Digital Commons Network^™

Jews And Urban Life, Leonard J. Greenspoon

Studies in Jewish Civilization

Jews and Urban Life recognizes that throughout their long history, Jews have often inhabited cities. The reality of this urban experience ranged from ghetto restrictions to robust participation in a range of civic and social activities. Essays in this collection present relevant examples from within the Jewish community itself, moving historically from the biblical period to the modern-day State of Israel. Taking a comparative approach while recognizing the particulars of individual instances, authors examine these phenomena from a wide variety of approaches, genres, and media. Interdisciplinary and accessibly written, the articles display a multitude of instances throughout history showing the …

Wandering Jews: Global Jewish Migration, Steven J. Gold

Purdue University Press Book Previews

Despite the importance of historical and contemporary migration to the American Jewish community, popular awareness of the diversity and complexity of the American Jewish migration legacy is limited and largely focused upon Yiddish-speaking Jews who left the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1920 to settle in eastern and midwestern cities.

Wandering Jews provides readers with a broader understanding of the Jewish experience of migration in the United States and elsewhere. It describes the record of a wide variety of Jewish migrant groups, including those encountering different locations of settlement, historical periods, and facets of the migration …

Understanding The Professional Experiences Of White Jewish Women In Higher Education: An Intrinsic Case Study Analysis, Janna M. Bernstein

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The exploration of female professionals’ experiences within the realm of higher education is steadily increasing, yet researchers have yet to analyze, much less include, Jewish women. Following a qualitative intrinsic case study approach, this study assesses the lived experiences of ten white Jewish women professionals to better understand how they engage in the world of higher education differently than their non-Jewish counterparts. Using racial formation theory and intersectional analysis as theoretical frameworks, the research examined the current and historical literature on Jewish identity, the role of Jews and Jewish women in higher education, and the relevant methodological research. The study …

Terms Of Erasure: The Jewish Experience In A Rural New England Town, Jessica Sweeney

Honors College

Throughout history, Jewish Americans have been and continue to be persecuted for their religion and ethnic identity. Additionally, anti-Semitism has been a rising problem in recent years. This research seeks to understand how this national issue affects individuals in a rural community in New England. More broadly, this thesis attempts to understand how Jews in a rural community in New England experience anti-Semitism. To conduct this research, a series of interviews were collected in the region and were subsequently analyzed using a modified version of Grounded Theory. The purpose of this research is to understand the Jewish experience in a …

Pajamas For Change, Alexander R. Kohn

Georges Lieber Essay Contest on Resistance

I created a protest called the "Where Are the Children Project" to bring attention to the immigrant children held in detention centers. Throughout the project I was able to see how much others cared about helping these children gain better living conditions, and I was able to learn about leadership and resistance. My values helped drive me into action, and the importance of what I was working towards helped me become more confident. After months of protests, the Homestead Detention Center where reports of maltreatment had been especially high was closed, but my work to improve the rights of immigrants …

Covenant Language In Biblical Religions And The Book Of Mormon, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

In this essay I have tried to provide a broad survey of the concept of covenant for Latter-day Saint students of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I began with a sketch of the history of covenant theology in the Christian tradition showing how the early New Testament idea of a baptismal covenant was soon replaced by the Christian institution of sacraments. Although the covenant idea played little role in the historical developments of Christian theology, it did resurge in the Reformation, but without widespread theological impact.

In contrast, over the last century, the role of the covenant idea …

Fearless Friday: Hannah Lebovitz, Hannah M. Labovitz

SURGE

This week, we recognize the work of Hannah Labovitz ’21. Hannah is currently pursuing a history major, a Spanish and Public History double minor, and a teaching certification. She is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has been very involved in the Jewish community here at Gettysburg. She is the secretary and communications chair of Hillel, works as an assistant to Stephen Stern in the Judaic Studies Department, serves on the Judaic Studies committee, acts as co-President of Democracy Matters. She also participates in Alpha Phi Omega, College Democrats, and Dance Ensemble. [excerpt]

When Not To "Tie The Knot”: A Study Of Exogamous Marriage In Ezra-Nehemiah Against The Backdrop Of Biblical Legal Tradition, Gerald A. Klingbeil

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sacred Approaches To Mental Health Issues, The University Of Maine College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences

Cultural Affairs Distinguished Lecture Series

The Judaic Studies Program at the University of Maine has invited Rabbi Richard Address, Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com to campus in October 2015 to deliver a presentation entitled "Sacred Approaches to Mental Health Issues." Using Jewish tradition as a starting point, this lecture offers ways of thinking about mental illness and examines how the sacred impacts our understanding and approaches to it. Specifically, the program will "explore the traditional definitions of a person dealing with mental illness, trace the diagnostic approach that tradition gives us and examine how the sources can inform us in dealing with current situations" (www.jewishsacredaging.com)

The Influence Of Religion On Attitudes Toward Alcohol Use In Jewish Adolescents, Toby R. Levin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, the Jewish faith has used alcohol in rituals and religious holidays in which adolescents are permitted to fully participate and this exposure to alcohol may influence attitudes and beliefs about underage drinking among Jewish adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the Jewish religion and attitudes toward alcohol among Jewish adolescents. The theoretical frameworks, on which this study was based, were the social bond theory and the social development theory. Each of these theories indicates that community is important to the individual. Using a cross sectional study design, 160 adolescents participated …

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: Thinking Beyond Access, Janet M. Riggs

Reports from the President’s Office

Last spring I announced at a faculty meeting that a major theme for our campus this year would be diversity and inclusion. I’d like to add equity to that framework as well. This year I hope that we can develop a shared understanding of these topics and some goals to which we can aspire as a community.

Five years ago Gettysburg College established a set of four strategic directions to guide our planning and decision-making: Engagement, Distinction, Access, and Connection. At that time we described Access as our aspiration to “increase the diversity of the student body and create a …

Prayer In Jewish Community High Schools: Generation Y Jews In An Era Of Unlimited Choices, Yonatan Yussman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine and analyze tefilla (prayer) programs in three Jewish community high schools, as well as professional leadership practices in these schools as they related to prayer. The questions that guided this research were: (1) What does prayer education and practice look like in Jewish community high schools? (2) How is prayer education and practice perceived by key constituencies in Jewish community high schools? (3) How do educators and students in Jewish community high schools describe authentic prayer?

Site observations, interviews with students, faculty, and administration, as well as data collected from sources …

Program: Ucf Book Festival

Textual material from the Rodney Lawrence Hurst, Sr. Papers

University of Central Florida Book Festival on April 17, 2010 at the Morgridge International Reading Center. Author Rodney Hurst is featured on page 27.

“Judaismo A Tu Manera”: What It Means To Be Jewish In 21st Century Buenos Aires, Gili Ben-Yosef

Sociology Honors Papers

In the summer of 2008 I set out to discover what it means to be Jewish in 21st century Buenos Aires. Through extensive field work, 22 formal interviews, visits to multiple Jewish organizations, and daily informal conversations, I gathered the information necessary to answer my question.

By focusing on three case studies of different Jewish institutions in Buenos Aires, this thesis aims to elucidate two points. First, that despite theories of sociologists such as Marx, Weber, and Durkheim who believed the importance of religion would fade with the onset of modernity and rational thought, religion has not yet disappeared. My …

The False Witness: Artistic Research On Stage, Orit Simhoni

The Qualitative Report

Sharing research findings with others is a fundamental concern of researchers. Qualitative research results may be disseminated in conventional (e.g., scholarly text or presentation) or innovative (e.g., art, drama, or poetry) forms. Given that researchers should select the best form of presentation of their work, it is worthwhile to explore creative options. One such option is theatrical performance. The purpose of this study is to describe one playwright’s experience in creating a research- based drama, The False Witness. While focusing on the process of research-based drama, this article is intended to inform researchers and artists about the potential of a …

Rewriting The Holocaust Online: A Discourse Analysis Of Holocaust Denial Web Sites, Mark Aaron Polger

Publications and Research

This study is undertaken to learn how Holocaust deniers use Internet websites to attain legitimacy and credibility. I attempt to show that this sort of “historical revision” is actually blanketed anti-Semitism. I examine Holocaust denial as it is viewed by different disciplines. I investigate the main figures of Holocaust denial. As well, I analyze Jewish race theories of the past two hundred years to demonstrate how Jews have been perceived as aliens and as outsiders. The construction of the “Jew as outsider” sets the stage for how Holocaust deniers frame their discourse on their web pages. My research investigates a …

[Review Of] Eve Harris (Director And Producer), Secret Jews Of The Hispanic Southwest, David Gradwohl

Ethnic Studies Review

Although this film is short, it is sweet to the eyes and ears. The story is brief and may appear simple, but its ramifications are extensive, reaching back into the distant past and extending from the present into the future regarding complex matters of ethnicity and ethnic identities. The material is particularly significant to those involved in Hispanic and Judaic studies. Beyond those areas, however, the data present some challenges to definitions of ethnicity, the perceived longevity of certain group and individual ethnic identities, and our knowledge of the processes of culture change.

The Spectacle Of The Invisible: Sephardic Jewish Identity In Multicultural Education, Judea Alhadeff

Explorations in Ethnic Studies

This study assesses from a North American Sephardic (Spanish-Jewish) perspective, the ambiguous relationships among Jews, "people of color," and definitions of "whiteness" in order to re-evaluate multicultural education in the United States. My intent is not to polarize multiple cultural identities but to illuminate and clarify differences in Jewish histories, identities, and cultures. The assumption that all Jews are and can pass as white, and therefore "have privilege," denies the complexities of racism, anti-Semitism, whiteness, assimilation, and multiculturalism. In a world where hierarchical divisions narrowly define our perceptions, our relations to power, and our multiple identities, Sephardic non-white Jews are …

Explorations In Ethnic Studies

Explorations in Ethnic Studies

No abstract provided.

Jewish Studies: Are They Ethnic?, Howard Adelman

Explorations in Ethnic Studies

The history of Jewish studies has not yet been written. Scholars engaged in this field, however, are beginning to subject it to searching analysis. Pertinent articles have appeared that offer two extreme positions on the development of Jewish studies: one sees the increase in Jewish studies as the result of heightened Jewish self-awareness during the late 1960s because of the Six Day War, growing interest in the Holocaust, and the influence of rising black and ethnic consciousnesses that resulted in the establishment of academic programs. The other, usually a reaction to the first view, argues that the study of Hebraica …

Selected Jewish Communities In Louisiana., Benjamin Kaplan

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.