALAT SHABBAT SERVICES AND KIDDUSH

Kadima, Fairfield's Jewish Student Organization

Campus Ministry and the Bennett Center co-sponsored six Shabbat services during the 2022-2023 academic year, led by Rabbi Prosnit. The in-person services provided a welcome opportunity for faculty, staff and students to gather. Made possible by support from the Bennett Center and Campus Ministry.

The Jewish undergraduate cultural club, Kadima, hosted in person celebrations in the McGrath Room of Egan Chapel for T'U B'shvat, Purim and Passover. About twenty students, faculty, and staff enjoyed the opportunity to gather and learn about the festivals.

Undergraduate Courses- Fall 2023

Caroline Russo ’24, received the Congregation B’nai Israel Academic Achievement Award in Judaic Studies, given by Congregation B’nai Israel in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to recognize outstanding undergraduate work in Judaic studies. Russo is a psychology major who has taken a combination of religion classes on Catholicism, Judaism, and Mormonism. She has most enjoyed her Judaic studies classes and their dialogue around interfaith issues. Her work in her History of Jewish Mysticism course demonstrates a deep mastery of complex concepts in Jewish religious thought, a gift for written expression, and a deep empathy with the Jewish historical experience. Russo is currently the head of the Psychology of the Women in STEM Club and Founder and President of FeelGood, which works under the global nonprofit organization The Hunger Project.

The following undergraduate courses in Judaic Studies will be offered this fall:

HISTORY

Godless: Atheist and Skeptical Thought in the West - Dr. Patricia Behre

OPEN MINDS INSTITUTE

Jewish Art & Spirituality from Sinai to Szyk – Dr. Philip Eliasoph

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Hebrew Bible/Old Testament - Rabbi Jim Prosnit

Hebrew Bible/Old Testament - Dr. Karen Langton (Visiting Asst. Professor)

Jewish Interpretations of Scriptures – Rabbi Jim Prosnit

The Literature of Jewish Modernity - Dr. Glenn Dynner

Jewish Mysticism from Antiquity to the PresentDr. Glenn Dynner

BENNETT CENTER DONOR HONOR ROLL

July 2022 – June 2023

The Bennet Center for Judaic Studies was founded in 1993 with a visionary gift from the late Carl and Dorothy Bennett of Greenwich, Connecticut. We are deeply grateful for the continued generosity and leadership of the Carl & Dorothy Bennett Foundation that has a direct impact on all the Bennett Center activities and programs.

We are also appreciative of the generous, long time support of the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation under the guidance of Fred and Janet Plotkin. In addition, the Bennett Center is thankful to benefit from endowment funds that support the Bennett Chair in Judaic Studies, the Diane Feigenson Lecture in Jewish Literature, the Samuel and Bettie Roberts Lecture in Jewish Art, and the Littauer Fund.

We want to thank the following individuals and foundations for their support of the Bennett Center and the Judaic Studies Program from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. Your partnership and ongoing generosity ensure that Fairfield University and the greater Fairfield community can continue to benefit from the rich variety of programs and lectures offered by the Bennett Center.

FOUNDATION DONATIONS:

Bennett Family Foundation

Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County

Frank Jacoby Foundation

Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven

The Koren Foundation

Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation

The Zieff Family Fund

INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:

Anonymous

Stuart Belkin and Maureen Dewan

Marc Bennett

Jonathan and Elaine Bowman

Mary Beth Brown '96

Robert '71, M'84 and Gail Buccino

Barry and Marsha Cohen

Joseph Confeiteiro '22

Richard and Carole Eisner

Eric '08 and Kelly Falcone '10

Arthur M'21 and Ellen Gang

Gail Goldblat

Eric and Ruth Gross

Mark and Janet Hershey

Robert and Judith Jacobson

Milton Jacoby '62

Robin '96 and Joseph Kanarek

Douglas and Sharon Karp

Ronald and Brenda Kleinman P'01

Michael and Shelley Kreiger

Francis Nelling '02

Fred and Janet Plotkin

Gerald and Elaine Rosenberg

George and Lisbeth Ruderman

Barbara '75 and Evan Salop

Diane Schwartz

Harry Seifert and Lisa Montenegro P'24

Rachel Shur

Ellen Umansky

Marc and Patricia Young P'10

David and Debby Zieff

Wallace and Deborah Zuckerman

JUDAIC STUDIES FACULTY STAFF 2023-24 &

BENNETT CENTER DIRECTOR & UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Glenn Dynner, PhD Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies

ASSOCIATED FACULTY

Patricia Behre, PhD Associate Professor of History

Early Modern France and Europe, Medieval Europe, History of Antisemitism, History of Atheism

Philip Eliasoph, PhD Professor of Visual and Performing Arts: Italian Renaissance Civilization, Media and Propaganda in 20th Century Europe

Rabbi James Prosnit, D.D. Lecturer, Department of Religious Studies

Classic Rabbinic Texts, Jewish Liturgy

Karen Langton, PhD Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies

Hebrew Bible, Gender Studies

BENNETT CENTER STAFF

Maria King Program Manager

ADVISORY BOARD

Marc Bennett

Robin Kanarek

Dr. Patricia Behre

Dr. Glenn Dynner

Shelley Kreiger

Doug Karp

Marissa Lischinsky

Barbara Salop

Rabbi Jim Prosnit

Peter Willner

David Zieff

Sheila Romanowitz

FRIENDS OF THE BENNETT CENTER AT FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY

Support the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and make a gift that helps us continue to enrich the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual life of Fairfield University through lectures, programs, monthly Shabbat services, workshops, and the Archive Project.

Golden Benefactor……… $100,000+ Special Benefactor……….. $50,000+ Benefactor $35,000+ Special Sponsor $15,000+ Sponsor $5,000+

Name Address

Patron $1,000+ Friend $500+ Supporter $200+ Contributor up to $199

Phone number ( ) Email Bennett Center Programming $ Archive Fund $

Give online: fairfield.edu/bennettcenter and click support or mail check and form to Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, DMH 245, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824

Bennett Center for Judaic Studies