This story was printed from The Vanderbilt Hustler. Site URL: http://www.vanderbilthustler.com.

Jewish Studies dept. begins first year

by Riki Mack - February 10, 2004

The Jewish Studies department is the newest addition to Vanderbilt academia. The program was approved in April 2003 and students are now enrolled in classes and as majors.

“The establishment of the program is the start of the chancellor’s overall plan to create a more diverse college campus,” said senior Jay Schoenberg, Vanderbilt Hillel co-president.

Both Vanderbilt and Gee received national attention in 2002 when The Wall Street Journal ran an article about some college and universities’ active recruitment of Jewish students.

“Yes, we are targeting Jewish students,” Gee told The Wall Street Journal. “There is nothing wrong with that. That’s not affirmative action. That’s smart thinking.

”Since the article was published, Vanderbilt has opened the Ben Schulman Center for Jewish Life and jump started the new department.

The Jewish Studies program offers both undergraduate and masters level interdisciplinary degrees.

Students who take Jewish Studies classes study “Jewish history, religion, language, philosophy, politics, culture, society, music, art, and literature across continents, its evolution and expression from biblical times to the present,” according to the program’s mission statement.

“The program is coming together,” said Dr. Jack M. Sasson, Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies. “It’s like oatmeal. You let it thicken for a little while and it becomes nice and flavorful.”

Sasson was named program director last year. He is a world-renowned scholar of Hebrew scripture and retired from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Students may enroll in a variety of courses offered by the professional schools of business, divinity, education, law, medicine and music. Both students and administrators alike note the prestige of the current faculty and Vanderbilt is continuing its efforts to hire new professors.

“This program helps us compete with some of the schools up north,” said senior Jeffrey Herbstman, Vanderbilt Hillel co-president.

Jewish Studies is not only attracting Jewish students, but a number of the students in the program are non-Jews. In fact, not one of the three students who are currently majoring in Jewish Studies are Jewish themselves.

Junior Andrea Neely is one of the three.

“Taking Jewish studies classes taught me to think in a new way—outside the box,” she said. “This new way of thinking has helped me in my other classes, as well as given me a new way to view the world.”

Junior Joanna Dilts, also majoring in Jewish Studies, said that she enjoys “the flexibility [the program] affords.

”Dilts said she knew she wanted to major in this area when she saw an ad notifying students of the new program. She also said that the multiple career paths available to majors in Jewish Studies are one of the program’s strongest suits.

“The major itself gives opportunity for study aboard, participation in archeological expeditions and service learning,” Dilts said. “We also have modest resources to help fund honors and summer projects.”

To learn more about Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt, visit the Jewish Studies office at 117 Alumni Hall or visit www.vanderbilt.edu/jewishstudies/.