News and Information

Volume 9, No.1 Fall1990 NEWS AND INFORMATION Publications Jewish Political Studies Review 157 Political concerns are now the chief mobilizer of the Jewish community in many countries. A new journal, Jewish Political Studies Review, will cover the field of Jewish political studies. This publication will initially appear twice a year but is ultimately planned for quarterly publication. The journal will address Jewish political institutions· and behavior, Jewish political thought, and Jewish public affairs. The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, an independent, nonprofit institute for policy research and education, is the publisher of the review; the editor-in-chief is Daniel 1. Elazar, the center's president. For further information , contact The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 21 Arlozorov St., Jerusalem, 92181, Israel. Bridges A new Jewish-feminist journal, Bridges, will use essays, fiction, archival material, poetry, reviews, song, and art to explore the relationships between Jewish identities and activism for social change. It is especially committed to integrating analyses of class and race into Jewish-feminist thought and to being a specifically Jewish participant in the multi-ethnic feminist movement . Bridges will be published biannually, in the spring and fall. For information about subscribing, write to Bridges, P.O. Box 18437, Seattle, WA 98118. Ethics ofJewish Power CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, has published a 14-page monograph, "The Ethics of Jewish Power III. Closing the Gulf: America, American Jewry and Israel's Peace Policies After the Gulf Crisis," by Irving Greenberg. An ordained Orthodox rabbi, Harvard Ph.D., scholar, and prominent lecturer, Rabbi Greenberg has been a seminal thinker in contemporary Judaism, in confronting the Holocaust as an historically transforming event and Israel as the Jewish assumption of power and the beginning of the third era in Jewish history. He has published widely 158 SHOFAR on Jewish thought and religion and i<: the author of The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays, published by Summit Books. Copies of the monograph can be obtained by writing to CLAL, 47 West 34th St., New York, NY 10001. Please enclose $2.00 to cover the cost of mailing. Germany for the Jewish Traveler The German National Tourist Office has produced a brochure aimed at Jewish travelers. The 40-page booklet includes a history of Jewish communities in several West German cities, advice on contacting the local rabbi, and information on obtaining kosher food. It also lists synagogues and Jewish cemeteries. In addition to Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, and major cities, some lesser-known communities are described, along with sections on the BergenBelsen and Dachau death camps. Copies of "Germany for the Jewish Traveler" are available free from the German National Tourist Office, 747 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017. Demographic Trends Some Jewish communities in the South and West have reported significant fluctuations in Jewish population population in 1989-both up and down-compared with 1988 estimates. The most dramatic shifts are in the Miami-Dade County region of Florida, where the Jewish population dipped by 12,000, and in Dallas, Texas, where it increased by nearly 10,000. These demographic trends emerge from the updated population survey contained in the 1990 edition of theAmerican Jewish Year Book, just published by the American Jewish Committee. The total Jewish population of the United States in 1989 is estimated to be 5,941,000, virtually unchanged from the figure of 5.935 million reported in 1988. It still represents 2.5 percent of the overall population. The five states with the largest Jewish populations, in absolute numbers, are: New York (1,844,000); California (909,000); Florida (585,300); New Jersey (411,000); and Pennsylvania (345,800). Areas in the survey specifically cited as exhibiting the most significant growth were Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Virginia (up 3,000); Atlanta, Georgia (up 4,000); Fort Worth, Texas (up 900); Raleigh, North Carolina (up 1,125); Savannah, Georgia (up 250); Sacramento , California (up 2,000); Ventura County, California (up 1,000), and San Luis Obispo, California (up 50%). Declines in Jewish population have occurred in some of the older, medium-sized and small cities in the Northeast and Midwest. These communities include Evansville, Indiana (down 700); Wheeling and Huntington, Volume 9, No.1 Fall1990 159 West Virginia (down 200 and 105, respectively); Bayonne, New Jersey (down 2,500); Auburn and Cortland, New York (down 140 and 240, respectively); Mansfield, Ohio (down 350); and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (down 200). Library News Leo Baeck Archives New additions to the Leo Baeck Archives include: Robert Weltsch Collection: a valuable source for materials about 20thcentury German Zionism, World War I and its aftermath, and Israeli history and Arab-Jewish relations before and after 1948. Albert Einstein Collection: A new photo collection of Albert Einstein material donated by the Albert Einstein Estate. This collection includes photos taken in Germany and Switzerland, on trips abroad, in California, at various scientific functions and with relatives and friends. One series of photos, some quite famous, shows Einstein with Marie Curie, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, Rabindranath Tagore, Thomas Mann, and Winston Churchill. Ludwig Rosenthal Collection: a collection of material that focuses on the writing of Ludwig Rosenthal (1896-1988), an attorney in Frankfurt who emigrated to Holland in 1933 and from 1939 on lived in Guatemala. In the 1960s Rosenthal became active as a member of the Commission on the History of Jews in Hessen and the Historical Commission for Hessen. He frequently wrote on topics relating to his origins and German-Jewish history and had planned to publish a work about Simon van Geldern, the great-uncle of poet Heinrich Heine. The highlight of the collection is four boxes of varied material about van Geldern. Leo Baeck Library The following items are available in the Microform Collections: Germany's Business Leaders, 1406-1917. The Rudolph Mosse Collection , 94 German titles on 426 microfiches. Industrialists' biographies, corporate histories, and secondary accounts. The collection is accompanied by a printed guide featuring a reference bibliography; an index by author's name, subject name, company name, and geographical place name; and an index by title. An introductory essay by Peter Hayes of Northwestern University provides an overview of the collection's contents and history. German-Jewish Periodicals, 1768-1940. Periodicals from Germanspeaking Jewish communities reflect the gamut of concerns and ideas in politics , religion, philosophy, family life and traditions. Part 1 is a group of 52 160 SHOFAR titles, including a complete run of the only 18th-century journal Der Jude. Part 2, 36 titles, includes the rare Sulamith from Leipzig and Dessau, Das Neue Tagebuch from Amsterdam and Paris, and excerpts from Freud's Moses and Monotheism. Part 3 includes 56 titles chosen for their completeness and scarcity. These three parts may be purchased separately or as a single, unduplicated collection of 144 titles from CIS Academic Editions in Bethesda, Maryland. Information Retrieval Center The Henrietta Szold Institute of Jerusalem produces databases concerning research and development in the Social Sciences in Israel. Its purpose is to collect, process, and disseminate current information and to provide easy access to this information by using a computerized database as a tool. The Information Retrieval Center for the Social Sciences (IRCSS) now has four different databases. The first and largest, Current Research in the Social Sciences in Israel, consists of bibliographic information on scientific publications of Israeli social science researchers. This database has over 20,000 records beginning with 1976. Each record consists of bibliographic information and an abstract in Hebrew; each record also has a section in English . The information gathered includes material in the following fields: Education, Psychology, Sociology, Demography, Welfare, Criminology, Social Medicine, Management, and Political Science. The second database, Union Catalogue for Research Tools, includes information about psychological tests, questionnaires, and various scales built or adapted to local conditions. It contains over 3,500 records. The third database includes information about innovative and special programs within the fields of education and social welfare in Israel. The information in this database refers to programs presently in operation. Each record contains a detailed description of the program: its aims, target population , activities, manpower, facilities needed, and the person responsible for the program. The fourth database contains information about selected publications from the United States and Israel in the field of computers in education. The information relates to the educational and administrative aspect of the use of the computer in education, and not to the technological aspect of the subject. The IRCSS offers the following services: (1) queries about scientific publication, research tools, or innovative programs in a certain subject; (2) online searches from our database; (3) various publications with updates of our information; and (4) photocopy service for the documents in our collec- Volume 9, No.1 Fall1990 161 tion. Prices are $15 for the first 10 citations and $ .50 for each additional citation . For more information write: The Information Retrieval Center for the Social Sciences The Henrietta Szold Institute 9 Colombia St. Jerusalem 96583, Israel Tel: 02-419301 /02-419401 Fax: 972-2-437698 Bitnet: BAUAA@Hujivm1 Educational News and Opportunities Graduate Theological Union The Center for Jewish Studies of the Graduate Theological Union encourages the intellectual exploration of Judaism through the study of Jewish texts. The Center has close ties with the Jewish Studies faculties of the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University. The Center offers an M.A. degree in Jewish studies, which entails a twoyear program and thesis requirement. The focus of the degree is on the history of Jewish thought and spirituality, with Jewish/non-Jewish dialogue an implicit part of the program. The doctoral degree with a specialization in Jewish Studies is earned through the Graduate Theological Union, a nonsectarian school. For more information about the program, write to the Graduate Theological Union, Center for Jewish Studies, 2400 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, or call (415) 649-2482. Wexner Foundation Research Program The Wexner Foundation announces a new program for doctoral study in Research in Jewish Education at Stanford University. The program is designed to prepare outstanding researchers in the field of Jewish education, who will be capable of conducting studies and evaluations necessary for the improvement of educational practice and theory in the Jewish field. There are many questions about Jewish education which we cannot anyswer because no research has ever been conducted on those topics. Among flourishing university-based programs in Jewish Studies there is little activity aimed at preparing scholars to conduct research on aspects of Jewish education. 162 SHOFAR Stanford University will initiate a program to educate researchers in the School of Education beginning in the fall of 1991. Two new doctoral candidates will be admitted each year; the program will require four years of fulltime study, including classes and seminars, research practica, hands-on research experience in several settings, and a doctoral dissertation. Candidates will major in one of the existing doctoral programs in the School of Education , such as educational psychology, teacher education, curriculum research, educational economics, child and adolescent development, philosophy of education , and the like. In addition to meeting the normal requirements of the doctorate in education at Stanford, the candidates will pursue a concentration in Jewish education which includes a special seminar, colloquium series, work with visiting professors, and supervised research. We anticipate that successful candidates for admission will already have substantial backgrounds in Judaica and in Hebrew language and texts. They should have some experience in various facets of Jewish education. For further information, please write to: Lee S. Shulman, Jewish Education Concentration, 507 CERAS, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. Master of Science in Jewish Studies at Spertus Spertus College of Judaica in Chicago is a non-denominational, postbaccalaureate liberal arts institution specializing in Jewish studies. Major resources for the college include the Asher Library, which is the largest circulating library of Judaica in the Midwest, and Spertus Museum, with its permanent collection of ceremonial objects, artifacts, paintings, sculpture, and textiles. Spertus College is nondiscriminatory with respect to race, creed, age, sex, physical disability, or national origin. The new Master of Science in Jewish Studies has been designed for men and women of any religious faith or Jewish denomination who, although they may have had little or no formal background in Jewish studies, desire an accredited master's degree or wish to learn about Judaism and the Jewish experience in an intellectually stimulating and nurturing environment. Admission requirements are a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and a personal interview. Tuition information is available in the Office of Student Services. The degree requires 16 courses: six core courses (Jewish Theology, Jewish Practice, Religion of Biblical Israel, The Rabbinic Mind, Medieval Judaism , and Modern Judaism), one course of Hebrew, six concentration courses from one of five areas (Jewish Social History, Jewish Education, Hebrew Language and Literature, Jewish Communal Studies, or Jewish Religion ), and three electives. Volume 9, No.1 Fall1990 163 For further information on the Master of Science Program, call the Office of Student Services: (312) 922-9012, ext. 222. Jewish Communal Service Program at Spertus Spertus College of Judaica in Chicago offers the Jewish Communal Service Program (JeCoSP), a dual degree/certificate program designed to train in-service and pre-service Jewish communal service professionals. Applicants may be undergraduates and recent graduates, returning mature adults, and professionals already working in Jewish agencies. Students will achieve conceptual and pragmatic preparation for the administration and management of not-for-profit Jewish communal service agencies, including but not limited to Jewish Federation and Jewish advocacy agencies. The prospective student must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, submit a writing sample in the form of an autobiography and summary of career objectives, submit a minimum of two letters of personal reference, participate in a personal interview with Spertus College admission officers, and demonstrate a rudimentary knowledge of Hebrew. For further information, call or write to: Dr. Michael M. Lasker, Director of Louis Susman Program in Jewish Communal Service, Spertus College of Judaica, 618 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60605; (312) 922-9012, ext. 234. New Music Center at Spertus College The new Fannie and Max Targ Center for Jewish Music was dedicated recently at Spertus College of Judaica in Chicago. The objective of the Targ Center, established with a gift from Bernice and Bernard Weissbourd, is to advance the appreciation and study of Jewish music. Bernice Weissbourd is a daughter of the Targs. The center's resources in the Asher Library will comprise liturgical, art, and folk music composed or adopted by Jews in the diaspora. The heart of the new center is a listening room fitted with audio equipment, including compact disc player, two cassette player/recorders, turntable, speakers, and four listening carrels each with headphones. New cassettes and compact discs can be loaned for home listening. Older items may be copied in the listening room. The collection also includes books on Jewish music, journals, song books, sheet music, and manuscripts. The Targ Center is open to the public during regular Asher Library hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 164 SHOFAR University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, College of Letters and Science , offers a one-semester study abroad program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The program is coordinated by UWM's International Relations Major and administered in Jerusalem by the Davis Institute of International Relations. The program offers specialized English-language courses dealing with international relations and with Israel and the Middle East. A special feature of the program is a three-credit internship in an Israeli, Palestinian, or international organization. This internship provides an opportunity to meet and work with people outside of the university setting. The UWM-Davis Institute program is open to students majoring in any liberal arts field at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and from other universities. Participants will be selected on a competitive basis, which will include consideration of appropriate academic qualifications and career objectives. Acceptance into the program requires sophomore standing, a 3.0 G.P.A. (on 4-point scale), application and interview. The program runs from January to May. Participants earn fifteen upper -division credits. For additional information, please write or call Professor Mark Tessler, Coordinator, International Relations Major, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Bolton Hall, Room 668, Milwaukee, WI 53201; (414) 229-4252. Jewish History and Culture at Warsaw University In a recent issue of the Bulletin of the Jewish Historical Institute in Poland, Prof. Jerzy Tomaszewski of the University of Warsaw described some of the programs in Jewish studies currently underway at his institution. The Department of the History of Polish Jews has undertaken work on a popular survey of the history of Polish Jews since the 18th century, with emphasis on the 20th, especially the first decades. The department also plans to publish collections of documents relating to the situation of Jews in interwar Poland; this work is being done in cooperation with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The Hebrew Studies Department concentrates primarily on theological Issues. In addition, there are instances in which the history of the Jewish people arises marginally within other research at the University of Warsaw. Examples include research on the history of religious law and on the general theme of Polish history. Volume 9, No.1 Fall1990 165 This information was sent to us by Professor Robert Moses Shapiro of Baltimore Hebrew University. Grants and Fellowships Doctoral Fellowships The National Foundation for Jewish Culture offers a program of fellowships for students working toward the completion of the dictoral dissertations in Judaic Studies and related fields. Candidates in the following fields should apply: Jewish studies, religion, philosophy, history, Near Eastern studies, anthropology, and sociology. Write to the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001. Touro National Heritage Trust Fellowship The Touro National Heritage Trust of Newport, Rhode Island, in cooperation with nearby learned institutions in New England, offers one threemonth fellowship for research on some aspect of the Jewish experience in the Western Hemisphere prior to ca. 1860. The Touro Fellowship is open to scholars from any country, and candidates may be engaged in pre- or postdoctoral , or independent, research. The fellowship carries a stipend of $900 per month, plus a research travel reimbursement allowance of up to $300. The Touro Fellowship is administered by the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, which can provide moderate-cost housing for the Fellow in close proximity to the University. However, the Touro Fellow has the option of residing during the term of the fellowship anywhere within 60 miles of Providence. The Touro Fellow will be selected by an academic committee consisting of representatives of Brown University, the American Jewish Historical Society , Brandeis University, the Newport Historical Society, and the John Carter Brown Library, as well as a representative of the Executive committee of the Touro National Heritage Trust. The Touro Fellow must be prepared to participate in symposia or other academic activities organized by these institutions and may be called upon to deliver one or two public lectures. For information and application forms, write to: Director, John Carter Brown Library, Box 1894, Providence, RI 02912. Telephone: (401) 8632725 ). 166 Ray D. Wolfe Fellows SHOFAR The University of Toronto Jewish Studies Programme offers fellowships to support advanced research in Jewish Studies. Fellowships are awarded both to candidates working on doctoral dissertations and to post-doctoral applicants. Applicants must be engaged in research related to the history, culture, literature, religion, or thought of the Jewish people. Award winners will be designated as Ray D. Wolfe Fellows. They will spend an academic year at the University of Toronto either to complete a dissertation or to prepare a completed dissertation for publication. Ray D. Wolfe Fellows will be expected to teach one course in each of the two semesters during the academic year. Fellows will receive a substantial stipend to assist with their expenses during the time they hold the Fellowship. Applicants from Canadian and foreign universities are welcome. For application forms and further information write: Professor Arthur M. Kruger, Acting Director, Jewish Studies Programme, do Woodsworth College , University of Toronto, 563 Spadina Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5S 217. Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program The Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program recently announced an expansion of its eligibility criteria to include advanced degrees in the field of Jewish Studies. The Program is sponsored by the Wexner Foundation, which is committed to the enhancement of Jewish leadership. The Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program 'is designed to attract the most promising and talented Jewish men and women to pursue careers of professional Jewish leadershi in synagogue/temple, communal, and educational settings. The program provides full academic tuition, generous living stipends, and annual Foundation-sponsored institutes and learning experiences . Previously, the Fellowship Program was limited to those preparing for the congregational rabbinate, Jewish communal service, and leadership careers in Jewish education. The new eligibility criteria expand the program to include individuals preparing for careers in Judaic Studies in the university setting, cantors, Jewish journalists, and others who play important professional roles in the enhancement of the Jewish community. It is the Foundation 's expectation that Fellows preparing for careers in Jewish Studies will be committed to bridging the gap between the world of Jewish scholarship and the institutions and issues of the general Jewish community. Fellowships will be granted for two-year periods and will be renewable for a second two-year term. Fellows will be expected to engage in full-time graduate study and to attend special programs held during the course of the Volume 9, No.1 Fall1990 167 year, including annual interdisciplinary institutes. Only individuals who have not yet begun their graduate professional training are eligible to apply. Applications are due by February 15. Awards will be announced by May 1 for the academic year beginning in the fall. For full application information please write to: Director of the Graduate Fellowship Program, The Wexner Foundation, 41 S. High Street, Suite 3390, Columbus, Ohio 43215-6101; (614) 461-8112. Conferences and Symposia 1991 NAPH International Conference The eighth NAPH conference on university teaching of Hebrew language and literature will be held at Emory University in Atlanta on June 2-4, 1991. The conference planning committee is issuing a call for presentations and workshops on: all aspects of teaching Hebrew language, Hebrew literature , and the Bible; current research on Hebrew language and linguistics, the Bible and Hebrew literature of all periods; contributions of other disciplines to university teaching of Hebrew language and literature. Detailed abstracts (approximately one page) of proposed presentations and workshops should be sent as soon as possible to Professor Edna Amir Coffin, Dept. of Near Eastern Studies, 3083 Frieze Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Presentations may be given in Hebrew or in English. Hilberg Symposium An international conference honoring the retirement of Raul Hilberg, McCullough Professor of Political Science, will be held at the University of Vermont on April 14 through 16, 1991. The theme of the conference is "Perpetrators, Victims, and Bystanders," and events will include lectures by Yehuda Bauer, Christopher Browning, Claude Lanzmann, Alvin Rosenfeld, Richard Rubenstein, George Steiner, and an address by Professor Hilberg. To receive more information, please write to Ms. Candace Smith, Symposium Coordinator, Department of Political Science, University of Vermont , Burlington, VT 05405-0114. 168 Museum Exhibits SHOFAR Jewish Museum Temporarily at The New York Historical Society 170 Central Park West at 77th St. New York, NY Open Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Closed: Monday, and major legal and Jewish holidays Admission: Adults $4.50; Students/Senior Citizens/Children (6-16) $2.50. Free Tuesday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. Jacques Lipchitz: A Life in Sculpture is on display from January 16 through April 14, 1991. A retrospective exhibition, it consists of 100 sculptures and 31 drawings from every period of Lipchitz's career. Shofar is planning the following special issues: Spring 1991: Hebrew Language & Literature Summer 1991: Women's Issues and Judaism Fall 1991: Yiddish Language & Literature Spring 1992: Talmud and Rabbinics Fall 1992: Sephardim Since 1492 Spring 1993: Jews oUhe Ottoman Empire Abstracts of articles in Shofar are published 10 Religious and TheologicalAbstracts. Copyright 1990 by Purdue Research Foundation, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907. All rights reserved. ...