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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LaMar’s Donuts Partners with The Salvation Army to Celebrate National Donut Day on June 2nd
DENVER, May 26, 2023 (Newswire.com) - National Donut Day is Friday, June 2, and LaMar's will be partnering with The Salvation Army to host an annual fundraising and community engagement event. Each participating LaMar's location will also be giving away free donuts to everyone who visits a store.
National Donut Day is celebrated on the first Friday of every June — a tradition dating back to 1917, when Salvation Army volunteers known as the "Donut Lassies" made donuts for soldiers on the front lines of World War I. In celebration of this tradition, LaMar's will be partnering with The Salvation Army to host its 9th Annual National Donut Day fundraising campaign. The campaign will be hosted by various LaMar's locations nationwide, and it will include free donuts, donations to The Salvation Army, and community engagement with local police and fire departments. The goal of this campaign is to spread joy and give back to the community, just like the Donut Lassies did over 100 years ago.
This year's National Donut Day fundraiser will be a celebration unlike any other. In addition to raising funds for The Salvation Army through donations, LaMar's will match all online donations made during the week of May 28th. Each participating location will be handing out free Ray's Original Glazed donuts to customers, along with LaMar's National Donut Day t-shirts, while supplies last. LaMar's will be partnering with local police and fire stations, who will volunteer their time to hand out the free donuts and t-shirts to community members at select participating locations.
In addition to celebrating the holiday at LaMar's stores, The Salvation Army will be delivering thousands of LaMar's donuts to the Denver and Aurora Police Departments as well as locations in Kansas City, MO, Omaha, NE, and Wichita, KS, for National Donut Day. Staff and members of the Army, along with Aurora police officers, will also hand deliver donuts to veterans at the VA Medical Center in Aurora, CO. The Salvation Army brass band will be at the medical center at 10 a.m. to perform and celebrate the national holiday.
"The Salvation Army's tireless mission to keep children clothed, sheltered, and fed is an enduring reminder that we need to do what we can to support our community members," shared Temi Osifodunrin, LaMar's Director of Marketing and Advertising. "LaMar's is thrilled to be spreading joy to our communities on National Donut Day, just like the Donut Lassies did for soldiers during World War I."
To receive a free Ray's Original Glazed hand-made donut on National Donut Day, LaMar's customers must simply visit their local store. For customers who can't make it to a LaMar's location on National Donut Day, LaMar's will also be mailing out "Share the LaMar's Donut Day Love" cards to community members in surrounding neighborhoods. These cards can be used to redeem one free donut with a hole and a small coffee. Specialty donuts & coffee will be available but will incur an upcharge when used with the card.
For more information about LaMar's National Donut Day celebration, or to make an online donation, please visit www.donutday.com.
About LaMar's Donuts - After developing his original donut recipe as a teenager in 1933, Ray Lamar opened the first LaMar's Donuts in Kansas City, Missouri, on Linwood Boulevard in a converted gas station. Today, the franchised chain has 25 stores in five states. LaMar's has won numerous awards and has earned favorable reviews by such publications as The New Yorker and Gourmet magazine. LaMar's donuts were also the first to be reviewed and acclaimed by Zagat, the world's most trusted guide to restaurants. Visit us at LaMars.com.
About The Salvation Army - The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church established in 1865, has supported those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year across 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, please visit imsalvationarmy.org.
Contact Information:Temi Osifodunrin
Director of Marketing and Advertising
marketing@lamars.com
303-771-9999 x. # 7001
Original Source: LaMar's Donuts Partners with The Salvation Army to Celebrate National Donut Day on June 2nd
