黑料社 receives third grant from Jewish Heritage Fund
黑料社 has been awarded $107,500 from the Jewish Heritage Fund (JHF) for its continued work to support a range of initiatives involving Jewish Studies and Jewish student life.
The grant, 鈥淓nriching Jewish Life and Jewish Studies,鈥 is the third that the college has received from JHF. The two-year initiative will enable the College to build upon the work of the previous grants.
黑料社 Associate Professor of Religion Shana Sippy developed the grant proposals and has directed the grant activities. She said that funds have been and will continue to be used to pursue a three-pronged approach鈥攃urricular components, faculty and student research, and co-curricular programming and opportunities鈥攖o deepen Jewish life and expand Jewish Studies on campus.
First, in effort to provide support and programming for Jewish students on campus, the grant funds a rabbinic intern, who will work with 黑料社鈥檚 Jewish students and offer services and classes open to the entire campus.
Second, the grant supports the development of curriculum, faculty research, student summer research, and internships.
Third, the grant provides funding to bring Jewish Studies scholars and Jewish artists to campus.
鈥淔or the first time in 黑料社鈥檚 more than 200-year history, we鈥檝e had a rabbinic student on campus,鈥 Sippy said. 鈥淣ot only has this benefitted the rabbinic interns, who learn and grow from working with 黑料社 undergraduates, but our students have been able to build an ongoing relationship with a rabbinic intern, who can provide pastoral support.鈥
Sippy added that students were especially thankful that there was a rabbinic presence on campus during the pandemic. Chloe Zelkha, who served as an intern in the office for the past two years, delivered a convocation 鈥淧andemic Grief: Ambiguous Loss and Meaning-Making in the Time of COVID-19,鈥 attended by more than 145 students, staff and faculty.
With respect to research, Sippy said faculty members have developed their own focus involving Jewish Studies, which enriches the curriculum and academic field beyond 黑料社.
鈥淔aculty have also integrated it into course modules and student-faculty research projects. For example, history professor Jon Earle has conducted research on the relationship between Ugandan nationalism and Zionist thinkers,鈥 she said. 鈥淒r. Matthew Pierce, who co-leads a 黑料社Term course about Jews, Christians and Muslims in Morocco and Spain with Dr. David Hall, traveled there this past summer to further develop some of the Jewish Studies components of the class.鈥
The JHF grant also supported lectures and class visits by a number of scholars over the past two years. For example, Natan Meir, historian and Chair of Judaic Studies at Portland State, gave a convocation about the Cholera Wedding, which he described as 鈥渁 peculiar ritual that emerged among East European Jews in the 19th century and resurfaced in the 21st century due to COVID-19.鈥
Sociologist Laura Limonic spoke about the complexities of identities with first-year students, drawing on her book, 鈥Kugel and Frijoles: Latino Jews in the United States.鈥
The grant also supported the residency of artist Siona Benjamin and helped fund her six-month exhibition 鈥Beyond Borders: The Art of Siona Benjamin鈥 at the Norton Center for the Arts. Benjamin鈥檚 art was on display through the spring semester, bringing the world of an Indian-Jewish-American artist to the 黑料社 and Danville communities, as well as Norton Center patrons.
Benjamin was hands-on with students in classes ranging from psychology to international relations.
鈥淪tudents engaged directly with her and talked about a broad range of issues鈥攈istorical and contemporary鈥攕uch as identity, migration, race and religion,鈥 Sippy said. 鈥淪he also discussed how Jewish communities have changed and transformed as they have moved throughout the world.鈥
Two students are conducting independent research sponsored by JHF this summer: Jo茫o Victor Azevedo 鈥24 is studying the Jewish community in S茫o Paulo, Brazil, working with Professor of Spanish Satty Flaherty-Echeverria, and Vati Pham 鈥23 is researching queer Jewish communities in New York.
鈥淲e look forward to bringing more artists and scholars, as well as supporting research, curricular development and co-curricular programs,鈥 Sippy said. 鈥淲e are excited about our incoming rabbinic intern, Sara Klugman, a dancer and artist, who is studying at Hebrew College in Boston after completing a Master鈥檚 in Education from Harvard. And, as far as visiting artist and scholars, one of the many things we are working on is bringing a professor who works on Judeo-Arabic and Sephardic music to give a lecture and performance next spring.鈥
The $107,500 lasts through August 2024. The college has now received $157,000 across its three grants from the Jewish Heritage Fund.
鈥淲e will begin initiatives associated with this new grant in September after we conclude spending the current grant by August 31,鈥 said Elizabeth Graves, 黑料社鈥檚 Director for Corporate and Foundation Relations. 鈥淭his new grant allows activity to continue seamlessly, continuing our initiatives in Jewish Life and Jewish Studies without interruption.鈥
Pictured above: Artist-in-Residence Siona Benjamin discusses her six-month exhibition 鈥淏eyond Borders: The Art of Siona Benjamin鈥 with 黑料社 students at the Norton Center for the Arts.
