Office of Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies

"New Voices" Appalachian State University P.O. Box 32146,1011 Old Library Classroom Building Boone, NC 28608-2021 828-262-2311   holocaust@appstate.edu DOWNLOAD .DOC VERSION
Fall 2007	Newsletter # 5

A warm greeting to the advisory committees, faculty, students, and community members who remain a vital part of the Center’s mission to strengthen tolerance, understanding, and remembrance by increasing the knowledge of Jewish culture and religion, teaching the history and meaning of the Holocaust, and utilizing these experiences to explore peaceful avenues for stopping current genocides and preventing them in the future.

Found in the Center’s fifth newsletter are a list of key faculty and community supporters who make up our advisory committees, a detailed activity report for the summer and fall semester 2007, and a breakdown of recent funding provided by the University, Friends of the Center, and several foundations.  The last two pages give thanks to special people in our community and remember our lost loved ones.  

I. Advisory Committees :

1. Faculty Advisory Committee: An eleven-member Campus Advisory Committee assists the co-directors in developing and reviewing Center policies and programs.  Members serve staggered three-year terms and may be reappointed upon recommendation of the co-directors and approval of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.  The Campus advisory Committee meets at least one time each semester.  The Center’s co-directors convene committee meetings and serve as non-voting members. This year the Faculty Advisory Committee includes: Dr. Alan Hauser (Philosophy and Religion), Dr. Sarah Greenwald (Mathematical Sciences), Dr. Rachel Shinnar (Marketing), Dr. Linda Veltze (Leadership and Educational Studies), Dr. Barbara Zaitzow (Political Science), Dr. Rene Horst (History), Dr. Denise Lovin (Counseling Center), Dr. Jim Toub (Art), Dean Robert Lyman (College of Arts and Sciences), Dr. Diane Marks (Curriculum and Instruction), Dr. Bud Gerber (Interdisciplinary Studies)
   The Faculty Advisory Committee met on Friday, October, 19, 2007, to review Center activities and plan for the future.  A subcommittee was also established to help the Directors implement the minor in Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies. 

2. Community Advisory Committee:

   A Community Advisory Committee made up of twelve interested individuals recommended by the co-directors and approved by the Dean of Arts and Sciences assists the Center’s co-directors with program development and fundraising. This very active committee also serves as the Steering Committee for the private fundraising organization entitled Friends of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies. The Community Advisory Committee includes: Molle Grad, Ruth and Stan Etkin, Fran and Herb Gaynor, Meliné and Berge Markarian, Fred and Eva Rawicz, Barbara Quatrano, Ron and Gail Ruthfield, Harold and Ellie Aibel, Jan and Steve Zahorian, and Marilyn and Neil Ramo. Many of their most important activities are highlighted below.

Activity Report for Summer and Fall 2007

The following is a list of the academic programs, research projects, community events, lectures, and films the Center has coordinated and sponsored during the summer and fall semester of 2007.

1. Academic:

• Summer Study Abroad Course on the Holocaust:  Dr. Brantz took 15 Appalachian students and adult learners, including Co-Director Dr. Rosemary Horowitz, to France, Germany, and Austria May 19 – June 12, 2007, to study the Holocaust on site in Europe.  This was the ninth annual trip of the Summer Study Abroad Program, which is entirely self-supported through participants’ fees.
• Sixth Annual Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium “Remembering the Holocaust.”  June 24-29, 2007 Thirty-nine public school teachers, including two from Latvia, attended the 2007 symposium and studied methods of Holocaust education under the guidance of Drs. Miriam Klein Kassenoff, Michael Berenbaum, Scott Miller, and Stephen Feinstein.  Each session was attended by an average of 30 students and community members in addition to the 39 teachers.  All events were free and open to the public.
• Class offerings:  Drs. Boyd and Brantz co-taught one upper division honors class in Holocaust Studies. Dr. Alan Hauser taught a special topics course on Judaism in America in the Department of Philosophy and Religion. The Center provided funding to release Dr. Hauser from another class in order to offer this course.  Ms Amy Hudnall, adjunct instructor in the History Department, taught an Honors Genocide course.
• Washington, D.C. trip:  On November 15-18, 2007, Dr. Boyd and Amy Hudnall took the Nazi Holocaust Honors Class and the Genocide Honors Class to visit the United States Holocaust Museum and the Native American Museum.
• Minor in Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies:  The Faculty Advisory Committee met on October 19th, 2007 and endorsed the following proposal:  Students choosing to minor in Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies will complete 18 semester hours of course work from a selected list of courses already offered by the University. Special topics courses will be added as needed or as interest arises. Students will complete 4 courses in one of the following areas:  Judaic, Holocaust, or Peace Studies.  One course will then be selected from each of the other two areas:

Courses in Judaic Studies
Philosophy & Religion	1020	Religions of the World
Philosophy & Religion	2010	Old Testament Literature
Philosophy & Religion	3010	Old Testament Prophets
Philosophy & Religion	3015	Women in Biblical Traditions
Philosophy & Religion	3430	Judaism
Philosophy & Religion	3540	Judaism in America (special topics)
History	3334	History of the Modern Middle East
History	3336	The Revolutionary Middle East

Courses in Holocaust Studies
General Honors	2515	Nazi Holocaust
German	3055	Culture & Civilization: Modern Germany
History	3134	Twentieth Century Europe
History	3152	Germany in Europe, 1918-Present
History	3532	Nazi Holocaust (Study Abroad)
History	3533	Film & the Holocaust (Study Abroad)
History	3353	The Nazi Holocaust (Fall 2008)

Courses in Peace Studies
History	3530	History of Peace & War (special topic)
History	3531	Modern Genocide (special topic)
Political Science	2120	International Politics and Foreign Policy
Political Science	3121	International Terrorism
Political Science	3320	Global Conflict and Mediation
Political Science	4744	Government & Politics in the Middle East
Sociology	3800	Sociology of War
Sociology	4560	Race and Minority Relations
HPC	4840	Human Relations Interaction
Communications	2310	Communications Ethics
Philosophy & Religion		Ethics
Business	2150	Legal Environment of Business
English		African American Literature

2. Research:
• Dr. Rosemary Horowitz’s article “Rachel Auerbach and German Reparations” was published in the November 2007 issue of the journal Proteus.  Dr. Horowitz attended the Association for Jewish Studies Conference in December and presented a paper entitled “The Early Argentine Yizkor Books:  1945-1961.”  She continues to work with Michlean Amir of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on a database project and has submitted a book proposal to Indiana University Press for an edited collection about yizkor books.
• Drs. Rennie Brantz and Zohara Boyd presented “Teaching the Holocaust Today in North Carolina:  Challenges, Successes, Surprises” at the Middle Tennessee State University Holocaust Studies Conference on November 10, 2007.
3. Community Service:
• Speakers’ Bureau: Drs. Zohara Boyd and Peter Petschauer made presentations on the Holocaust to several public school, high school, and community college classes in North Carolina. They spoke at the Pinehurst synagogue, at Ferrum College in Virginia, at Burns High School, and were the keynote speakers at the opening program and reception for the Anne Frank Exhibit at the Biltmore Square Mall in Asheville, NC, on September 30, 2007. They gave interviews about the Center and its programs that were published in The Mountain Times and the Watauga Democrat this past fall. Drs. Boyd and Petschauer recently signed with the Jodi Solomon Speakers’ Bureau and will give their first national presentation on February 29th in Connecticut.
• Statewide Activities: Drs. Brantz and Horowitz continue to serve on the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust. Dr. Brantz is also a member of the Association of Holocaust Organizations (AHO), the international organization of Holocaust educators.
• Nazi Holocaust Film Series: Drs. Boyd and Brantz presented a series of eight commercial films that correlated with their Nazi Holocaust Honors course. The films, shown each Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in the Greenbriar Theater of Appalachian’s Student Union, were co-sponsored by the Center and the College of Arts and Sciences and were free and open to the public. Each film was introduced by one of the presenters, who answered questions after the showing.
• Queer Film Series: The Center provided financial support for this film series, which included two films which highlighted issues relevant to the Center, including the State of Israel and Jewish culture.

The Center also participated in several special events in conjunction with the Friends of the Center, the High Country Havurah, and the Appalachian State University community:

• Chancellor’s Reception:  On July 18, 2007, Friends of the Center, including contributors and ASU faculty, gathered for a social evening with Appalachian’s Chancellor, Dr. Kenneth Peacock.  Rabbi Greenebaum from the American Jewish Committee spoke about the success and importance today of the Center and its programs.
• Lovely Brunch:  On August 19, 2007, Friends of the Center gathered at Linville Ridge for a fundraiser brunch.  The Steering Committee held raffles and a live auction for items donated by local businesses and companies.  We give special thanks to Meliné Markarian, who coordinated the brunch from her hospital bed in Charlotte while she recovered from a mild heart attack.

Fall Semester 2007 Programs and Events Coordinated or Sponsored by the Center:

• What If Your Father Is Not A Hero?   On September 11, 2007, after a reception honoring Dr. Peter Petschauer’s recent publication, Der Vater und Die SS (The Father and the SS), Dr. Petschauer presented a lecture on his book and the lessons his father’s past taught him.
• Chagall and the Bible:  On September 18, 2007, Vivian Jacobson presented a lecture in Belk Library on artist Marc Chagall and 12 of his major works.
• Remembering the Holocaust:  On September 19, 2007, Ralph Jacobson returned to ASU to tell his survival story as a refugee who fled with his mother from Nazi Germany.  Mr. Jacobson updated earlier testimony with new information about long concealed facts behind his father’s murder by the Nazis.
• Voices from the Grave:  Bosnia and Herzegovina Today: Ms. Amy Hudnall, adjunct instructor in the History Department and Coordinator of Peace Studies for the Center, made a presentation on cultural trauma at the International Association of Genocide Scholars at Auschwitz in Poland on July 10, 2007.  On October 18, 2007, she presented a well attended lecture at ASU on the current state of affairs as the Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs attempt to rebuild, forgive, and find justice after the genocide in the 1990’s.
• Genocide, Humiliation, and Conflict:  Dr. Evelin Lindner, founder of the field of Humiliation Studies and author of the book, Making Enemies: Humiliation and International Conflict, presented an evening lecture on November 13, 2007, describing the links between humiliation and genocide.  The program was co-sponsored by the Center; the departments of History, English, and Political Science/Criminal Justice;  and the following University Programs:   Multicultural Student Development, Freshman Seminar, Heltzer Honors, and International Programs. Lees-McRae’s Global Community Center also helped advertise this presentation.

Summary of Funding

Our past and current funding has come from several sources:

1. Private donations:  These have been our primary source of support. We are indebted to the Friends of the Center, The Rosen family, Molle Grad, and other individuals whose generosity has made the creation and continuation of the Center possible.

2. Appalachian State University:  The College of Arts and Sciences provides between $17,000 and $20,000 in annual support, including released time for Drs. Brantz and Horowitz, office space, equipment, funding for 2007 fall and 2008 spring film series, and other office expenses. 
3. The North Carolina Council on the Holocaust:  The Council has contributed $500 each year to support the annual Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium on “Remembering the Holocaust.”
4. Grants:
• Grants from the Claims Conference on Jewish Material claims Against Germany provided $24,000 to support the 2006 Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium on “Remembering the Holocaust,” and provide $24,000 for the 2007 Summer Symposium.
• The Levine Family Foundation in Charlotte, N.C., provided a grant of $5,000 in 2006 and 2007.

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Future Financial Support

As shown above, up to this point we have been able to sustain the Center through fundraising in the community, grant writing, and support from the University. Our needs are changing, however.  In the past, the Center has employed part-time staff from among our graduate students at minimum wage paid out of whatever funds have been on hand after Symposium expenses and speaker fees were met.  Jennifer Propst and Jennifer Kirby have both given more time and effort than we have been able to reimburse, but both have had to move on to other opportunities. A permanent administrative assistant for the Center is a pressing need for this coming year, 2008-2009.  Appalachian cannot fund such a position as it is the University’s policy that campus Centers must be self-sustaining.  Dr. Zohara Boyd, one of the Center’s three co-directors, has already retired, and Dr. Rennie Brantz is considering retirement within the next year or two, leaving only Dr. Rosemary Horowitz as a full-time University faculty member.  It is impossible for her to direct the Center, teach classes in Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies, and maintain her position as a member of the English Department. One person cannot do the job of three.  In light of these issues the Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies Center has launched a campaign to accomplish several important goals. First, in order to stabilize the academic side of the program for years to come and to give direction, we would like to establish a professorship specific to the Center. This professorship can be housed in any suitable department at Appalachian and can be named for one or several individuals or groups. Second, to shore up the academic side of the program further, we would also like to raise sufficient resources to fully fund the Summer Holocaust Institute for teachers at the elementary and high school levels in North Carolina. Third, but not least important, we would like to find sufficient funding for a full-time staff assistant for the Center. Although Appalachian now supports this position to a degree, we know that in the future, the supporters of the Center will need to assist with this funding.

We will gladly talk with you, or your friends, at any time about any of these opportunities for enhancing one of the premier programs of its kind in the South East. Please call (828-262-2311) or e-mail (holocaust@appstate.edu) to begin a conversation.

Clearly we are in need of one or several major donors who would be willing to endow and name such a professorship and to help pay for the Center’s staffing needs. We will need at least $1,000,000.00 to establish an endowed chair. To that end, Ron Ruthfield, Friend of the Center, has devised a fund-raising plan, which includes a new logo and a new publicity packet that we will make available to you upon request.  We need your advice and your generosity more than ever before.

Special Recognition :

The Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies nominated Meliné Markarian for the Outstanding Service Award in the Hayes School of Music. This award recognizes individuals for their exceptional service to Appalachian State University.  Meliné has not only been a long time financial supporter of the University, but has also devoted much of her time and energy to a variety of university programs including the Center and the Hayes School of Music. In the summer of 2007 Molle Grad met with Dr. Mary Reichel, Director of Appalachian’s Belk Library, to select a space to dedicate to the memory of her husband, Ed Grad, and to the work of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies. The space dedicated is a Reading Lounge located on the 2nd floor. There will be an official room dedication and reception next summer. Meliné Markarian also met with Dr. Reichel last summer to select a Belk Library space to dedicate in her family name. The space, located on 3rd floor, is a Group Study Room named for Berge H. Markarian, M.D. and Meliné A. Markarian. There will be an official room dedication and reception next summer.