The Jewish Press | July 10, 2020 | 3
Schwalb Center Continued from page 1 faculty grants were Dr. Roni Reiter-Palmon, Varner Professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Dr. Tatyana Novikov in Foreign Languages and Literature. Both faculty members will publish results of their research projects in academic journals over the next year. Dr. Reiter-Palmon’s general research work focuses on creativity and innovation in the workplace, cognitive processes and individual difference variables that influence creative performance of individuals, teams, and organizational adoption of innovative processes. She is collaborating with researchers at the University of Haifa to examine how individuals in different culAshton Linthicum tures adapt to difficult situations. Originally the project focused on Israeli populations responding to missile attacks and U.S. populations responding to natural disasters. However, with the onset of the global Coronavirus pandemic, the research project shifted to examining cross-cultural similarities and differences in response to the pandemic. Additional researchers joined the project. The final data analysis will include findings from Italy, China, Israel and the United States. Dr. Novikov immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union in 1989 and came to UNO in 1995 to teach Russian Studies. Her areas of expertise include Russian symbolist poetry, comparative literary studies, utopian and anti-utopian literary traditions, women’s writings and Russian émigré prose. Dr. Novikov is conducting a literary analysis of Emil Draister’s fictional works examining his use of Jewish themes and analyzing why he emerged as the preeminent Jewish writer on Russian emigration. Draitser, who left the Soviet Union in 1975, is a professor of Russian at Hunter College in New York City. His work examines anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union and the movement to free Soviet Jewry as well as the challenges faced by Soviet Jews who settled in the United States. Ashton Linthicum, a first-year graduate student at UNO in History, received support from the Schwalb Center for her research work examining women’s experiences in concentration camps during the Holocaust. Ashton argued, based on an emerging body of research, that Jewish women and men had significantly different experiences in the concentration camps based on their gender. Next year, Ashton plans to focus on examining how Jewish communities in the Southern U.S. interacted and adapted to African-American culinary culture. Finally, there are two undergraduate research projects being
conducted in the Omaha Jewish community over the next year. Kristy McGuire, a sophomore at UNO majoring in multidisciplinary studies, plans to become a trauma specialist working with children in community settings. She is conducting a research project examining Jewish family service organizations in Omaha and Minneapolis to identify and assess how
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Kristy McGuire
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childhood trauma is addressed. The purpose of her study is to compare how religious communities-in this case specifically Jewish communities-respond to the multifaceted needs of children within their care. Kristy hopes to present the results of this research project at academic conferences and publish in an academic journal. Kimberley O’Donnell, a sophomore at UNO who is majoring in Religious Studies and Philosophy, is studying the intersections of religion, thought, literature and identity. She plans to continue in graduate studies focusing on creative writing and religious thought. Over the past few years, Kimberley has been researching her own family’s Jewish heritage and eventually decided to embrace Judaism and join the Jewish community in Omaha. Inspired by her own process of self-discovery, Kimberley will be collecting oral histories within the Jewish community of Omaha to document the experiences of individuals who have converted to Judaism. The purpose of her study is to capture the intersecting complexities and realities of Jewish identity. The Schwalb Center is pleased to support faculty research. It is our hope that the Center’s support will encourage faculty at UNO who have not previously worked in these areas to take up research projects that contribute to Israel, Jewish and Middle East Studies scholarships. In addition, we are proud to support high quality graduate and undergraduate research projects. A central goal of the Schwalb Center is to assist students in developing nuanced and complex understandings of Jewish communities here in Omaha and throughout the world. We hope the experiences UNO students have through the Schwalb Center will contribute to their success as better informed professionals and citizens.
African-American and Jewish connections in music
ROBBY ERLICH Engagement Coordinator, Beth El Beth El Synagogue and the Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha are excited to present a summer virtual class starting on July 14. This course will examine how African-American and Jewish musicians, performers, directors and agents have influenced each other across time. Hip-hop, pop, Broadway, jazz, Tin Pan Alley and ragtime have all emerged with collaborations between African-American and Jewish creations. The course will involve brief lectures, listening to music, watching documentaries, reading academic articles and engaging in discussion. Dr. Jeannette Gabriel, Director of The Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies at UNO (who is teaching the course), said, “This course will both celebrate the positive interconnections between the two communities and also consider some of the complications of this relationship including the history of blackface in vaudeville and tensions between African-American bands and Jewish owned record companies.” Both groups went from being outsiders to becoming dominant forces in American music and this course will examine how exciting artistic collaborations helped propel African-American and Jewish musicians into the mainstream. Register for the class today, as virtual seating is limited, at www.Bethel-omaha.org. Classes are are July 14, 21, Billie Holiday, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. Feb. 1947 Credit: William 28 and Aug. 4 at 2 p.m.; participation is free. Please con- P. Gottlieb This class is graciously being underwritten by the Leonard tact Robby Erlich at rerlich@bethel-omaha.org with any Goldstein Fund at Beth El Synagogue. questions.
ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Due to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home temporarily being closed to the public, B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers will not meet until further notice. For specific speaker information, please email Gary.Javitch@Gmail.com, Breadbreakers chairman. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.
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