Friends of Judaic Studies

Shalom! We are in the midst of an exciting moment for the Department of Judaic Studies. The department is fortunate to have the support of not only their alumni, but a broad array of community friends and leaders. Thanks to wonderful gifts from Kim and Gary Heiman and support from the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati several years ago, as well as annual donations to the Friends of Jewish Studies, I am happy to share that Jewish Studies is currently flourishing at the University of Cincinnati.  Our outstanding faculty, staff, and students engage in cutting edge research, innovative teaching and learning, with a broad public presence inside and outside of the university.   We provide a crucial voice and space that nurtures and develops the tools for navigating a future that is both promising and uncertain.  Supporting the mission of Judaic Studies enables us to house more scholars, enhance valuable and valued community partnerships, increase dialogue with Israel, promote Jewish culture and diversity, and serve more UC students than ever before. UC is certainly becoming a destination for outstanding Jewish learning at the university level! Some recent noteworthy developments include:

  • A renowned expert on Jewish humor and popular culture, Dr. Jenny Caplan recently joined the Department as the new Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati chair in Judaic Studies.  Dr. Caplan is a frequently sought after speaker across the country and brings an expertise in religious studies that is growing the religious studies program!
  • The department has partnered with the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center to hire Dr. Sarah Crane as scholar-in-residence at the Center and as Visiting Assistant Professor in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at UC.  Study of the Holocaust and Genocides is crucial to UC’s curriculum.  The Holocaust & Humanity Center is an outstanding local resource.  Combined, Holocaust education on the college level and the resources of the museum have already resulted in the actualization of untapped potential in both institutions.
  • Another partnership, with Hebrew Union College, has resulted in the hire of a full-time Hebrew instructor, Dr. Ingrid Epstein who has been growing the program by leaps and bounds and enhancing the presence of Hebrew across campus. 
  • We have a terrific group of adjuncts, including Alexis Morrisroe, who won the University’s Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award for 2025 for her course on How to Teach the Holocaust.
    • In addition to our array of standard, regularly popular courses on Introduction to Judaism, History of Jewish Civilization I and II, Literature of the Holocaust, Introduction to Religion, and The Dead Seas Scrolls, faculty continue to develop fascinating new courses on Women in the Bible, Chanukah through History, Studying the Past, Saving the Present: New Paradigms for Peace in Israel-Palestine, The Old Testament Between Jews and Christians, and a number of film courses contributing to the flourishing Film Studies program at UC.
    • We also incorporate innovative pedagogies that include asynchronous online courses employing best course-delivery practices, virtual reality experiences, digital media, educational software, and even the traditional technique of chavruta, which is uniquely novel in the modern university context.  We balance these latest technological developments with the tried and true format of face-to-face teaching.  In addition to the rich content embedded in the study of Jewish civilization, students gain valuable transferrable skills in the variety of modalities in which we need to participate in our world
    • Our faculty publishes widely and regularly present their work  in both scholarly and more popular venues.  The books published by the tenured faculty, The Specter of the Jews: Emperor Julian and the Rhetoric of Ethnicity in Syrian Antioch (Ari Finkelstein), Jewish, Christian, and Classical Exegetical Traditions in Jerome’s Translation of the Book of Exodus (Matthew Kraus), and Funny, You Don't Look Funny Judaism and Humor from the Silent Generation to Millennials (Jennifer Caplan), are well-known and respected in their fields.
  • Future initiatives include solidifying existing partnerships, creating opportunities for Judaic Studies students to work and study in Cincinnati and abroad as well as expand our partnerships with other departments through shared hires and programming. We do Jewish studies quite well and strive to enable as many colleagues, students and members of our community take advantage of what we offer.

I am proud to be a part of such a robust department on the upward trajectory. This has not been without challenges—budgeting models and a transition from quarters to semesters that adversely effected Jewish Studies,  replacing talented faculty who have departed, new technologies such as online learning and AI, the disruption of COVID, and the apparent decline in public support of the Humanities which seems to correspond with a decline in humanity.  And yet it is the need to respond to these challenges and the talented and dedicated people involved with Jewish Studies at UC that inspire and motivate me every day. “The day is short, the work is great, the needs are urgent.  It is not upon us to finish the work, but we still must engage in it” (adapted from Mishnah Avot 2.15-2.16). The opportunity to engage in this work gives me a profound feeling of hope.   I  hope you will join me in supporting Jewish learning, transformative thinking and engaged leadership at the University of Cincinnati by making a donation to the Department of Judaic Studies. Your gift will directly support programs that will help preserve our culture and heritage, provide grants to students traveling to Israel, fund research and programs on Jewish life for the community, and help non-Jewish students gain an understanding and appreciation for a wonderful Jewish culture and heritage. Join with those who helped us in the past to make your gift today and provide for the future!

Toda raba for being a Friend of Judaic Studies, and for supporting the excellent work of the students, staff, and faculty in UC's Department of Judaic Studies. We are proud to count on powerful allies like you, and hope you will help us build on our success.

 

Dr. Matthew Kraus

Head, Department of Judaic Studies