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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Children’s Author Says ‘Pay What You Can’ for His Bestselling Diverse Books for Kids
LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Today, bestselling author Bobby Basil announced parents can buy his three diverse book series for kids — Pedro & Pete, Texting with History, and Travel Bug — for the price they can afford at bobbybasilbooks.com.
Pedro & Pete helps kids learn Spanish with interactive activity books and a companion "Spanish to English" podcast, which ranks as a top education podcast for kids in over 20 countries. Texting with History follows text conversations between curious kid Alex and inspiring figures from Black History, Women's History, and Hispanic Heritage like Frida Kahlo and Harriet Tubman. And interstellar alien Travel Bug explores cultures around the world from Peru down south all the way to Iceland up north.
Amazon awarded Basil the KDP Select All Star prize as an author who has been read the most on its platform. The Theodore Roosevelt Association recognized him as a national finalist for his book "Texting with Theodore Roosevelt." And he became another national finalist in Sundance Institute's New Voices Lab for his virtual reality musical experience for kids.
Basil realized the hundreds of dollars it would cost to buy all his kids' books online was more than most families could afford. So he created his own e-commerce store to offer printable ebook versions. Parents pay what they can, and the price starts at a dollar.
"I want my prices to be as inclusive as the themes in my books," asserted Basil. "Cost shouldn't stop parents from teaching their children about diversity. Diversity for kids is priceless."
Bobby Basil Books for Kids publishes bestselling read-aloud books that entertain and educate preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school early readers. Basil has also written children's stories for companies including Disney, Nickelodeon, and Amazon Studios. To learn more about Bobby Basil's diversity books, visit bobbybasilbooks.com.
Contact Information:Bobby Basil
press@bobbybasilbooks.com
Original Source: Children's Author Says 'Pay What You Can' for His Bestselling Diverse Books for Kids
Beckett Collectibles Announces Auction of ‘Rarest Card in Yu-Gi-Oh! History’: The One-of-One ‘Tyler the Great Warrior’ Card
\"Tyler The Great Warrior\" Yu-Gi-Oh! Card
Beckett Collectibles Set to Auction \"Tyler The Great Warrior\" Yu-Gi-Oh! card
PLANO, Texas, April 20, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Next week, Beckett Collectibles will partner with eBay and Collectable to auction the world's rarest Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card—the ultra-rare, 1-of-1 "Tyler the Great Warrior" card.
At age 14, Tyler Gressle was stricken with a rare liver cancer and contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation with a request: He wanted to personally create a card for Yu-Gi-Oh!, the Japanese trading card game he loved. An avid drawer and Yu-Gi-Oh! player, this idea united two of his passions, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation saw merit in the concept and contacted Yu-Gi-Oh! and its creators.
The Gressle family was eventually connected with the company behind Yu-Gi-Oh!. Gressle designed the first draft of the card himself, and the late, celebrated Kazuki Takahashi took Gressle's designs and turned it into an official Yu-Gi-Oh! card. Takahashi chose the name— "Tyler the Great Warrior," and the concept went straight from printing to slab, with no human hands handling the finished card during production.
"Over the past 20 years of my involvement in trading card games (TCG), I have had the opportunity to see an abundance of rare and obscure cards," said Ian Mcdaries, Beckett's lead TCG verifier. "From world-famous cards such as the Pikachu Illustrator to the prestigious BGS 10 Alpha Black Lotus, 'Tyler the Great Warrior' represents the pinnacle of my TCG career. As someone who has collected and played Yu-Gi-Oh! since its genesis back in 2002, having the opportunity to be a part of Tyler's journey was a real privilege."
Since its printing, the card acquired a lore of its own, with collectors debating its existence. Today, it is the rarest Yu-Gi-Oh! Card in history. Gressle approached Beckett Collectibles to grade the card, and after two decades, "Tyler the Great Warrior" will pass to its next owner. The auction can be viewed here.
About Beckett Collectibles
The mission of Beckett Collectibles is to provide the most amazing products and services on the planet for collectors. The iconic brand was founded in 1979 by Dr. James Beckett as a pricing guide for classic American sports cards. The company has since expanded into several other collectible categories with its signature price guidance, grading services, and print and digital tools for enthusiasts and professionals in the hobby. With over 30 years of experience assembling the industry's most comprehensive collectibles database, Beckett is uniquely positioned to become the world's premier alternative assets platform.
Contact Information:Scott Roskind
Chief Visionary Officer
media@beckett.com
Original Source: Beckett Collectibles Announces Auction of 'Rarest Card in Yu-Gi-Oh! History': The One-of-One 'Tyler the Great Warrior' Card
