Education
Gratz College Launches America’s First Master’s Degree in Antisemitism Studies
PHILADELPHIA, February 22, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Gratz College is launching the first Master of Arts degree program in Antisemitism Studies in the United States in Fall 2024. This ground-breaking program will help fill the vacuum of knowledge about antisemitism across Jewish, non-Jewish, and governmental organizations responsible for generating policy to combat prejudice at a time of unprecedented Jew hatred.
It will:
• Provide an academic home for those seeking to develop both a deep theoretical and practical understanding of antisemitism;
• Help generate new and impactful research on the factors that contribute to growing antisemitism and test interventions that can successfully combat it; and
• Arm educators and practitioners with the most effective antisemitism pedagogy and programming.
Through degree concentrations in teaching, advocacy and research, graduates of this program will be uniquely qualified for prominent careers in education, think tanks, government relations, public policy, and community organizations (Jewish and non-Jewish).
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is eager to see this program take shape:
“We’re seeing a dangerous rise in antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry across our country – and it’s more important than ever that Pennsylvanians be equipped with a thorough knowledge of our shared history and the skills to discern fact from fiction. Gratz College is already renowned for its Holocaust and Genocide Studies programs, and I am encouraged the College is expanding upon that work with a new Master’s degree in Antisemitism Studies. I wish the faculty, staff, and especially the inaugural class of Antisemitism Studies students, great success in their work.”
The program is directed by Dr. Ayal Feinberg, antisemitism studies expert and Director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College. The program boasts a distinguished interdisciplinary faculty from academia and leading public advocacy organizations. Despite its infancy, the degree has been endorsed by nearly one hundred scholars and public policy experts from around the world. Professor of Political Science at Kalamazoo College R. Amy Elman asserts, “With an emphasis on operationalizing knowledge, informed teaching and ethical advocacy, Gratz’s innovative graduate program fulfills a deep need in countering antisemitism.”
Gratz’s Antisemitism Studies program is also establishing ground-breaking partnerships with the world’s most prominent Jewish organizations and programs to combat antisemitism in the classroom, on campus, and in professional workspaces. In the first such partnership, Gratz and The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History have joined forces to launch the National Education Fellowship on Antisemitism. The aim of this fellowship is to generate and assess paradigm-shifting middle and high school curriculum to reduce Jew-hatred and prejudice more broadly.
As an early adopter of online education, a 128-year history of Jewish learning, and home to the world’s largest graduate program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz is uniquely qualified to take on this necessary and overdue program.
On March 4, 2024, the master’s degree program will kick-off with a series of public lectures, including by scholars serving as affiliate faculty for the program. On April 2, 2024, Dr. Avinoam Patt, inaugural director of NYU’s Center for Study of Antisemitism and the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Holocaust Studies, will deliver a keynote lecture, titled, "Awake My People": Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in the Modern Period.” Additional talks will take place before the program officially begins in August.
Prospective students eager to start may apply now and take courses as early as March 2024 with electives in Antisemitism Studies already developed as a preview to the program.
Gratz College is grateful to the Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation for generously supporting the launch of the Antisemitism Studies program. Jay Myers, Board Chair, shared: “The Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation, a family foundation guided by Jewish American values, sees great worth in educating future generations about the roots of Antisemitism, and by doing so, working to combat it. This degree program will create scholars who can devote their talent to meet this challenge. Our Foundation is proud to support this work and by so doing, meet our obligation to help repair the world.”
Contact: lcohen@gratz.edu for more information.
Contact Information:Lori Cohen
Director of Marketing and Design
lcohen@gratz.edu
215-635-7300 x182
Original Source: Gratz College Launches America's First Master's Degree in Antisemitism Studies
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The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation Announces Socrates Recipients
CHICAGO, December 5, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2023 Socrates Award, which provides a lifetime cash grant to individuals with paralysis caused by illness or injury that results in the partial or total loss of the use of one's limbs with economic resources for therapy, equipment, prescriptions, and in-home care.
"These four individuals recognize that the daily pursuit of ‘a healthy mind' and 'a healthy body' in the face of adversity is the true testament of one's character," said Chris Brennan, Chairman of The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation.
Marine Cpl Kelsee Leinhart (Dearborn, IN)
Marine Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart was among the service members wounded in the Kabul Airport attacks on August 26, 2021. Cpl. Lainhart was working with the withdrawal of U.S. troops and refugees in the final days of the U.S. involvement in the war in Afghanistan when the attack that killed 13 service members happened. Lainhart was left paralyzed, and recovery has taken her from Walter Reed in Washington to rehabilitation in Chicago. She continues her journey of healing back in the Hoosier State. Despite everything she has been through, the decision to join the Marines is one Cpl. Lainhart said she doesn't regret it. Once a Marine, always a Marine!
Ivan Smith (San Diego, CA)
Ivan Smith, an elite tennis player from Southern California, was in a terrible car accident on April 5, 2022, while attending college in San Antonio, Texas. Ivan endured significant surgery to rebuild his spine with 16 screws, and his spinal cord was severely damaged around T.H. 7-8. There are severe long-term problems ahead, but hopefully, with divine intervention and remarkable technological and scientific advances, Ivan will someday walk again.
Clay Scherb (Winnetka, IL)
On August 28, 2022, Clay Scherb, who was a senior in high school, suffered a horrific accident in which his C5 was shattered. After being rushed into surgery and spending two critical weeks in the ICU, Clay was transferred to Northwestern Hospital in Chicago for another week of enhanced care. The following 12 weeks were spent in intense rehabilitation, with a brief stint back to Northwestern Hospital for two weeks to help clear Clay's lungs. Clay is paralyzed from the chest down and has difficulty with his core and sitting upright unassisted. Clay has worked tirelessly five days a week, six hours a day, for the past 15 months in physical therapy. He has slowly gained some functionality with his leg mobility and continues to work on developing hand dexterity. Clay's will is indomitable, and he is determined to continue healing, gaining strength, and regaining mobility and self-sufficiency.
J.J. O'Connor (Chicago, IL)
J.J. O'Connor sustained a C4 spinal cord injury at the age of 16 while playing hockey, forcing him to learn how to live his life as a quadriplegic. About a week after his accident, long-time hockey official Jim Smith visited him in the hospital. The men became friends, and Smith became a caregiver for O'Connor, a role that Smith still has. Over the past two decades, J.J. has significantly impacted the sport of sled hockey and made invaluable contributions to USA Hockey, held various leadership roles on the local and national levels, and is currently Director Emeritus of USA Hockey's Disabled Section. The O'Connor Courage Trophy, named after J.J., is awarded yearly to the Tier I champion at the USA Hockey Sled Classic.
Contact Information:Chris Brennan
Chairman, The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation
cjb1133@gmail.com
K.C. O'Rourke
Owner, KCLO Communications
kclo@kclocomm.com
Original Source: The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation Announces Socrates Recipients
Trace Minerals Welcomes Charles Walkley as Chief Operating Officer
OGDEN, Utah, December 5, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Trace Minerals, America’s number one selling trace mineral, liquid magnesium and performance nutrition brand according to SPINS®, announced today the addition of Charles “Chuck” Walkley as chief operating officer (COO). With more than three decades of experience in the CPG industry, Walkley has the proven ability to build and scale brands. As COO, Walkley will oversee the daily operational functions of Trace Minerals.
“As we look forward to further growing Trace Minerals in 2024 and beyond, Chuck’s role will be crucial in helping us reach and exceed our goals,” said Matt Kilts, CEO of Trace Minerals. “With extensive industry knowledge, experience and relationships, Chuck is sure to be a valuable addition to our leadership team.”
Walkley is bringing a unique blend of business expertise to Trace Minerals, with firsthand experience building high-performing management and sales teams, setting corporate vision, leading sophisticated manufacturing operations, elevating brand equity and more. Most recently, he served as COO for CocoVibe, the nation’s leading supplier of tropical concentrates and purees. Before that, Walkley was CEO for New Whey Nutrition, COO for Tampico Beverages Inc. and vice president of sales for Vermont Pure Springs. He has also held positions at Quaker Oats Company and Pepsi-Cola Company.
“I am fully aligned with Trace Minerals’ mission to help people remineralize their bodies and live healthier and fuller lives,” said Walkley. “As I embark on this new role, I will leverage my expertise to support the company today and drive continued growth in the coming months and years.”
Trace Minerals aims to help people remineralize their bodies and achieve and maintain an ideal level of trace minerals. For more information, visit https://www.traceminerals.com/.
About Trace Minerals
For more than 50 years, Trace Minerals has been committed to helping people remineralize their bodies, achieving and maintaining the ideal level of trace minerals that is just right for them to live better every single day. Trace Minerals is America’s number one selling trace mineral, liquid magnesium, and performance nutrition brand according to SPINS® and is the exclusive provider of ConcenTrace® Trace Mineral Drops, a concentrated seawater complex that contains a precisely proportioned, full spectrum of trace minerals and elements.
ConcenTrace is the basis for all products in the Company’s branded line, which is backed by a “Feel the Difference or Your Money Back” guarantee. Trace Minerals has been GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)-certified since 2004, is a registered member of the Global Retailer & Manufacturer Alliance, and is certified by UL® Registrar LLC under the standard ANSI 455-2 Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for Dietary Supplements.
Contact Information:Janine Warner
PR Manager
traceminerals@crowepr.com
Original Source: Trace Minerals Welcomes Charles Walkley as Chief Operating Officer
