Dr. Jeffrey Blutinger: A Commitment to Judaism

Dr. Jeffrey Blutinger: A Commitment to Judaism

Written by Lynne Kass

“You need not complete the work, but you are not free to desist from it.”

This quote from the Mishnah was the driving force behind Dr. Jeffrey Blutinger’s decision to establish a bequest for Hillel through the Jewish Community Foundation. We spoke to him on a variety of subjects, including his ongoing desire to help Jewish students deepen their connection to the community through travel for Jewish purposes.

Commitment to Judaism

Dr. Blutinger grew up in a home in San Diego that was committed to the Jewish Community. His mother was a decades-long volunteer fundraiser for Women’s American ORT and his father, who was secular, grew up in Tel Aviv and joined the Haganah at age 18 to fight in the War of Independence in 1948. This led Jeffrey to become active in Hebrew School and the United Synagogue Youth (USY), but also in Habonim, the Labor Zionist Youth Group.

As an undergraduate at UCLA, Jeffrey was active with Hillel and the representative to the larger Jewish student council. After graduation, Jeffrey spent nine months volunteering in Israel on a Jewish Agency For Israel program in the (then) development town of Tzfat. He spent three months learning Hebrew and six months tutoring English, running a children’s English lending library and serving as a counselor in an after-school program that served children in the poorest section of town.

Jeffrey then attended law school at UCLA and practiced law for six years in Washington D.C. but was not happy being a lawyer. He loved Jewish history and was compelled to return to UCLA to pursue a doctorate in Jewish History where he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to pursue his Ph.D thesis research in Israel. He currently holds the titles of Full Professor in the History Department, the inaugural holder of the Barbara and Ray Alpert Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies, and the director of the Jewish Studies program, which was founded in 1999 by Dr. Arlene Lazarowitz. The majority of students who take Jewish studies classes are not Jewish and the program exposes all students to the full range of Jewish history, culture, and religion. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, working with a volunteer Jewish Studies Board and local donors allows Dr. Blutinger to ensure that the program brings the campus to the community through a lecture series, concerts, student awards and more.

In 2010-2011, Dr. Blutinger started a summer teacher training program on the Holocaust with approximately 25 to 40 participating teachers. The idea for the program came from Long Beach Jewish Community member and Holocaust survivor, Gerda Seifer, and was endowed by Eva and Eugene Schlesinger. It primarily serves public high school teachers in history and/or language arts, with a small number of middle school and elementary school teachers and some individuals who are still in credentialing programs.

Changing Landscape of the Jewish Studies Program and Campus Environment

Since 2014, the make-up of the Jewish Studies Program has changed dramatically. All tenured or tenure track professors in the program have retired or passed away. Courses are now taught by Dr. Blutinger or lecturers. This change has occurred for a number of reasons: some faculty originally hired to teach in Jewish studies did not get tenured and others chose not to teach at CSULB. No new professors are being hired, as hiring on campus has been very difficult since the recession and any positions that are being listed are in other departments but not in Jewish studies.

The student make-up in the program has remained consistent and two new courses have been added: Modern Israel and Introduction to Jewish Humor (which tends to attract more Jewish students).

Students are still very interested in study abroad opportunities, but the problem is cost. Dr. Blutinger has led a “History of the Holocaust” summer study abroad trip on 6 occasions since 2014 and currently has 18 interested students (7 with paid deposits) for Summer 2025. This is a three-and-a-half-week trip with stops in Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw, Lublin and Krakow. Unfortunately, there are only two scholarships available, so cost is definitely an issue.

As many of us know, the current campus climate is extremely difficult for students and staff alike. This began a few years pre-Covid with the push for the BDS movement on campus and a boycott of Hillel. Post-October 7th, things have gotten markedly worse with Dr. Blutinger and Hillel students being the targets of poster campaigns, pro-Hamas demonstrations, and many antisemitic speakers. Relationships between Dr. Blutinger and other departments have become very strained with a number of former colleagues who will no longer work with him. One of the most traumatizing events that has occurred took place at San Jose State where Dr. Blutinger was scheduled to speak. Close to 100 protestors gathered outside the lecture hall and began screaming and pounding on the doors to the point where Dr. Blutinger and the assembled students had to be evacuated to the police.

Things have improved slightly this year, thanks in part to the Time, Place and Manner Rules that CSULB has established. Although CSULB is prohibited by the state from regulating the content of speech, they can set rules around the place, time and manner of protests. Some examples of current policy include a prohibition on amplified sound in front of classrooms during class hours and a prohibition on burning anything in the quad. This has led to a significant reduction in disruptive speech, but things are still tense. Additionally, fears around ICE coming onto campus have become the primary focus for many students, faculty and administration.

Dr. Blutinger’s Ongoing Commitment

“The Jewish community here, through the Jewish Studies Board and the generosity of local donors, have made it possible for me to teach and do what I do,” states Dr. Blutinger. “If I can help students to have the types of Jewish experiences that I was fortunate to have, then I am doing a little bit more and investing in the future and taking my turn to give back. Being committed to a community means being committed to its future.”

To that end, Dr. Blutinger decided to update his will and set aside a percentage of his estate to help benefit future Hillel students. His bequest will establish scholarships for students affiliated with Hillel for domestic or international travel related to Jewish interests such as study abroad in Israel, short-term study abroad classes related to Jewish studies and attendance at Jewish conferences. “Travel deepens students’ connections to their heritage by allowing them a chance to explore and put themselves in new situations. My time in Israel made a significant impact on me and helped me find a life in the Jewish Community. If I can make a difference in the lives of Jewish students in the future, then I will have done my part,” states Dr. Blutinger who is beginning to anticipate retirement and plans to make Aliyah at that time. “By leaving a percentage of my estate, I can still provide for my family, and I am happy that I can also invest in the future and encourage others to look into ways they can provide for those who will come after us as well.”