Table of Contents

From the Director: Dr. Mark A. Raider

Academic Council Remarks: Mr. Jerel Golub

Collections and Archives

Jewish Studies Award Winners, 2001-2002

Jewish Studies Faculty

Special Thanks to the Honorary Committee
for the Inauguration of the Center for Jewish Studies

Donor Honor Roll

New Faculty: Joel Berkowitz

From the Director

The Center for Jewish Studies is emerging as the flagship of Jewish studies for the New York public higher education. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us to reach this important stage in our development - students, alumni, scholars, Jewish Studies Advisory Board members, UAlbany officers, Hillels of Northeastern New York, and community supporters alike. Taking my cue from a line made famous by Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, what was once a dream is fast becoming a reality!

Under the leadership of Alan Goldberg, president of First Albany Corporation; Carl H. Rosner, founder and CEO of CardioMag Imaging and former chairman of Intermagnetics General, and Peter Elitzer, president of Peter Harris Clothing, the Jewish Studies Advisory Board has acted swiftly in the recent past to produce several stunning accomplishments: the inauguration of the Center for Jewish Studies, the creation of a new endowed professorship in European Jewish studies; and the launching of several important community programs and educational initiatives. On top of this, we have raised roughly $800,000 in pledges and gifts. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic support of President Karen R. Hitchcock, Provost Carlos E. Santiago, Dean Joan Wick-Pelletier, Vice President Robert Ashton and so many other UAlbany friends. We have good reason to be proud of our partnerships and achievements - models of innovation and excellence that are unparalleled in the region and New York state.

In today's rapidly changing world - the world of post-9/11, of rising antisemitism in Europe and America, of growing political extremism and turmoil in the Middle East - Jewish studies is more important than ever. Thousands of students pass through our doors - future business leaders, government officials, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals. All of them learn something critical about our society by pursuing the unbiased academic study of Judaism and the Jewish experience. They are better people as a result and so is the world we inhabit.

I look forward to your support as we move "from strength to strength" and work to ensure that future generations benefit from the Center for Jewish studies at UAlbany.

Academic Council Remarks

Mr. Jerel Golub, in behalf of the Jewish Studies Advisory Board, addressed the founding meeting of the Center's Academic Council on April 26, 2002.

We live in a time when the need for education and understanding has never been greater. This is not only true in a traditional academic sense, it is especially true in our greater Jewish and secular communities. The Advisory Board of the Center for Jewish Studies represents a crucial bridge between the academic and non-academic communities. Our objective has been to work with the University at Albany to create opportunities for both institutional and community growth. Although we've only been at this a short time, the considerable potential that our relationship offers is already clear.

As we have begun to build bridges with the academic community, the Board strongly supports your effort to build bridges between the various Jewish studies programs and departments at other colleges and universities throughout the SUNY system, the Capital Region, and the state of New York.

Now, I do have to admit something - I'm not an academic - although I have been accused by my business colleagues of being overly academic more than once. But in my experience, whether in the university or business world, I do believe in a ubiquitous truth. The results of the effective collaboration of a group of diverse, bright, motivated, unselfish individuals will almost always surpass that which would have been accomplished through individual effort. Each of you brings a unique set of talents and insights to the table that is much needed and valued by the Board and the Center.

We believe that your work will be significant in a few ways. First, your involvement in the Academic Council sends an important message to local Jewish communities, as well as to our public institutions, that strong Jewish studies programs are vital to public and private higher education.

Second, the Academic Council will play an instrumental role in expanding the range of possibilities for collaboration among different campuses.

Finally, and most importantly, we believe your work will help to develop programs and pedagogy that set a new standard for Jewish learning. And I think that's pretty exciting.

The time is right...the format has been provided...and now the talent is assembled. We're anxiously looking forward to seeing the product of your efforts. Thank you very much for your participation in the Academic Council, and best wishes for a successful endeavor.

Collections and Archives

UAlbany is home to a treasure trove of research and archival materials that attract Jewish studies scholars from around the globe. Building on the strength of a considerable library collection, including several thousand volumes that span the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives has worked closely over the years with the Judaic Studies Department to develop a first-rate Judaica collection.

Among UAlbany's best known archival collections are the Kossover Collection, which includes rare Judaica manuscripts dating back to the medieval period, and the German Émigré Collection, which includes the papers of many prominent German Jewish refugees who fled the Hitler regime in the 1930s. These and other materials are accessible to students, scholars and researchers through the Special Collections and Archives Department of the University Libraries.

The Judaica collections recently received a boost when the Center, through the generosity of Hedy Bagatelle '60, made arrangements to acquire the Jewish Heritage Video Collection, a collection of over 200 films of Jewish interest, and a rare Czech Torah scroll rescued from the Holocaust. The scroll is presently under the care of the Memorial Scrolls Trust in the Westminster Synagogue in London, England and will be shipped to UAlbany later this year.

Dr. Meredith Butler, Dean and Director of Libraries, remarked, "University Libraries and the Department of Judaic Studies have a long history of working together to enhance undergraduate education and build strong research collections. We are delighted that Hedy Bagatelle's generosity over many years has allowed us to strengthen our partnership and acquire significant new resources which bring considerable distinction to the Libraries, the Department, and the rapidly developing Center for Jewish Studies."

The Jewish Heritage Video Collection makes possible the exploration and investigation of Jewish civilization through film, movies and television. The collection includes over 200 Hollywood feature films, European and Israeli films, restored Yiddish classics, and documentaries that range from the American Jewish experience to Jewish religion, culture, history and identity.

The Czech Torah scroll also exemplifies the twin mission of Jewish studies and the University Libraries. The scroll is one of a few hundred gathered together in Prague during World War II by the Nazi regime of the Czech "Protectorate" from the desolated synagogues of Bohemia and Moravia. For more than twenty years after the war, the scrolls lay piled in a disused Prague synagogue. In 1964 the scrolls were shipped to the Westminster Synagogue in London and the Memorial Scrolls Trust, a non-commercial agency, was established to undertake their care and distribution. After the scroll allocated to UAlbany arrives later this year, it will be displayed in the foyer of the Center for Jewish Studies and in Judaica exhibits mounted by the University Libraries. It will also serve as the focal point of research projects undertaken by students in Jewish studies courses whose aim will be to research the history and culture of the town from which it came.

For further information about UAlbany's Judaica collections, contact the Center at (518) 591-8514 or the Special Collections Desk at (518) 437-3931.

Congratulations,
Jewish Studies Award Winners, 2001-2002

Sarah Failla, Class of 2003, recipient of the Morris Altman Undergraduate Research Award ($500), to pursue original research on Russian Jewish culture and travel to Lithuania in the Summer 2002.

Olek DeRowe, recipient of the Bnai Zion/Brith Abraham Award for Excellence in Hebrew ($100 US Savings Bond).

Courtney Gherty, Class of 2003, recipient of the Calvin and Patricia Zippin Endowment Scholarship ($750), to pursue advanced Jewish studies in the Fall 2002.

Sarah Failla, Class of 2003, recipient of the Lillian L. Kensky and Dr. Harry C. Kensky Endowment Fund Award ($500), to participate in the Vilnius Program in Yiddish Language and Culture at Vilnius University, Lithuania in the Summer 2002.

Yvette M. Morris, Class of 2003, recipient of the Fishman Fund Grant ($600), who is continuing her Jewish studies and considering pursuit of a graduate degree in biblical history.

The Kappa Beta Memorial Award ($1000) is awarded in alternate years to an outstanding graduating senior who plans to pursue graduate studies in Jewish service or scholarship. It will next be awarded in 2002-03.

For information about awards and scholarships for 2002-2003, visit our web page at www.albany.edu/jewishstudies.

Jewish Studies Faculty

Our Jewish studies faculty and colleagues continue to be productive and bring luster to the Center, the Department and UAlbany.

In Spring 2002, Sarah Blacher Cohen, an affiliate faculty member of Judaic Studies, produced her new play entitled Danny Kaye: Supreme Court Jester. Daniel Grossberg, director of the Hebrew Language Program, received the Disabled Student Services Outstanding Achievement Award from UAlbany. Martha Rozett, an affiliate faculty member of Judaic Studies, became a Collins Fellow, one of UAlbany's highest honors. On June 9-11, 2002, the Center hosted and cosponsored the prestigious Fifth Biennial Scholars' Conference on American Jewish History, which brought some 150 participants to the campus from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Israel. The conference participants included Pamela Nadell of American University, a Jewish Studies Advisory Board member and chair of the Academic Council of the American Jewish Historical Society, and Joel Berkowitz, who gave a paper on "Performing American History on the Yiddish Stage." Mark A. Raider served as chair of the conference and presented a paper on "Stephen S. Wise and the Holocaust: The Odyssey of an American Jewish Leader." In 2002-03, Walter P. Zenner, an affiliate faculty member of Judaic Studies, will serve as the first Center for Jewish Studies research fellow.

Recent faculty publications in Jewish studies include an article by Joel Berkowitz entitled "The 'Mendel Beilis Epidemic' on the Yiddish Stage," which appeared in Jewish Social Studies (Fall 2001). Daniel Grossberg published "Form and Content and Their Correspondence" in Hebrew Studies (Fall 2001). Stanley J. Isser completed a book-length manuscript on King David currently under consideration for publication. The Plough Woman: Records of the Pioneer Women of Palestine. A Critical Edition, edited and annotated by Mark A. Raider and Miriam B. Raider-Roth, was published this summer by the University Press of New England. Additionally, Raider's essay on "The Making of an American Jewish Leader: The Case of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise" appeared as part of the Hunter College Jewish Social Studies Program's Occasional Papers in Jewish History and Thought, a series edited by Jewish Studies Advisory Board member Robert M. Seltzer of Hunter College. Walter P. Zenner's study of "The Syrian Jews of Brooklyn" was published in A Community of Many Worlds: Arab Americans in New York City (2002).

Special Thanks to the Honorary Committee
for the Inauguration of the Center for Jewish Studies

Alan Goldberg, Chair *
Carl H. Rosner, Vice Chair *
Nolan Altman* '77
Bernard Arbit * '42
Hedy * '60 and Warren Bagatelle
Ronald Brawer * '84
Arthur D. Brenner *
Norman Brickman
Mishael M. Caspi *
Sam S. Clevenson
Helen Desfosses
V. Mark Durand
Steven and Shelly Einhorn
Beth and Peter Elitzer *
Malka * and Eitan Evan
Susan Farber
Steven and Lucia Fischer
David Gellman* '78 & '79
Francine * '81 and Robert Godgart
J.J. Goldberg
Jerel Golub *
Harold Gould '47
Karen Hausler* '73
Steven Hess *
Alan and Barbara Iselin
William Kennedy
Daniel Levy *
Nahum * '38 and Esther Lewis
Steve Lobel
Robert Ludwig
Frances Malino*
Morris and Esther Massry
Norman and Micki Massry
David Alan Miller
Pamela Nadell *
Daniel Ornstein
Jehuda and Shulamit Reinharz
Stephen and Andrea Ribner
Anna and Jonathan M. Rosen *
Alvin H. Rosenfeld *
Haskell * '40 and Bernice Rosenberg
Menachem Rosensaft
Jonathan D. Sarna *
Lawrence H. Schiffman
Robert M. Seltzer *
Abe Sherer *
Susan Sherman
Morris "Marty" Silverman
Edward P. Swyer
Calvin Zippin
Gordon and Linda Zuckerman

* member of Jewish Studies Advisory Board

Donor Honor Roll

With gratitude and admiration, we list below some of the individuals and agencies whose support in recent years has helped to turn the dream of the Center into a growing and vibrant reality. The list includes contributions received through September 2002. Our special thanks to:

Major Support

Nolan Altman '77
Bernard Arbit '42
Warren and Hedy '60 Bagatelle
Marjorie Delmar
Irving Fishman '40
Alan Goldberg
Kappa Beta Fraternity Alumni
Lillian L. Kensky
Nahum '38 and Esther Lewis
Morris and Esther Massry
Haskell '40 and Sunny Rosenberg
Abe Sherer
Morris "Marty" Silverman
Calvin '47 and Patricia Zippin

General Support

Richelle T. Adler '90
Karen Alfred
Richard Alfred
Armand F. and Elsa Baker
Gordon Baskin '45
Judith R. Baskin
Roseanne Bergman '63
William S. Bergman '97
Lori S. Beyer '75
Lloyd Bishop '80
Paula S. Blumenfeld '72
Stephen A. Boro '87
Ronald Brawer
Arthur and Nannette Brenner
Joshua S. Charry '93
Adam S. Covitt '96
Howard A. Cohen '77
Robert J. Davis
Amy Beth Dantus '77
Beth and Peter Elitzer
Karen A. Eson '81
Shira W. Ettinger '81
Roslyn Faust
Joseph Fisch '82
Pearl Fisk and Abe Berger
Leo Flax '43
Rose Flax '43
Percy Forman '38 *
Elsie Freedman '42
Michael and Lois Fuhrman
Ainard Gelbond '42
Frances Ginsburg-Wolf '75
Bob and Fran Godgart
Samuel Goldman
Scott R. Goldstein '91
A. David and Charlotte Goodman
David and Carol Grand
Sol Greenberg '43
Karen Hausler '73
Mindy R. Holland '89
Martin and Jean Kabak
Esther Karp
Harry Karchmer '40
Leslie G. and Linda A. Kellner '68
Allan D. Kensky
Steven H. Kerbel
Herman Kleine '41
Leonard H. Kopp '71
Gerald and Dorry Kotzin
Deborah A. Krause
Scott E. Lantzman '93
Maurice J. Levin '43
Pamela J. Levine '77
Dan and April Levy
Benjamin Lido '86
Myrna Linsenberg
John Liszewski
Ira and Sheila Lobel
Hyman Meltz '41
Benjamin and Ruth Mendel
Gordon Nash
Bernard H. Ostrow
Jeffrey and Jeanette Perkins
Maurice Potosky
Richard Prop
Louis Rabineau '47
Mark A. Raider and Miriam B. Raider-Roth
Judith Rettig
Howard Rosman '51
Carl H. Rosner
Walter and Chaya Roth
Paul E. Ruffer '71
Robert and Claire Ruslander
Jonathan D. Sarna and Ruth Langer
Ernest Scatton
Rita Schachne
Beth Scher
Joseph K. Schwartz '41
Athaliah Seinfeld '98
Sadie Schneider '40
Scott and Susan Shpeen
Pinchas R. Schreiber '81
Douglas Schwartz
Robert M. Seltzer
Sumner and Mildred Shapiro
Susan R. and Malcolm J. Sherman
Robert L. and Rita D. Siegel
Stuart L. Simon '75
Joel Spiro
Ronald and Nadine Stram
Shari F. Topper
Carl T. Velt '81
Andrew and Lynn Warheit
Marian Weinman
Natalie Weinstein
Nelson and Joanne Weinstock
Mark A. Weintraub '80
Evan Weissman '89
Michael and Sharon Willen
Kari R. Winston '90
Judith P. Winter
Brent Y. Yoshikawa '99
Regina Zallman
Julian and Nora Zelizer

Foundations and Institutions

Albany Institute of History and Art
American Jewish Historical Society
Bnai Zion Foundation
College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany
Division of University Advancement, University at Albany
History Department, University at Albany
Holocaust Education Foundation
Jewish Chautauqua Society
Jewish Media Fund
Jack Gantz Foundation
Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
Lucius N. Littauer Foundation
Memorial Scrolls Trust
Office of the President, University at Albany
Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, University at Albany
Office of the Vice President for Research, University at Albany
Tikvat Israel Congregation, Rockville, MD
United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York
University at Albany Foundation

Corporate Sponsorship

Accent Furniture

Joel Berkowitz

Joel Berkowitz joined the Judaic Studies Department in 2001 as Assistant Professor of Modern Jewish Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in Theater at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and has taught in the CUNY system and at Oxford University. His first book, Shakespeare on the American Yiddish Stage (University of Iowa Press) was published in the Spring 2001 and he is currently working on two major projects: editing a volume of essays on the Yiddish theater and preparing an anthology of English translations of Yiddish plays. He has lectured on Yiddish theater in Europe, Israel and the United States, and his articles on Yiddish literature and theater have appeared in scholarly journals. His courses incorporate a wide variety of materials-including fiction, poetry, drama, essays, film, painting, photography, and popular music-as tools for understanding the modern Jewish experience. "Dr. Berkowitz is a rising star in Yiddish studies," explained Mark A. Raider, chair of the Judaic Studies Department. "He is also an engaging, thoughtful and popular instructor. We are delighted to have him in the Department and his contribution to Jewish studies at UAlbany is considerable."