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
Latest Fit News
Colossal X Tony Hawk’s Skatepark Hero Announces Winners, Raises $768,498.50 Benefiting DTCare + The Skatepark Project
Michael Manion Wins Tony Hawk's Skatepark Hero
Colossal Raises Over $768K Benefiting The Skatepark Project
PHOENIX, August 23, 2023 (Newswire.com) - In an electrifying display of skill, passion, and camaraderie, the global skateboarding community united under the banner of Colossal's Tony Hawk's Skatepark Hero. This extraordinary online competition wasn't merely a showcase of tricks, but a celebration of creativity, purpose, and philanthropy.
Grand Prize Winner
The "People's Choice" winner, selected by public voting, was Michael Manion, a lifelong skateboarder who discovered a passion for helping open skateparks within his local community in Southern Georgia. Manion looks up to Hawk as someone who paved the way for him to do what he loves. Just like Hawk, who blazed a trail for skateboarders worldwide, Manion's dedication to taking the title exemplifies the profound impact skateboarding can have on individuals and communities.
Also Pretty Awesome
Robert Zamora secured the coveted "Tony's Pick" title. Hawk himself plucked Zamora from the ranks of contenders, captivated not only by the technical finesse of his boardslide trick but also by the artful synchronization of his moves to a perfectly curated musical backdrop. Zamora's attention to detail and artistic flair captured the essence of the competition's spirit, highlighting how skateboarding transcends the physical and becomes an art form that resonates deeply.
The Donation
Skatepark Hero was a fundraiser powered by Colossal, a global leader in modern giving. The competition raised a staggering $768,498.50, ultimately being granted to support The Skatepark Project, a nonprofit near and dear to Tony Hawk's heart since 2002. The organization's mission is to help underserved communities create safe and inclusive public skateparks for youth.
The competition served as a fundraising campaign for DTCare, a United States 501(c)(3) public charity organization, which granted donations to The Skatepark Project.
About Colossal
Colossal is the global leader in online competitions and one of the most effective fundraising platforms available for charities that lack the bandwidth to operate large-scale campaigns. While offering extraordinary opportunities to men and women worldwide, each online fundraising competition operated by Colossal has become a successful method of fundraising for nonprofits. Visit colossal.org.
About The Skatepark Project
Founded by Tony Hawk, The Skatepark Project (TSP) is a nonprofit organization working to increase access to outdoor recreation and free play through the creation of safe and inclusive community skateparks. TSP provides the resources, advocacy skills, grants and fellowship programs that guide skaters in creating their own community skateparks, from conception through construction. This is a collaborative process between skaters and city authorities to invest in capital improvements that will enrich a community for decades. The Skatepark Project's grant programs have awarded over $11 million to help fund nearly 700 public skateparks in all 50 states, enjoyed by an estimated eight million people annually. The organization's International Program has provided technical and financial support to assist youth through the Skateistan educational programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa. To get involved, visit skatepark.org.
Contact Information:Anne-Marie Pritchett
COLOSSAL
anne-marie@colossal.org
Original Source: Colossal X Tony Hawk's Skatepark Hero Announces Winners, Raises $768,498.50 Benefiting DTCare + The Skatepark Project
Penn’s Commitment to Sustainability Shown in Environmentally Improved Tennis Ball Can
PHOENIX, August 23, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Penn, America's #1 selling tennis ball brand sold by the HEAD USA Inc. racquet sports company, is announcing today that its tennis balls just got a whole lot more attractive - through improved recyclability and faster biodegradability of their cans.
Penn tennis ball plastic cans have been enhanced to be more efficiently recycled. The new design includes a shorter removable sleeve (covering two-thirds of the can instead of the full can), which means less ink is used and it can be more easily separated by automatic waste separation technology.
The new cans also have another environmentally friendly feature. Because approximately 90% of all plastics end up in landfills, rather than get recycled, the biodegrading process is particularly important. Most plastics take hundreds of years to break down, but Penn is injecting an organic additive produced by Midori Bio Inc. into its new PET cans and plastic lid caps. So, if the cans are not recycled and end up in a landfill, they will break down within only 3-5 years.
Jeff Ratkovich, Senior Business Manager for Penn Tennis, said, "Tennis balls are an integral component in the sport of tennis, and we have to be socially responsible, so it's absolutely appropriate that we are making our ball cans and lids more recyclable and environmentally friendly.
"Our first priority is to promote and encourage the tennis-playing community to recycle their discarded packaging, but we also understand that most of these materials are destined for landfills. So we're cutting down the biodegrading time by partnering with Midori Bio and incorporating their pioneering organic additive in our new ball cans and plastic lid caps. It is the responsible thing to do."
The new ball cans and lid caps will soon start replacing Penn's current recognizable cans on tennis courts across the U.S. and Canada. Pro Penn Marathon and Penn Tour premium balls have already started hitting shelves, Penn Championship cans are due out later this year, and the remainder of Penn's ball range is scheduled to hit stores in 2024.
Unlike some other biodegradable products which require specialized environments to degrade, Penn ball cans are consumed (as a food source) by microbes in local landfill sites. The Midori Bio additive allows the buried cans to expand with ground moisture, attracting microbes to the plastic which treat it as food, thereby eating it and breaking down the chemical bonds of the plastic faster. For more information on this biodegradation technology, please visit midori-bio.com.
Ratkovich added, "For us, the performance of the product is paramount, and it goes without saying that the Penn balls themselves remain unchanged. It's a case of: same great ball - better packaging. As a company, we are committed to improving our operational sustainability, and as part of this effort, we're delighted to make it easy for tennis players to dispose of their Penn tennis ball cans with a clear conscience. For us, this is another important step towards greater sustainability."
Contact Information:Allison Barnett
Brand Manager HEAD North America
abarnett@us.head.com
602-447-2324
Original Source: Penn's Commitment to Sustainability Shown in Environmentally Improved Tennis Ball Can
