Jewish Studies April 2026 Newsletter

Dear Jewish Studies students,  

You’re in the home stretch with only two weeks until Stop Day! Finish strong! 

Events – Past and Future 

March began with a loud and joyful celebration of Purim with our Jewish Studies Hebrew students, followed by a quiet period as midterms and spring break approached. April, on the other hand, has been non-stop! Let’s take a look! 

On April 13th, Dr. Sam Cooper and her First-Year Seminar students attended “Dedication” at the White Theatre on the Jewish Community Center campus in Overland Park. New York pianist Roger Peltzman told the moving story of his family's plight as they fled Nazi-occupied Europe. Jewish Studies major Nina McNay had this to say about the experience:

“Visiting the theatre and watching someone engage with their own 
family’s story in such a unique and vulnerable way is an experience that resonates in a deeper... leaving a lasting impact that cannot be replicated”.

Many thanks to Dr. Cooper for making this incredible experience possible.

On March 27th, Dr. Rami Zeedan presented “Historiography of the ‘Covenant of Blood’: Narratives of Survival, Alliance, Loyalty, Distrust, and Conditional Citizenship” at the Dorothy Stein Earnst Colloquium in Jewish Studies. Many thanks to the Max Kade Center for German-American Studies for hosting. 

A collaboration with KU Hillel concluded the Passover holiday with Mimouna - the traditional Maghrebi Jewish celebration. This festivity on April 10th, was a huge success, thanks to the tireless efforts of Jewish Studies major Alex Meiners, Hebrew coordinator Noa Savir, and Shaliach Mika Kislanski. The Jewish Studies suite looked and smelled amazing as mufleta dripping with honey and butter was served alongside other sweet treats.

On April 12th, Jewish Studies co-sponsored Yom HaShoah with the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, commemorating the 83rd anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the 63rd anniversary of the dedication of the Memorial to the Six Million at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park. Chaired by second-generation survivor Geri Crain, the program highlighted her mother’s wartime experiences and concluded with the traditional lighting of six memorial candles. 

On the afternoon of April 16th, Dr. RB Perelmutter’s Jewish Folklore and Folklife course welcomed Abby Magariel and Ellie Holsten of the Michael Klein Collection, who shared objects marking Jewish life from birth to death. That evening, Jewish Studies partnered with the KU History Department and KU Hillel to host a screening of Big Sonia at Liberty Hall, documenting the life of Kansas City resident, centenarian, and Holocaust survivor Sonia Warshawski. 

Jewish Studies was also proud to co-sponsor the annual State of Kansas Holocaust Commemoration on April 20th at a packed Topeka Civic Theatre. Organized by the Kansas Holocaust Commission, the program featured state dignitaries, religious leaders, an official proclamation signed by Governor Laura Kelly, and a keynote address by Hungarian Holocaust survivor Dr. Judy Gondos Jacobs. 

On Friday, April 24th, Dr. Alyssa Appelman presented at the Dorothy Stein Earnst Colloquium in Jewish Studies. Her topic, “Jewish Journalists’ Job Satisfaction, Burnout, and Relationships with Readers,” is relevant to her work as an associate professor in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Dr. Appelman received a Keeler Family Intra-University Fellowship in 2025-2026 and is currently an affiliate faculty member of Jewish Studies.  

Events for the Month of May 

• May 1st: Jewish Studies Student Research Symposium at 10AM in the Jewish Studies suite. 
  Presenters include: 
  • Quinn McDonald, “Safed, Kabbalah, & Contemporary Mysticism” 
  • Derrick Schaefer, “Spatial Reasoning in Kabbalah” 
  • Adina Thompson, “Jewish Education in America” 
• May 3rd: Alpha Epsilon Pi hosts Milton Katz and the event “A Walk to Remember” honoring Holocaust victims. Meet at the AEPi house, 1116 Indiana St., at 4PM. 
• May 7th: First Year Seminar Bagel Brunch 
  Dr. Sam Cooper’s First-Year Seminar will enjoy a bagel brunch at 11AM in the Jewish Studies suite. Bagels provided by Olive and I - and yes, you’re invited. We never turn anyone away when bagels are involved. 
• May 8th: Stop Day — you made it! 
• May 15th: Jewish Studies Graduate Award Ceremony & Luncheon 
  Noon, Centennial Room, Kansas Memorial Union. 
  Graduating seniors: Brandon Brown, Morgan Campbell, Dalton Hammon, Libby Herman, Jeremy Rosenwald, Derrick Schaefer, Ellie Segal, and Adina Thompson. 

Faculty News 

After several years of outstanding interim leadership (many thanks to Dr. Rami Zeedan and Dr. Mechele Leon), we are thrilled to announce that Dr. Ari Linden has accepted the position of Director of Jewish Studies. Ari brings expertise in German and Jewish culture, critical theory, Marxism, exile, and satire, along with a thoughtful and collaborative leadership style. We look forward to the continued growth of the program under his guidance. 

We also share bittersweet news as we congratulate Dr. Omri Senderowicz on his appointment as Director of the Natan & Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha, beginning this fall. We are currently searching for his replacement and will keep students informed about fall courses. 

We recognize that this transition raises questions about the Hebrew language program taught by Noa Savir. We are actively working with KU offices in hopes she will continue teaching Hebrew at KU in the fall. Please remain enrolled in Omri’s and Noa’s courses and thank you for your patience as we navigate these bureaucratic processes. 

Congratulations as well to Dr. Rami Zeedan on his recent publication: 
“Exploring the Landscape: Israel Studies in Non-Western Contexts”, co-authored with colleagues from four countries, published in Israel Studies 30.3 (Fall 2025). 

Antisemitism on YikYak 

We are aware of antisemitic content circulating on YikYak, a platform widely used by KU students. Jewish Studies has reported these concerns to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX and will be meeting with them soon. We have also contacted the JCRB/AJC, who are escalating the issue with the app’s developers and parent company. 

We encourage students to continue reporting antisemitic comments directly through the app, screenshot them, and share them with Program Coordinator Tyra Kalman (tkalman@ku.edu). With collective effort and support from Jewish advocacy organizations, we hope to hold this platform accountable and challenge antisemitism (and other forms of bigotry) wherever it appears.  

As the semester wraps, we’re grateful for your energy, curiosity, and sense of community. Thank you for showing up, attending events, noshing like no one else we know, and supporting each other along the way. 

We’ll see you at the finish line!