February 2024 Newsletter

KU Jewish Studies January Recap

At the time of writing, the war between Israel and Hamas has lasted 129 days. We know this continues to impact our students, staff, and faculty in Jewish Studies. We will continue to encourage you to utilize the resources provided by KU should you need mental health support. Please remember CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) are here for you any time, night or day. If you need immediate assistance or know someone who is in crisis you can call or text 988 and be connected to emergency mental health support. 

Every member of the KU community deserves to feel safe and welcome here. The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX has requested that students contact the office should they experience any form of discrimination, microaggression, or act of antisemitism. In addition, the Jewish Studies staff and faculty continue to offer safe and confidential listening spaces for those who are in need. We are here for you.

What's Happening in Jewish Studies

We hope that you are settling in to your Spring courses. With each monthly newsletter we have had the pleasure of welcoming new majors or minors to the Jewish Studies Program, this month is no different. Please welcome Rachel Kricsfeld who switched from a Jewish Studies minor to a BA in Jewish Studies.

Want a sneak peak at upcoming Fall courses? It's hard to believe that Fall 2024 enrollment begins next month. In addition to our standard first, second, third year, and independent study courses in Hebrew, Shelley Rissien will offer a Hebrew language course (HEBR 300) on the topic of Israeli song and literature. We will once again offer a block of courses in Israel Studies: The Israel Palestine Conflict, Israel from Idea to Statehood, Politics and Government of Israel, and a new course called Israel and American Jewry. Graphic Novels as Memory and Hitler and Nazi Germany address the history of the Holocaust and the impact on Jewish life and existence. On the topic of Judaism: Mystical Traditions in Judaism and Jews, Christians, and Muslims will be offered. Language, Gender, and Sexuality is a favorite course among Jewish Studies students. The two first-year seminar courses taught by Dr. Rami Zeedan and Dr. RB Perelmutter are open to all first-year students and provide a gateway to Jewish Studies. Dr Zeedan's course will focus on Israeli society and Dr. Perelmutter's course will focus on Jewish culture in the US. In addition to our Fall course line up, we are thrilled that RB will return from sabbatical and will teach for Jewish Studies again. RB, we have missed you.

In the News: Celebrating Achievements

Mazel tov to Dr. Bogi Takács Perelmutter for eir collection of speculative tales exploring gender identity, neurodivergence, and religion in their new book Power to Yield and Other Stories published this year by Broken Eye Books. We cannot wait to read it! Also congratulations to Dr. Vitaly Chernetsky who has been appointed president of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) for 2024. ASEEES, a nonprofit, non-political, scholarly society, is the leading international organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about Central Asia, the Caucasus, Russia, and Eastern Europe in regional and global contexts.  

Events: Engaging with our Community

A big thank you, to Meg Hereford and the bakers of Lady Bird Diner for donating pies to the January Open House and Tu Bishvat party on January 24th.

Do you know about the Hillel Hebrew Round Table? Join Noa Savir on Fridays at 4PM if you're totally new to Hebrew, or if you have some Hebrew but want to learn more, stop by Tuesdays at 12:30PM or Wednesdays at 10AM.

We have several events we are looking forward to this month. The Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation (LJCC), the Jewish Studies Program, and Religious Studies will co-sponsor Dr. Rachel Gross on Thursday, February 29th from 6-8PM. Dr. Gross, an Associate Professor and the John and Marcia Goldman Chair of American Jewish Studies in the Department of Jewish Studies at San Francisco State University, will present: The Pickle Problem: The Deli Revival and American Jewish Religion which addresses the nostalgic revival of interest in the Jewish deli menu. This event is open to the public and the KU community. For more information, click here.

On Wednesday, March 6th, 7-9PM, Dr. Shelly Cline will present Life Beyond the Wall: Unpacking The Zone of Interest at the LJCC. Join Dr. Shelly Cline and Jessica Rockhold from the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education for a critical examination of the Oscar-nomination film, Zone of Interest. To attend the event in person or virtually, click here.

Dr. Omri Senderowicz will speak on his ethnographic research on how the kibbutz were impacted in the transition from socialism to neoliberalism at the end of the 20th century at the LJCC on March 20th from 7-8:30PM. For more information and to register for the event visit the LJCC website here.

On March 21st at 4PM in the Centennial Room of the Kansas Union, Dr. Birgit Hebel-Bauridl of the University of Regensburg will present Memory, Participation, Resistance: The Flossenbürg Concentration Camp Memorial and Museum. In addition, Dr. Hebel-Bauridl will present This sophisticated hell of murder and misery: My Grandfather’s Journey from National Socialist Camps to Postwar Ostracism and Oblivion on March 26th at 4PM at the Max Kade Center for German-American Studies. The talks are sponsored by: The Leibniz Science Campus "Europe and America in the Modern World" (University of Regensburg and the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies), Max Kade Center for German American Studies, the Department of Slavic, German, and Eurasian Studies, the Department of History, the Jewish Studies Program, & the Center for Global and International Studies.

On March 25th Jewish Studies will host a Purim party with homemade hamentashen and bagels - stay tuned for more details.

On April 16th and 17th Dr. Avi Shilon will visit Jewish Studies students and their classes and speak at the LJCC. He will present Israel at War: October 7th and the War in Gaza in Historical Perspective from 7-8:30PM, April 17th at the LJCC. Dr. Shilon is a historian who specializes in the field of “Israel Studies”. His PhD dissertation focuses on The Revisionist Movement Leaders' Attitudes Toward Jewish religion 1925-2005. He is the author of Menachem Begin’s biography, Menachem Begin: A Life, which was published by Yale University press in 2013. His second book, Ben Gurion: His Later Years in the Political Wilderness had been published by Rowman & Littlefield on 2016. His new book, The Decline of the Left-wing in Israel: Yossi Beilin and the Politics of the Peace Process was published by I.B Tauris on 2020. 

The keystone event in Jewish Studies this Spring is the Jews in the Americas conference. This bilingual and hybrid conference will take place April 18th and 19th on the KU campus. More information on speakers, conference registration, and conference related events will be announced throughout the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

The Spring semester will close with a graduation celebration and awards ceremony for our seniors on May 10th from 12-2PM in the Kansas Memorial Union. Watch your email for formal invitations and details on the event.

Spring Fellowships

Thanks to the Danciger Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City, we are proud to announce that awards are available for those who participate in the Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium through the Center for Undergraduate Research. KU's Undergraduate Research Symposium is held each spring to provide a venue for students to share the results of their research and creative projects with the campus community. The deadline to register for the 2024 Online Undergraduate Research Symposium is 11:59PM on Sunday, April 7th, 2024. For more information please visit the Center for Undergraduate Research.

Please note that funding opportunities are available through need-based fellowships for all Jewish Studies majors and minors thanks to the continued support of the Danciger Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City. These opportunities provide valuable support to students facing economic hardship. The application process is easy and confidential. To be considered for funding, please send a brief email to jewishstudies@ku.edu stating that you are experiencing need, and the amount that would help alleviate your financial roadblocks. Economic hardship can result in undue stress, which can infringe upon your learning experience. We want to help you achieve success, so please do not hesitate to ask for help. 

The Israel Institute is providing $1,200 in funding to undergraduate and graduate students in good standing at American universities who are interested in taking one course or more offered by a college or university in Israel. Courses can be in any subject within the humanities, law, social science, or business administration. These scholarships are ideal for students participating in study abroad or summer study programs. Credit earned at Israeli universities can be transferred to your KU transcript, with prior consultation with the Jewish Studies Program. Apply by March 6th for Summer placement. Visit https://israelinstitute.org/program/siis/ to learn more. 

Please note that international travel with funding and support from KU requires pre-approval by KU Study Abroad based on KU policies and the US State Department recommendations on safety of travel.