JUDAIC STUDIES
JUDAIC STUDIES ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
Looking back over the 2024-25 academic year I am filled with gratitude towards our donors, supporters, and friends for enabling us to bring extraordinary speakers to guide us, challenge us, and stimulate lively discourse this year: Aomar Boun, Bari Weiss, David Myers, Nomi Stolzenberg, Massimo Faggioli, Joseph Angel, Tobi Kahn, Anne Applebaum, and Peter Haslund; as well as dazzling concert/talks like Mark Ludwig’s Terezín Project and Krakauer and Tagg’s Good Vibes Explosion. The timing of each event was uncanny, helping us cope with fresh tragedies and dilemmas throughout the year while fostering a deep sense of community and cross-communal discourse. The Bennett Center emerged as a guiding light for Fairfield University during some challenging times.
It is with mixed feelings that I announce that the 2024-25
was my
as Director of the
as
new opportunities at the University of Virginia. However, the Center will be in
Robin Kanarek, Glenn Dynner, Anne Appelbaum, and Joe Kanarek
FALL 2024 – SPRING 2025 HIGHLIGHTS AND EVENTS…
“Hasidic Politics in America: A Pre-Election Perspective”
OCTOBER 10
This pre-election talk featured David Myers, PhD, professor of history and the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA and Nomi Stolzenberg, PhD, the Nathan and Lily Shapell Chair at the University of Southern California. Their joint presentation offered critical insights into the intersection of religion, law, and politics, as explored in their co-authored work American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, a Hasidic Village in Upstate New York Professors Myers and Stolzenberg addresssed the politics and voting patterns of Hasidim and other ultra-orthodox (haredi) Jews in America.
The Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies
“Jewish Identity in Contemporary Morocco: Memory, Reconciliation, and Citizenship”
SEPTEMBER 26
Aomar Boum, professor of Anthropology and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA, discussed MuslimJewish relations in Morocco from the 19th century to the present, including a survey of contemporary Moroccan Jewish literature and culture.
Co-Sponsored with the Sociology & Anthropology Department.
27th Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lecture
“Performance and Talk with Mark Ludwig and the Terezín
Project”
NOVEMBER 14
Mark Ludwig, director of the Terezín Music Foundation, led a wonderful program of narration, art, and music by several composers who perished in the Holocaust. The presentation included performances by the Terezín Quartet accompanied by a live painting by artist Jim Schantz.
Co-Sponsored with the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County and Open Visions Forum.
Bennett Center Lecture in Judaic Studies
“An
Evening with Bari Weiss – A Community Forum”
OCTOBER 28
Bari Weiss, founder and editor of The Free Press and former opinion writer and editor at The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Tablet Magazine, led a community forum and group discussion with President Nemec and Dr. Glenn Dynner addressing the current rise of antisemitism and anti-Zionism in America, with a focus on its impact within institutions of higher education. The conversation highlighted the urgent need for awareness and proactive efforts to combat these challenges in academic and public spaces.
Co-Sponsored with the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County and Open Visions Forum
“Poetry,
Catastrophe,
and Hope in the Book of Isaiah”
FEBRUARY 11
Francis Landy, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Alberta, discussed how Isaiah responded poetically to the catastrophes of his age and projected a vision of a new humanity.
Co-Sponsored with the Humanities Department
19th Annual Lecture in JewishChristian Engagement
“Catholics and Antisemitism: Reading Nostra Aetate in 2025”
MARCH 19
Massimo Faggioli, PhD, professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University, talked about how Catholics have a particular responsibility to respond to issues like globalization; the end of the exceptionalism of the Holocaust; the effects of the war in Israel and Palestine; and the theology of Jewish-Christian dialogue in light of Vatican II.
Co-Sponsored with the Center for Catholic Studies
Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Scholar-in-Residence Lecture
Daniel Pearl Memorial Concert “Krakauer and Tagg’s Good Vibes Explosion”
FEBRUARY 20
Renowned klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer and South African pianist and composer Kathleen Tagg created a musical celebration of our shared humanity by offering an exuberant, highoctane performance of klezmer music infused with square dance, polka, hora, calypso, hornpipe, and hip-hop.
Co-Sponsored with the Quick Center for the Arts and the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County
“Was There an End to Prophecy?”
MARCH 18
Jack Tannous, PhD, associate professor of History and Hellenic Studies at Princeton University and director of the program in Hellenic Studies, gave a riveting talk to scholars and students about the Syriacspeaking Christian communities of the Near East.
The Bennett Lecture in Judaic Studies “On Authoritarianism: The Future of Democracy and the Rise of Fascism Worldwide”
APRIL 22
Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic and senior fellow at the Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, led a harrowing discussion about the rise of authoritarianism in America and Europe. Drawing on her expertise in European history and international affairs, she examined the role of disinformation, media manipulation, and political populism in shaping today’s geopolitical landscape.
Co-Sponsored with the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County
Annual Holocaust Remembrance Service
“Scrolls and Scripture: The History of the Bible in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls Discoveries”
APRIL 3
Joseph Angel, PhD, professor of Bible and Jewish History at Yeshiva University, delivered an illuminating presentation of his scholarship on the Dead Sea Scrolls, which contain the oldest known versions of the Hebrew scriptures in addition to rich, variant sectarian literature.
The Bettie and Samuel Roberts Jewish Art Lectureship
“Distilled Beauty: The Art of Tobi Kahn”
APRIL 8
Tobi Kahn, a renowned painter and sculptor, presented his own work in the context of modern Jewish identity and culture.
Co-Sponsored with Fairfield University Art Museum
APRIL 24
This year's service featured music, prayer, poetry, and a moving presentation by Peter Haslund, PhD, who survived the Holocaust as a child in rural Denmark under the heroic care of a foster family. He reflected on the courage of those who risked their lives to protect him, and the emotional complexities survivors face in reconciling with postwar generations. Clergy and members of the University community—including Glenn Dynner, PhD; Rev. John Savard, S.J., ’78; Rabbi Evan Schultz; Patricia Behre, PhD; Philip Eliasoph, PhD; Rabbi David Katz: Richard Greenwald, PhD; Rabbi James Prosnit; and Rev. Paul Rourke, S.J.—helped lead the service.
Co-Sponsored by Campus Ministry and the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County.
Philip Eliasoph, PhD; Glenn Dynner, PhD; Mark Ludwig, Debby and David Zieff
Patricia Behre, PhD; Glenn Dynner, PhD; Anne Applebaum
Nomi Stolzenberg, PhD and David Myers, PhD
Philip Eliasoph, PhD; Tobi Kahn; Glenn Dynner, PhD
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025-2026 PROGRAMS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 |
5:30 P.M.
Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Scholar-in-Residence Lecture
“Forging Intellectual Bonds: Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Encounters in the Middle Ages”
Kelley Presentation Room
Alan Verskin, PhD, is the Samuel J. Zacks Chair of Jewish History at the University of Toronto. He has held academic positions at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Rhode Island. He researches the history of the Jews of the Islamic world, Ashkenazi-Sephardi interactions, and Jewish thought.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 |
5:30 P.M.
The Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies
“Israel@77 Through a Lens of October 7, 2023”
Kelley Presentation Room
Kenneth Stein, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Contemporary Middle Eastern History, Political Science, and Israeli Studies.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 |
7:30 P.M.
Daniel Pearl Memorial Concert
“The Golem: A Vision in Sound and Cinema”
Kelley Theater, Quick Center for the Arts
A German expressionist classic meets live klezmer-inspired music in Der Golem: How He Came into the World (1920) This silent film tells the story of Jews in medieval Prague who create a clay monster for protection — only to face dire consequences. Israeli composer Betty Olivero’s stirring score blends Yiddish folk tunes, Jewish liturgy, and avantgarde techniques, performed live for an unforgettable cinematic experience.
THE CARL AND DOROTHY BENNETT STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS IN JUDAIC STUDIES
The Bennett Center for Judaic Studies seeks to encourage and support students who have a deep interest in Judaic Studies. We are excited to announce the establishment of Bennett Scholarships, typically awarded at the start of Junior year to declared Judaic Studies minors. With the help of the Bennett Center’s supporters and friends, and in collaboration with the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Admissions, we plan to provide up to five students with scholarship resources for their Fairfield education as they pursue their interests in Judaic Studies. We are grateful to the Bennett Center Advisory Board for their vision and leadership in making this initiative a reality.
FACULTY FOCUS
New Bennett Center Director for Judaic Studies
Starting on September 1, 2025, Yaron Ayalon, PhD, succeeded Glenn Dynner as the Director of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University. He received his bachelor of arts in Middle East History and Education from Tel Aviv University, and his doctorate from Princeton University in Near Eastern Studies in 2009. Dr. Ayalon studies Sephardic Jews, the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East, and Israel using an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates history, psychology, sociology, climate science, and disaster studies. He is the author of two books: Ottoman Jewry: Leadership, Charity, and Literacy (Brill, 2024) and Natural Disasters in the Ottoman Empire: Plague, Famine, and Other Misfortunes (Cambridge, 2015). Dr. Ayalon has written over 20 articles, and served as an editor for the Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. From 2020 to 2024, he co-chaired the Sephardi/Mizrahi division of the Association for Jewish Studies. Dr. Ayalon comes to Fairfield University from the College of Charleston, where for over five years he served as the Director of the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program.
Patricia Behre PhD, continued as Chair of the History Department, beginning her third term this year. Under her direction, the History Department co-sponsored appearances by historian Douglas Brinkley and art history scholar Michael Davis. She appeared onstage with Anne Applebaum and Dr. Dynner in the spring. Also in spring, she taught two sections of her intermediate history course, "Antisemitism, Medieval to Modern" at Fairfield, and a shortened version for adult learners, "The Oldest Hatred," at the Jewish Community Center of New Haven in Woodbridge. She made a special appearance at the Bigelow Center in Fairfield to report on information imparted in a twoweek summer 2024 seminar in Oxford, UK, with the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, in the fall. Her research on Sephardic Jews in colonial Louisiana continues.
Glenn Dynner, PhD, is the former Director of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies. A recent Guggenheim recipient, he is Editor of the journal Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies and author of The Light of Learning: Hasidism in Poland on the Eve of the Holocaust (Oxford University Press, 2024); Yankel’s Tavern: Jews, Liquor & Life in the Kingdom of Poland (Oxford University Press, 2014); and of Men of Silk: The Hasidic Conquest of Polish Jewish Society (Oxford University Press, 2006). This Fall, he will join the faculty of the University of Virginia as the Jay Berkowitz Chair of Jewish History.
Continuing in his role as Special Assistant to the President for Arts and Culture, Philip Eliasoph PhD is exploring newly innovative pathways for student and community engagements in the arts and ‘life of the mind’ programing. Integrating Fairfield’s Ignatian Mission with an ongoing passion for Jewish education and learning, Philip strives to bring challenging and inspiring cultural lectures and programs to our community audiences inclusive of all ages, interests, and backgrounds. 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. Since Oct 7, Philip has been consulting with community committees dealing with the emergency crisis in Israel. He continues his research on the Jewish political satirist Arthur Szyk by tracking down a set of recently revealed forgeries floating around the global art market.
Continuing to teach two courses a semester in the Department of Religious Studies, Rabbi Jim Prosnit DD, serves through Campus Ministry as the University's Jewish Chaplain. He works to connect Jewish Students through Kadima, Fairfield's Jewish Student Organization..
LUNCH AND LEARN
This Spring, forty-five adult learners attended “The Jews of Poland: From the Middle Ages Through the Holocaust” with Dr. Glenn Dynner. This six-session course took them through centuries of Polish Jewish life, from the arrival in the Middle Ages, through the golden age of extensive Jewish self-government, down to the crises and catastrophes of the twentieth century. They explored the rich creations of Polish Jewry that emerged despite — and sometimes in response to — incidents of anti-Jewish violence, including movements like Hasidism, Haskalah, Modern Jewish literature, and Modern Jewish Politics (Zionism, Jewish Socialism, Diaspora Nationalism), concluding with an in-depth look at the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County. Next year’s topic TBA.
MONTHLY SHABBAT SERVICES, ROSH HASHANAH, SUKKOT, HANUKKAH, PURIM AND PASSOVER
Rabbi Prosnit led monthly Shabbat Services in the Interfaith Prayer space on campus that were attended by Jewish and non-Jewish students, faculty, staff and members of the broader Fairfield community. A Shabbat dinner sponsored by the Bennett Center and Campus Ministry following each service.
Other activities during the 2024-25 academic year included holiday celebrations for Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim and Passover and the annual Yom Hashoah service sponsored with the Bennett Center. In addition, a commemoration was held to remember the victims of October 7 and those still held hostage.
The Light of Learning Hasidism in Poland on the Eve of the Holocaust
By Glenn Dynner
The Light of Learning tells the story of an unexpected Hasidic revival in Poland on the eve of the Holocaust. In the aftermath of World War I, the Jewish mystical movement appeared to be in shambles. Hasidic leaders had dispersed, Hasidic courts lay in ruins, and the youth seemed swept up in secularist trends as a result of mandatory public schooling and new movements like Zionism and Jewish Socialism. Glenn Dynner shows that in response to this, Hasidic leaders reinvented themselves as educators devoted to rescuing the youth by means of thriving networks of heders (primary schools), Bais Yaakov schools for girls and women, and world-renowned yeshivas.
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES- FALL 2025
The following undergraduate courses in Judaic Studies will be offered this fall:
HISTORY
Early Modern France
Patricia Behre, PhD
Origins of the Modern World
Patricia Behre, PhD
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Rabbi Jim Prosnit
Jewish Interpretations of Scriptures
Rabbi Jim Prosnit
Josephus and
Jesus
New Evidence for
the
One Called Christ
By T. C. Schmidt
This book brings to light an extraordinary connection between Jesus of Nazareth and the Jewish historian Josephus. Writing in 93/94 CE, Josephus composed an account of Jesus known as the Testimonium Flavianum. Despite this being the oldest description of Jesus by a non-Christian, scholars have long doubted its authenticity due to the alleged pro-Christian claims it contains. This book, however, authenticates Josephus' authorship of the Testimonium Flavianum and reveals a startling observation: Josephus was directly familiar with those who put Jesus on trial. Consequently, Josephus would have had access to highly reliable information about the man from Nazareth. The book concludes by describing what Josephus tells us about the Jesus of history, his miracles, and his resurrection.
BENNETT CENTER
DONOR HONOR ROLL
July 2024 – June 2025
The Bennett Center for Judaic Studies was founded in 1993 by a gift from Carl and the late Dorothy Bennett of Greenwich, Connecticut. Endowments have funded 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 donors and foundations for their generous support of the Bennett Center and the Judaic Studies Program from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. Your partnership and generosity ensure that the Fairfield University Community and the greater Fairfield community can continue to benefit from the rich variety of programs and lectures offered by the Bennett Center.
A Special Recognition
We are deeply grateful to the Bennett Family Foundation and the Schnurmacher Foundation for their leadership annual support. The Bennet Center for Judaic Studies was founded in 1993 by a gift from the late Carl and Dorothy Bennett of Greenwich, Connecticut, and the continued generosity and leadership of the Bennett Family Foundation has a direct impact on all the Bennett Center activities and programs.
Foundation Donations:
Carl & Dorothy Bennett Foundation
Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County
Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven County
Frank Jacoby Foundation
Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford
Jewish Foundation of Greensboro
The Koren Foundation
Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation
The Zieff Family Fund
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
Individual Donations:
Anonymous
Stuart Belkin and Maureen Dewan
David ’04 and Jessica Baehr ’04, MBA’11
Henry and Marilyn Banach
Marc Bennett
Paul Berger
Jonathan and Elaine Bowman
Mary Beth Brown '96
Robert and Judith Chessin
Barry and Marsha Cohen
Joseph Confeiteiro '22
Kelly ’10 and Eric Falcone ’08
Robert L. Feigenson and Celeste Rodrigo
Marjorie S. Freeman
Arthur MA’21 and Ellen Gang
Gail Goldblat
Robert Herzlinger
Robert and Judith Jacobson
Milton Jacoby ’62
Robin ’96 and Joseph Kanarek
Jonathan and Stacy Kamisar
Ronald and Brenda Kleinman P'01
Donald Lamberty and Elsa J. Cantor
Wallace and Deborah Zuckerman
Marissa Lischinsky ’12
Joel and Susan Lichtenstein
Dennis and Janet Magid
Richard Mandel and Deborah Squiers
Samuel Miller
Stephen and Linda Murray MA’03
Niles P. Muzyk ’12
Alan and Kay Nudelman
Fred and Janet Plotkin
Marlene Polansky
Sheila L. Romanowitz
Gerald and Elaine Rosenberg
Harold and Anita Rosnick
Stephanie Ross
Barbara '75 and Evan Salop
Diane Schwartz
Paul and Lauren Seplowitz
Ronald and Nancy Smith
Norman and Kathy Solomon
Ellen Umansky
Jason Waxman
Marc and Patricia Young P'10
David and Debby Zieff
Bennett Ce nter for Judaic Studies
JUDAIC STUDIES FACULTY
& STAFF 2025-26 STAFF 2025-26
BENNETT CENTER DIRECTOR & UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Yaron Ayalon, PhD, incoming Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies
BENNETT CENTER STAFF
Maria King Program Manager
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
Special Assistant to the President for Arts and Culture, Professor, Art History & Visual Culture, Director, Open Visions Forum, Quick Center for the Arts
Rabbi James Prosnit, D.D.
Lecturer, Department of Religious Studies Classic Rabbinic Texts, Jewish Liturgy Jewish Chaplain, Campus Ministry
ADVISORY BOARD
Marc Bennett
Patricia Behre, PhD
Yaron Ayalon, PhD
Joseph Kanarek
Robin Kanarek
Shelley Kreiger
Doug Karp
Rabbi Jim Prosnit
Sheila Romanowitz
Barbara Salop
Peter Willner
David Zieff
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.
Benefactor
$10,000+
Name
Address
Phone number ( ) Email
Bennett Center Programming $ Scholarship Fund $
Give online: fairfield.edu/bennettcenter and click support, call toll-free at (877) 748-5123 (Visa, MasterCard, American Express), or mail check and form to Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, DMH 245, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824
BENNETT CENTER NEWSLETTER