Monday, November 28, 2016

European and Eurasian Undergraduate Research Symposium-- Call for Papers



On Friday, April 7, 2017, we will sponsor the annual European and Eurasian Undergraduate Research Symposium (formerly known as “Europe: East and West”). Modeled after traditional academic conferences, the symposium will enable students from Pitt and other colleges and universities to present their research papers on Europe, Russia and/or Eurasia to discussants and an audience. The student application form and more information can be found at http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/ursymposium/.

Deadlines:
1) Students must submit applications with 250-300 word abstracts and paper drafts by January 20, 2017.
2) Selected students will be notified by mid-February 2017.
3) Final revised papers are due by March 17, 2017.
4) Presentations will be made at the Symposium on April 7, 2017.


If you have any questions, please contact  z.kimes@pitt.edu .  

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Another course relevant to Jewish Studies in the spring term

Not formally cross-listed but can count toward the JS certificate with permission.

VIENNA 1900 (GER 1528) in the Spring at Pitt...
Where? 142 Cathedral of Learning When? Tu, Th 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Looking at major political and cultural changes in one of the most fascinating cities of Europe, this multimedia course tells the tale of Vienna 1900, a flamboyant cultural center of Europe, where creativity was flourishing in literature, music, the arts, philosophy, mathematics, mechanical engineering, the social sciences, and medicine.
This course investigates the parallels between Vienna and other European capitals such as Paris, Berlin, and London at the turn of the last century, introducing students to the multifaceted European in its relation to the present time. It gives special attention to the radical changes in different disciplines from literature, music, and the arts to philosophy,
psychoanalysis, mathematics, mechanical engineering, and social sciences. Ger 1528 fulfills one general-education requirement–Foreign Culture/Int. (Reg.)–and also counts towards the West
European Studies certificate. The course will be taught in English. Prerequisite(s): none.
Credit for German majors wishing to read texts in German. For further information, please contact: Prof. Amy Colin at: paxpeace@pitt.edu

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

ALL SPRING 2017 (and some Fall 2017) JEWISH STUDIES INTERNSHIP OPTIONS TO DATE

CURRENT JEWISH STUDIES INTERNSHIP OPTIONS  

TWO EASY STEPS
Step 1: Contact internship(s) below if you are interested and send a resume and e-mail/letter of interest.
Step 2: Once “hired” by the internship, contact Dr. Ben Gordon (bdg36@pitt.edu) to register for JS 1900 for the spring semester.

American Jewish Museum
Project:  Exhibition Research and Preparation
Credits/Time: 3 credits (average of 9 hours per week) in Spring 2017 (OR in Fall 2017)
Supervisor: Melissa Hiller, Director
Location: Squirrel Hill
Description: The American Jewish Museum explores diverse perspectives about Jewish art, philosophy and culture in as wide a scope as possible. It supports great, complex and bold ideas. It champions artists and art making. It believes art has the power to build communities, and it promotes interfaith and intergenerational explorations. Programs and exhibits are organized to include all members of the community regardless of religious affiliation. Because the museum is in a highly trafficked area within the JCC and is open to the public more than 90 hours a week, it attracts a wide audience and offers unparalleled educational opportunities. The objective of the AJM internship is to offer experience to individuals interested in participating in museum-related activities that delve into the connective tissue between Judaism, arts and culture, contemporary society and Pittsburgh’s distinct Jewish narrative. The internship is designed to expose young professionals to the principles of research, exhibition preparation, and museum management, giving interns practical experience.
Exhibition research and preparation: The AJM has exhibit-related opportunities in the following areas: research, educational outreach preparation, marketing, organization of collateral materials, labels and visitor interpretation, Web content, and administration.
The AJM is located in the JCC, so we offer complimentary JCC membership during the internship period.
More info/apply: Melissa Hiller at mhiller@jccpgh.org or 412-697-3231.

American Jewish Museum
Project:  Education
Credits/Time: 3 credits (average of 9 hours per week) in Spring 2017 (OR in Fall 2017)
Supervisor: Melissa Hiller, Director
Location: Squirrel Hill
Description: The American Jewish Museum explores diverse perspectives about Jewish art, philosophy and culture in as wide a scope as possible. It supports great, complex and bold ideas. It champions artists and art making. It believes art has the power to build communities, and it promotes interfaith and intergenerational explorations. Programs and exhibits are organized to include all members of the community regardless of religious affiliation. Because the museum is in a highly trafficked area within the JCC and is open to the public more than 90 hours a week, it attracts a wide audience and offers unparalleled educational opportunities. The objective of the AJM internship is to offer experience to individuals interested in participating in museum-related activities that delve into the connective tissue between Judaism, arts and culture, contemporary society and Pittsburgh’s distinct Jewish narrative. The internship is designed to expose young professionals to the principles of research, exhibition preparation, and museum management, giving interns practical experience.
Education: organizing docent program for upcoming exhibitions; preparing educational activities at the museum’s Resource/Education area, organizing exhibition-related activities
The ideal candidate is one who wishes to contribute in a substantive way to the museum, is articulate, able to think and react quickly and willing to do a wide variety of tasks. The intern will interact with JCC members, staff, vendors as well as the community-at-large.   
The AJM is located in the JCC, so we offer complimentary JCC membership during the internship period.
More info/apply: Melissa Hiller at mhiller@jccpgh.org or 412-697-3231.

HILLEL-JEWISH UNIVERSITY CENTER
Project: Ignite Summit
Credits/Time: 3 credits in Spring 2017 (average of 9 hours per week)
Supervisor: Danielle Kranjec, Senior Jewish Educator
Location: Oakland
Description: Spend 9 hours a week helping to plan and execute the HIllel JUC's second annual Ignite Summit, a weekend-long peer-led learning Shabbaton and conference. Tasks will include helping to organize materials and sessions for more than 250 undergraduates leading up to the Ignite Summit which will take place in March. After the Ignite Summit itself, the intern will work to analyze data regarding the participants and their experience. Prior experience developing peer-led programming at Hillel or on Jewish topics a plus but not required.
More info/apply: Danielle Kranjec at daniellek@hilleljuc.org

HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH
Project:  The Butterfly Project Pittsburgh
Credits/Time: 2 credits in Spring 2017 (average of 6 hours a week) or 1 credit in Spring 2017 followed by 1 credit in Fall 2017 (average of 3 hours per week)
Supervisor: Lauren Bairnsfather, Director
Location: Greenfield/Squirrel Hill
Description: The Butterfly Project is an international effort to commemorate the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust.  The goal is to paint one butterfly for each child. The Project is based in San Diego, and each city that participates has put its own twist on the final product. The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh plans to paint between 1000 and 1800 butterflies, working with partners around the city. The intern will be involved in several aspects of the project. Responsibilities may include: Conducting research about children in the Holocaust and writing exhibition labels; communicating with partner organizations; participating in events as appropriate; contributing to the vision of the final exhibition, to open in Fall 2017.
More info/apply: Christina Sahovey, csahovey@hcpgh.org or 412-939-7289


JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
Project: JTeenPgh Intern  
Credits/Time:  1-2 credits in Spring 2017 AND/OR Fall 2017 (3-6 hours per week)
Supervisor:  Rabbi Ron Symons, Senior Director of Jewish Life
Location:  Squirrel Hill
Description:  This intern would work to support JTeenPgh and Pittsburgh’s Jewish teen youth groups network, including developing and guiding training programs for advisors who work with Jewish teens, supporting the JTeenPgh.com website of Jewish teen program offerings, creating meaningful resource guides for Jewish teens and their advisors in Pittsburgh, and advising Jewish teen program staff
More info/apply:  Carolyn Gerecht, cgerecht@jccpgh.org

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
Project: Jewish Life Social Media/Digital Signage Content
Credits/Time:  1-2 credits in Spring 2017 AND/OR Fall 2017 (3-6 hours per week)
Supervisor:  Rabbi Ron Symons, Senior Director of Jewish Life
Location:  Squirrel Hill
Description:  This intern would be responsible for harvesting digital media of Jewish content that would be used in JCC social media and digital signage platforms.  The media would include videos, music videos, animations, quotes…. that relate to Jewish culture and holidays.
The intern should be well versed in digital media and Jewish culture.
More info/apply:  Carolyn Gerecht, cgerecht@jccpgh.org

JEWISH WOMEN’S ARCHIVE
Project:   Oral History Intern
Credits/Time:  1-2 credits in Spring 2017 AND/OR Fall 2017 (3-6 hours per week)
Supervisor:  Mikki Pugh, Director of Programs and Education
Location:  Boston, MA (but internship will be virtual/internet based)
DescriptionThe Jewish Women’s Archive (JWA) is a national nonprofit dedicated to making known the stories, struggles, and achievements of Jewish women in North America and beyond. Since it was founded in 1996, JWA has been a leader in the field of story collecting, becoming the largest repository of material about and voices of Jewish women, both celebrated and unheralded.
The JWA Oral History Intern will help organize, curate, and prepare first person testimonials (both audio and written) for inclusion in an upcoming exhibit about Jewish women’s involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement.
Interest in and knowledge about Jewish women’s history and story collecting; attention to detail; technologically savvy a plus.
More info/apply:  Please submit current resume and cover letter to http://jwa.org/aboutjwa/jobs/apply

JEWISH WOMEN’S ARCHIVE
Project:   This Week in History
Credits/Time:  1-2 credits in Spring 2017 (3-6 hours per week)
Supervisor:  Mikki Pugh, Director of Programs and Education
Location:  Boston, MA (but internship will be virtual/internet based)
DescriptionThis Week in History is a valuable historical resource presented by the Jewish Women’s Archive (JWA) that offers historical markers of important events in American Jewish women’s history. This May, the theme for Jewish American Heritage Month will be “Women and Leadership.” JWA is seeking an intern to help enhance the historical events throughout the year (but specifically in May) to create a robust collection of engaging, inspiring, and up-to-date, events in Jewish women’s history and leadership.Interest in Jewish women’s history; attention to detail; ability to conduct online and offline research
More info/apply:  Please submit current resume and cover letter to http://jwa.org/aboutjwa/jobs/apply

RAUH JEWISH ARCHIVES AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER
Project:   Digital Humanities Internship
Credits/Time:  2-3 credits (6-9 hours per week) in Spring 2017 and/or Fall 2017
Supervisor:  David M. Schlitt, Director.
Location:  Strip District/Downtown
Description
The Senator John Heinz History Center seeks interns to develop new media and digital humanities initiatives for the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives. Interns will assist with the Rauh Jewish History Programs digitization projects, web design and publishing. In addition, interns are encouraged to explore new tools for historical interpretation, including augmented reality (Clio), digital humanities publishing platforms (Omeka, Scalar), and tools for spatial- and data analysis (XML, Neatline). Backgrounds in Jewish Studies and History and facility with computers are encouraged but not required.
More info/apply: David M. Schlitt  at dmschlitt@heinzhistorycenter.org

RAUH JEWISH ARCHIVES AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER
Project:   Museum and Curatorial Internship
Credits/Time:  2-3 credits (6-9 hours per week) in Spring 2017 and/or Fall 2017
Supervisor:  David M. Schlitt, Director.
Location:  Strip District/Downtown
Description
The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center seeks interns interested in the intersection of museum studies and Jewish history. Interns will study the holdings of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives with the aim of preparing both physical exhibitions for display at the Detre Library & Archives at the Heinz History Center, and digital exhibitions for the History Center website. Backgrounds in Jewish Studies and History are encouraged but not required.
More info/apply: David M. Schlitt  at dmschlitt@heinzhistorycenter.org




AND TWO MORE INTERNSHIPS AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER

(1) RAUH JEWISH ARCHIVES AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER
Project:   Digital Humanities Internship
Credits/Time:  2-3 credits (6-9 hours per week) in Spring 2017 and/or Fall 2017
Supervisor:  David M. Schlitt, Director.
Location:  Strip District/Downtown
Description
The Senator John Heinz History Center seeks interns to develop new media and digital humanities initiatives for the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives. Interns will assist with the Rauh Jewish History Programs digitization projects, web design and publishing. In addition, interns are encouraged to explore new tools for historical interpretation, including augmented reality (Clio), digital humanities publishing platforms (Omeka, Scalar), and tools for spatial- and data analysis (XML, Neatline). Backgrounds in Jewish Studies and History and facility with computers are encouraged but not required.
More info/apply: David M. Schlitt  at dmschlitt@heinzhistorycenter.org

(2) RAUH JEWISH ARCHIVES AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER
Project:   Museum and Curatorial Internship
Credits/Time:  2-3 credits (6-9 hours per week) in Spring 2017 and/or Fall 2017
Supervisor:  David M. Schlitt, Director.
Location:  Strip District/Downtown
Description
The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center seeks interns interested in the intersection of museum studies and Jewish history. Interns will study the holdings of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives with the aim of preparing both physical exhibitions for display at the Detre Library & Archives at the Heinz History Center, and digital exhibitions for the History Center website. Backgrounds in Jewish Studies and History are encouraged but not required.
More info/apply: David M. Schlitt  at dmschlitt@heinzhistorycenter.org



Spring 2017,TWO more internship opportunties: AT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER IN SQUIRREL HILL

1) Title of Project/Activity: JTeenPgh Intern

Name of Organization: Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

Name of Supervisor: Rabbi Ron Symons, Senior Director of Jewish Life

Semester: Spring 2017/Fall 2017 Either/Both
                                         
Number of Credits: 1-2 credits

This intern would work to support JTeenPgh and Pittsburgh’s Jewish teen youth groups network, including developing and guiding training programs for advisors who work with Jewish teens, supporting the JTeenPgh.com website of Jewish teen program offerings, creating meaningful resource guides for Jewish teens and their advisors in Pittsburgh, and advising Jewish teen program staff


Contact Person: Carolyn Gerecht, cgerecht@jccpgh.org




2) Title of Project/Activity: Jewish Life Social Media/Digital Signage Content

Name of Organization: Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

Name of Supervisor: Rabbi Ron Symons, Senior Director of Jewish Life

Semester: Spring 2017/Fall 2017 Either/Both
                                         
Number of Credits: 1-2 Credits

This intern would be responsible for harvesting digital media of Jewish content that would be used in JCC social media and digital signage platforms.  The media would include videos, music videos, animations, quotes…. that relate to Jewish culture and holidays.

Any special skills or knowledge base that would be desirable/mandatory: --The intern should be well versed in digital media and Jewish culture.

Contact Person: Rabbi Ron Symons, rsymons@jccpgh.org


Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Spring 2017, internship options, part 4: JEWISH WOMEN'S ARCHIVE

Interested in the history of Jewish women and public history?  Interested in the work of the Jewish Women's Archive but not able to do an internship in Boston because you are in Pittsburgh?
  No problem--now offering two long-distance internships:

OPPORTUNITY ONE: ORAL HISTORY INTERN


Name of Organization: Jewish Women’s Archive
Name of Supervisor:  Mikki Pugh, Director of Programs and Education
Spring 2017 and/or Fall 2017, 1-2 credits
The Jewish Women’s Archive (JWA) is a national nonprofit dedicated to making known the stories, struggles, and achievements of Jewish women in North America and beyond. Since it was founded in 1996, JWA has been a leader in the field of story collecting, becoming the largest repository of material about and voices of Jewish women, both celebrated and unheralded.
The JWA Oral History Intern will help organize, curate, and prepare first person testimonials (both audio and written) for inclusion in an upcoming exhibit about Jewish women’s involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement.
Interest in and knowledge about Jewish women’s history and story collecting; attention to detail; technologically savvy a plus.
OPPORTUNITY TWO: THIS WEEK IN HISTORY INTERN
Name of Organization: Jewish Women’s Archive
Name of Supervisor: Mikki Pugh, Director of Programs and Education
Spring 2017, 1-2 credits
This Week in History is a valuable historical resource presented by the Jewish Women’s Archive (JWA) that offers historical markers of important events in American Jewish women’s history. This May, the theme for Jewish American Heritage Month will be “Women and Leadership.” JWA is seeking an intern to help enhance the historical events throughout the year (but specifically in May) to create a robust collection of engaging, inspiring, and up-to-date, events in Jewish women’s history and leadership.Interest in Jewish women’s history; attention to detail; ability to conduct online and offline research
------------------------
If you are interested in applying for these positions, please submit your current résumé and cover letter to JWA’s job application page at http://jwa.org/aboutjwa/jobs/apply.
For additional information, contact Dr. Rachel Kranson at Pitt. 
To set up credits, contact Dr. Ben Gordon. 

Spring 2007, course preview, part 7: Zionism and Its Discontents

Why is Zionism so controversial?  Where did Jewish nationalism come from?  Did all Jews favor the establishment of a Jewish nation-state before 1948?  What are the sources of opposition to Zionism and Israel?  What does "Post-Zionism" mean?

Find out in
Inventing Israel: Zionism, Anti-Zionism, and Post-Zionism
instructor: Adam Shear
JS 1681/HIST 1712/RELGST 1681
Tues-Thurs 1-2:15 pm
fulfills Historical Change Gen-Ed Requirement

Course Description:
How did the modern nation-state of Israel emerge against a backdrop of a wide range of different views of nationalism among 19th- and early 20th-century Jews?  Why did some Jews support the idea of a Jewish state and others oppose it? In this course, we will study the origins and development of Zionism as a form of modern Jewish nationalism, the emergence of different Zionist ideological streams, and non-Zionist, anti-Zionist, and post-Zionist views of Jews and non-Jews. We will also explore Zionism as a case study of relations of religion and nationalism in modernity.