FROM THE DIRECTOR It is my privilege to welcome you to the 2020-2021 academic year. This has been an extraordinarily challenging year with the global pandemic and the urgency of addressing the problems of racial injustice and inequities that have become so painfully evident in our communities and in our nation. As educators, scholars, and students in Jewish history and culture, we understand the importance of Jewish Studies for understanding the crisis, and the responsibility that we have in our teaching, scholarship, and engagement with the campus community and public. Those of us who were teaching courses in the spring semester had to transition to online instruction in March within a matter of days. The technical difficulties were great for both teachers and students, but maintaining a sense of community and continuing to make our educational mission relevant to the students under such difficult circumstances presented the greatest challenge. I was co-teaching a course on the “Global History of WWII” this past spring semester. Studying with my students about the greatest global crisis of the twentieth century served as a sobering reminder of what is at stake in the global pandemic that is also affecting the lives of millions of people. I am deeply grateful to our faculty and students who through their perseverance were able to successfully and meaningfully complete the semester. I am grateful to the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota for its continued support of the Center for Jewish Studies amid the ongoing uncertainties produced by COVID-19. I also take the opportunity to express my profound thanks to the staff of the CJS, Associate Director Natan Paradise and Outreach Coordinator Marial Coulter, who worked incredibly hard and creatively adjusted to the circumstances that were changing practically daily. We are particularly grateful to our community partners for your patience and continued support of the Center. Despite having to cancel community lectures and in-person colloquia last spring, the Center for Jewish Studies still had a vibrant year of events. It also marked a year of growth, and we are excited to 1 welcome two new members of the CJS faculty: Sheer Letter From the Director Ganor (Department of History) and Rachel Trocchio 2 (Department of English). I invite you to read this Associate Director’s Report magazine and learn about the activities of the CJS, and 3-4 about the teaching, scholarship and achievements of Undergraduate Student Spotlight our faculty and students. 4 We are excited about the eighteenth annual CJS Scholarship Winners Community Lecture Series, which will be held as virtual Graduate Student Spotlights 5-9 webinars online in the fall. We will keep you informed of other online events planned for the fall. We hope to be Faculty News & Notes 10-13 able to resume in-person events in the spring but have contingency plans for virtual lectures and events should Center for Jewish Studies Donors 14 that be necessary for public safety. I greatly value your engagement and interest Faculty Year in Review 15-18 in the Center for Jewish Studies and look forward to hearing from you. Welcome New Faculty Back Page
IN THIS EDITION
With Best Wishes, Daniel J. Schroeter Amos S. Deinard Memorial Chair in Jewish History Professor, Department of History Cover image:The Ten Plagues. From the Offenbacher Haggadah, 1928. The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv. Image courtesy of William Gross.
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