Jewish Studies got its start
more than a century ago through bible studies taught by
Christian priests in this country. Later on, five universities
including Yeshiva and Brandeis, were established to help
educate Jewish teachers for their community.
To provide social services
to the Jews in this country, federations, regional bodies
which raised money to support a vast network of voluntary
agencies needed a large number of trained personnel. The
traditional Hebrew colleges were not equipped to provide such
social work and Jewish cultural training, so a partnership is
needed to combine the two.
In addition, the theological
training for Jewish youngsters stopped around their teens,
exposing a huge void in the traditional training of Jewish
young people. The introduction of Jewish studies to college
campuses, where more than 95% of Jewish youths between the
ages of 18 to 22 attend, created a much needed program for
more than 250,000 Jewish students.
The impetus for its growth
and rapid expansion in this country actually came as an
aftermath of the six day war, which started the rebirth of
Jewish Studies in America. At the same time, when the Civil
Rights movement in this country began to focus on Black
consciousness, the alienated Jewish activists were motivated
to look into their own Jewish roots. In 1966, fifty
professionals gathered at Brandeis University to discuss the
establishment of Jewish Studies. By now, more than three
thousand professors are members of this group.
At CUNY, the consortial
nature of campus relationship and the territorial jealousy of
different programs sometimes can make coordination a
challenge. At the same time, the support from the University
is limited to the provision of office space and the release
time of a single course for the director. This make it a
necessity that programs be self-supporting. The Center for
Jewish Studies at CUNY was fortunate to have Irving Howe, a
renowned author and scholar to initiate the proposal. His name
alone was sufficient to draw in enthusiastic support,
financially and politically.
In closing, Prof. Mayer
pointed out to the audience that the key to an institute's
success is whether or not there is a real need for it, and
whether or not it can be sustained. He suggested that AAHEC
reach out to David Levine, who is in charge of public programs
at the Graduate Center to help publicize AAHEC activities such
as the Lecture series. "Among the expanded audience", he
concluded with a smile, "we might find some donors with deep
pockets."
