Gift Boosts Judaic Studies at UMaine
Contact: Phillip Silver, 581- 1783; George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO – The University of Maine’s new Judaic Studies curriculum is being strengthened by two new classes this summer, two more in the 2009-2010 academic year, and a speaker and film series, all the result of a gift to the university.
Judaic studies at UMaine has been largely supported by private donations, according to associate professor of music Phillip Silver, who is coordinating the creation and growth of that curriculum at UMaine.
Understanding the history of modern Israel and the cultural aspects of Israel are particularly relevant in today’s world. Politically oriented news coverage of Israel and the Middle East seen by most Americans is an incomplete and imperfect picture, Silver says. “It is one that portrays that nation solely in the context of an ongoing conflict,” he says. “There is so much more outside of the political arena that is unfairly overlooked.”
Judaic Studies at UMaine will offer students of all religious or ethnic backgrounds opportunities to learn about 5,000 years of Jewish history, religious practices, philosophies, cultures and language, according to Silver. The new classes will provide a historical and cultural view, and will include films popular today in Israel, in addition to the many classics in the Minsky Jewish Heritage Video Collection in Fogler Library’s media collection.
The program expansion was enabled by an anonymous donation.
“The college is very excited to be able to offer a series of courses in Judaic studies and we are very grateful for the gift, which helps to make this happen,” says Jeff Hecker, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Deepening students’ understanding of the word’s major religions will help them to be more successful global citizens.”
Silver and Hecker hope classes in Judaic studies will generate enough student interest and growth to eventually become an academic minor.
“Based upon the experience of Judaic Studies programs at other institutions of higher education, we know that programs like this have a wide appeal, to both Jewish and non-Jewish students,” Silver says.
Later in June, Silver will offer “Entartete Musik,” an examination of music by composers of the Holocaust era. The title, translated from German, means “degenerate music,” the term applied by the Nazis to characterize any music influenced by jazz, the avant-garde, or written by composers of Jewish descent. The class is offered June 22-26.
Adjunct lecturer Jonathan Goldstein, a visiting professor of East Asian history from the University of West Georgia, is currently teaching The History of Modern Israel, which reviews the history of modern Israel from the inception of Zionism to the present. It continues through June 19.
In the fall or the spring 2010 semester, Rabbi Steven Schwarzman, rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, will offer Modern Hebrew 1, a reading, writing and speaking immersion-format introduction to the ancient language that is still spoken by many Jews around the world; and Rabbi Darah Lerner, from the Congregation Beth El in Bangor, will teach “The American Jewish Experience: 350+ years of Jews in America,” a survey the political, cultural and social interaction of the Jewish Community in America.
Over the summer, Silver also will arrange a Jewish studies speaker and film series to start in the fall.
Previously, UMaine has offered several Judaic studies classes, Introduction to the Jewish Bible and Modern Jewish Thought, on an occasional basis through the Philosophy Department.
For additional information on other Judaic studies classes, contact the dean’s office in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at (207) 581-1954.