The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies announced a new lecture series that will bring light to Jewish history, sociology, and education for Spring 2024.
The free online lectures will discuss topics such as the history of anti-Jewish quotas, how universities address legacies of antisemitism, the history of Jewish life on campuses in America, and how Penn has balanced inclusivity with academic freedom along with where it can improve.
Speakers include professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley Jerome Karabel, philosopher and professor at the Penn Graduate School of Education Sigal Ben-Porath, Stanford University's scholar of Jewish Education Ari Kelman, and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at American University Pamela Nadell.
To begin the series, the Katz Center and Penn Hillel will be co-sponsoring a talk by Dara Horn — Creative Advisor for The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History — at Penn on Jan. 23.
This initiative was made possible by a gift from the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation, a family foundation supporting education, cancer research, and Jewish archeology. The Foundation established two funds: one dedicated to studying Jewish History and Culture in Israel and the other for studying antisemitism.
“With this generous support, the Katz Center will be able to develop important new initiatives to support research and advance public understanding in two central domains of Jewish experience," Steven Weitzman, the Ella Darivoff Director of the Katz Center, said in a press release.
The announcement of the Program Fund came after reports of antisemitic vandalism on a fraternity house at Penn in October and the destruction of Penn Hillel property by an individual shouting antisemitic rhetoric in September.
Through the Program Fund, the Katz Center will be able to support new research into the background and consequences of antisemitism and anti-Judaism.
On Nov. 1, President Liz Magill announced a University-wide action plan to combat antisemitism following significant donor backlash and safety concerns after on-campus incidents.
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