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
Rivers are Life Premieres ‘Wings of the Oder’ Bringing Awareness to Poland’s Oder River
MIDLAND, Mich., August 18, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Tomorrow, August 19, Rivers are Life unveils the latest documentary highlighting the Oder River and conservation efforts made by local River Hero, Piotr Chara. Located in central Europe, the Oder River is Poland's second longest river, which runs from the Czech Republic, through Poland and Germany, and into the Baltic Sea. This film, titled "Wings of the Oder," centers on Piotr and his mission to protect the Oder and surrounding wildlife habitats while inspiring people locally and around the world.
Piotr Chara spent most of his childhood in and around the Oder River and its shores. As he grew older and continued to watch, Piotr noticed a dramatic decline in the river and the local wildlife that called it home. Unintended consequences from a river widening project and the effects of climate change have played into the situation and negatively impacted the once thriving shores' delicate ecosystem.
Various species of Wetland birds are native to this area, such as little terns and oystercatchers. The number of birds migrating to the river were decreasing in high numbers due to difficulty nesting - their habitats were compromised which made them easy prey for local predators in the area. Piotr researched different solutions and created an organization that builds floating nests for the birds to be able to breed safely and comfortably.
"The plight of these birds didn't allow me to rest. I admired their beauty, their grace, their mating dances," said Piotr Chara. "I was eventually able to recognize individual birds, to become familiar with their temperament and personal habits. I felt honored. It was all the more painful, then, to see their dramatic situation. I knew it was imperative to find the time, find a solution and resources to help them."
To date, Piotr's team has installed eight artificial nests to help the at-risk birds. Now an award-winning photographer, Piotr films the birds as part of his studies and reports his findings to The Green Valley of the Oder and Warta (ZDOW) Foundation. Since filming on this project began, Piotr and his loyal volunteers, along with The Green Valley of the Oder and the Warta (ZDOW) Foundation, worked together to officially achieve reservation status for the Oder River. This status will protect the river from any potential human threats, providing a thriving breeding ground for wildlife for years to come.
"Wings of the Oder" premieres August 19 and will be a reminder for just how essential our rivers are to communities and ecosystems across the globe.
Watch "Wings of the Oder" HERE.
Contact Information:Julia Regeski
Impact Manager, BeAlive Inc.
jregeski@gobealive.com
404-578-7180
Original Source: Rivers are Life Premieres 'Wings of the Oder' Bringing Awareness to Poland's Oder River
