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Here are some comments from Colgate graduates who have taken Jewish Studies courses.
Jewish Studies at Colgate inspired so much of the way I think, the way I approach literature and life, and the way I teach. As a first semester freshman, I enrolled in Alice Nakhimovsky’s “Jewish Fiction since the Holocaust.” Also that term, I took Chris Vecsey’s “Religion and the Quest for Meaning” as my Freshman Seminar. The combination of the two, merely a coincidence at the time, greatly impacted the degree to which I sought to dig into what I read, what it meant, and how I felt about it in all my subsequent courses.
Then, I did not plan on becoming a Jewish Studies minor, but as my experience in “Jewish Fiction since the Holocaust” grew longer and richer, my interest in exploring more literature and more of my own Jewish identity became important to me on a deeply personal level. I truly loved our texts; my own grappling with the Holocaust through the literature and the stories it echoed about my own ancestors led me to question a whole lot about religion and life and meaning. I found a home in the Jewish Studies Department to explore an area of academics that took its roots in culture, theology, philosophy, and literature in ways that mattered to me as both a student and person.
Furthermore, I have always loved stories. In this light, the Department became a natural fit for me. The courses I took—in particular, “Jewish Fiction since the Holocaust,” “Jewish Fiction before the War,” and “Genesis and its Interpreters”—focused, either in part or entirely, on stories. These stories were, inherently, meaningful. The angles by which we illuminated them as readers were up to us and that approach to reading contains a lesson I have carried with me.
I now teach English in Manhattan, and I constantly encourage my students to find meaning in what they read and write, and to own their interpretations—to find something even sacred in that process. I also find traces of my role models in the Jewish Studies Department when I teach Cynthia Ozick’s “The Shawl” and have students draw connections between it and the Akedah or incorporate a selection from Job when teaching Richard Wright’s Black Boy. My experiences in the Jewish Studies Department helped shape and develop my interests as a student and, now, a teacher, and for that I am truly grateful.
- Jordan L. Slutsky '02
I took: “Faith after the Holocaust,” “Jewish Fiction since the Holocaust,” and “The Jewish Century.” In my “Faith after the Holocaust” class I remember the striking first-hand accounts that we read. These accounts broadened my understanding of the lasting psychological impact of the Holocaust on the Jewish people. “Jewish Fiction since the Holocaust” was one of the first literature courses that I took at Colgate (I did end up double-majoring in Political Science and English Literature) and I remember well how much I enjoyed many of the texts we read. Not only did I enjoy the texts because I always enjoy well-written fiction, but because they truly introduced me to the Jewish culture, about which I knew very little. My seminar, “The Jewish Century,” was probably my favorite course, because it expanded upon what I had learned in my “Jewish Fiction since the Holocaust” course. We were able to read several works of fiction, as well as non-fiction pieces, and engage in many meaningful discussions in our small group. We even were able to enjoy some home-cooked Jewish food in the Saperstein Jewish Center--compliments of our professor (a delicious brisket comes to mind!)
As for future plans, I am going to be attending William & Mary Law School in the fall. I am not sure yet what area I would like to pursue specifically, but I think it will be environmental law!
- Meredith Birdsall '06
The Jewish Studies department at Colgate has also opened doors that I didn't even know existed. Through my research for my thesis, and later for my Watson Fellowship, I had the privilege of traveling the world to seek out Jewish communities in the most remote places on Earth. I was able to call upon my experiences in the Jewish Studies department to help me contextualize the Yiddish-speaking Argentine cowboys, the Shabbat services chanted over the call of the muezzin in Morocco, and even the day-to-day customs, foods, and traditions that I experience daily in New York. Celebrating Shabbat among Jews in Eastern Siberia as they struggled mightily to preserve their Jewish traditions remains one of the most influential moments of my life.
- Marc Frankel '06
As a Cellular Neuroscience major, I wasn't sure what to expect when I signed up for Jewish Fiction Since the Holocaust. Surprisingly, it soon became one of my favorite classes. Professor Nakhimovsky's offered a welcome change to my schedule that was heavily laden with intensely detailed science based classes. I would often find myself in lab looking forward to 12:10 when we would meet to discuss whichever book we were tackling that week. The literature was skillfully selected to not only offer entertaining reads, but also to provide an insightful outlook towards the profound effects the events of World War II had on an entire culture. After Colgate I took a year off to play professional ice hockey in Paris, and I just finished my first year of medical school at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Once again I find myself in the midst of rigorous science classes, wishing I had an hour a day to kick back, relax, and talk about a good book.
- Zac Tataryn '06
I originally enrolled in a Jewish Studies course because of my fascination with Israel as the only democratic state in the Middle East at the time. As a Political Science Major, I was interested in the politics of Israel and the social conditions that allowed for a democracy. I was lucky enough to take Multi-Ethnic Israel as my Core Culture during an Israeli election year and learned about the electoral system, campaigning, and general politics of Israel.
After Multi-Ethnic Israel I enrolled in Hebrew Bible: Davidic Women. I did not have a prior interest in biblical studies and was not particularly thrilled with the narrow topic of Davidic Women within the Old Testament. Little did I know, this class would be the one that hooked me on Jewish Studies. The professor did a remarkable job of highlighting gender roles illustrated by David’s wives in the bible and relating the ancient text to current gender debates. The course was illuminating in that it pulled together century old issues and debates and made ancient historical texts accessible and relevant to students’ lives.
I went on to take Jewish literature classes fell in love with contemporary Jewish literature. Many authors wrote about the immigrant experience in a way that opened their lives and experiences up for the rest of the world understand. Their unique perspective gave me a new found appreciation of my own cultural history. I am grateful for being introduced to this literature at Colgate where I was able to discuss, analyze, and enjoy it in a group of insightful and engaged people.
In addition to a broad and in depth education, the Jewish Studies Minor gave me the opportunity to develop close relationships with faculty members at Colgate. The class sizes are small and discussions rather than lectures are common. The professors all took time out of class to meet with me and I am very fortunate that some became life mentors.
Currently, I am a paralegal at the New York County District Attorney’s Office. I am applying to Law School for the fall of 2009 and will be working on Jeanne Shaheen’s US Senate Campaign in New Hampshire beginning this summer.
- Alexandra Zaltman '06
The Jewish Studies courses that I took at Colgate emphasized the traditional aspects of Judaism every bit as much as the religious. Learning about the Jewish tradition--both here in America and abroad--has helped me feel more connected to my faith. Jewish fiction and non-fiction courses alike illustrated not only the feelings of Jews at various points in the last few centuries, but also how they've been perceived by Czarist Russians, Soviets, Arabs, turn-of-the-century Americans, and so many other cultures. Those courses have helped me put my Judaism into perspective not only in the world in which we live today, but also in history.
I took many of my classes in Jewish Studies in history and literature on top of required Hebrew. I was fortunate to have a taste of early modern Jewish history and socio-political history of Israel ("Multic- Ethnic Israel" a CORE class to be specific) in addition to my previous knowledge of modern Jewish history to figure out what I liked and didn't like about Jewish history. I also took "The Jewish Century," a senior seminar that covered the age-old question of "what is a Jew?" in Jewish literature. I completed my minor before I went abroad in Israel so I arrived there already knowing what courses to pick at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. And of course, nothing impressed the Israelis more than counting off all the Israeli prime ministers since 1948 that I learned in "Multic-Ethnic Israel"! They do really appreciate it when Americans come in with background in Israeli history and some knowledge of Hebrew, not quick tourist facts picked up during a birthright trip. I believe that Colgate's Jewish Studies department does its very best to promote contemporary Jewish issues.
I would say and admit that I didn't need this, but my best course was Professor Kepnes' "Faith After Holocaust." I studied the Holocaust for as long as I could remember but I signed up with the purpose of seeing how others react to the Holocaust. The course succintly covered the history, literature, and ethics of the Holocaust while examining the question, "After the destruction of 11 million people, is it possible to believe in humanity?" My highlight was listening to others' final projects and I retriated that day to my local synagogue months later in the rabbi's discussion of "Does Holocaust still matter?" I said to the congregation, "Yes it still matters. The question we have to ask is how can we make it relevant to others? I had two girls who interviewed locals in a rural area about the Holocaust because we lived in a rural area, away from the bigger world. I had a black student who investigated the blacks in the Holocaust. Female students looked at women's perspective. The Holocaust is so big that what we can do is find a piece of it and make connection with it in order to keep it relevant in our lives."
Observing the class and partaking in internships at the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC paved the way for what I want to do after graduation- Holocaust education and research. I am attending the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor for my masters in Judaic Studies. Then I will transfer into a PhD program in history to achieve these basic goals of teaching and researching in an university or a museum.
- Sara Halpern '08
For most of my life, I've regarded my Jewish identity as a chore. To me, attending synagogue was as routine and mindless as making my bed or cleaning my room. Despite years of Hebrew school, I knew very little about the foundations of Judaism and the faith to which I dedicated myself for years. My first Jewish Studies course at Colgate instilled in me a desire to understand the laws that I had blindly accepted. Through my education, I soon realized that Judaism allows for interpretation and the freedom to practice as you please. Now, four years later, I find myself at Friday night services voluntarily, listening to the words I've heard so many times, yet never understood.
- Caitlyn Perlman '08