An Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies

FAIN: CH-50904-11

College of Idaho (Caldwell, ID 83605-4432)
Mark Smith (Project Director: May 2010 to January 2016)

Endowment for a chair in Judaic Studies and a lecture series.

The College of Idaho seeks a National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant of $500,000 to create an Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies and a public programming lecture series. The Chair in Judaic Studies will be filled by a distinguished scholar of Jewish history and Judaism who will guide curricular development in Judaic Studies, exploring Judaism and the role of Jewish people and culture in shaping human experience. The Chair will also serve as a program coordinator and resource for the greater community and will design a program promoting greater understanding of Jewish traditions, culture and philosophy. This Endowed Chair will be the first of its kind in the state of Idaho, the only such chair in the Intermountain Region of the United States, and one of only a few such chairs in the Pacific Northwest.

Associated Products

Howard Berger-Ray Neilsen Chair in Judaic Studies (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)
Name: Howard Berger-Ray Neilsen Chair in Judaic Studies
Abstract: Dr. Federica Francesconi, a widely-published scholar of Jewish history, culture and Jewish-Christian relations will be the first to hold The College of Idaho’s newly established Howard Berger-Ray Neilsen Chair in Judaic Studies. This Chair, the first of its kind in Idaho and the Intermountain West, promises to have a dramatic positive impact on discussions of tolerance, human rights and interfaith awareness far beyond The College of Idaho campus. Dr. Francesconi, who is currently a faculty member in the University of Oregon’s Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies, will guide curricular development and serve as cultural mediator and voice of progressive dialogue. The Judaic Studies curriculum will link courses currently taught by the departments of History and Religion with new courses highlighting areas of expertise of the Chair. Also Dr. Francesconi will coordinate a public lecture series that addresses contemporary issues, promotes openness and tolerance, and fosters greater understanding and appreciation of Jewish traditions, culture, and philosophy.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/blog/news/2014/03/19/college-hires-first-scholar-judaic-studies-chair
Primary URL Description: Announcement of the first scholar to fill The College of Idaho's newly-established Chair in Judaic Studies.
Secondary URL: http://http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/blog/news/2013/01/03/c-i-judaic-studies-chair-reaches-22-million-goal
Secondary URL Description: Outline of a successful fundraising campaign to establish a Chair in Judaic Studies at The College of Idaho supported by an NEH Challenge Grant.

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