UCF Judaic Studies on the academic international scene

At left: Prof. Moshe Pelli and the Dean of the Shanghai Center of Jewish Studies, Prof. Pan Guang.

UCF Judaic Studies Program has been very active on the international scene in the past few months and in the last academic year.

Prof. Moshe Pelli, Director of the Program and Abe and Tess Endowed Professor of Judaic Studies, and Dr. Ken Hanson, Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies, have participated in two international conferences and presented academic papers in their respective fields of research.

Prof. Pelli attended the 2007 International Conference on Hebrew Language, Literature and Culture, held by the National Association of Professors of Hebrew in the USA, at the University of Sydney, Australia, in July. He presented a paper on "The Reception of Isaac Euchel, the Founder of Berlin Haskalah, in the 19th Century." Prof. Pelli, who is vice president of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew, chaired a session, and met several directors of Hebrew literature centers in Israel and the USA and discussed matters of mutual interest. He also met with his Israeli publisher who participated in the conference.

Dr. Hanson attended the International Conference of the Society of Biblical Literature, at the University of Vienna, Austria, in July. He presented a paper on the subject of "Second Temple Pietism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Letter of James."

Lecture in Shanghai
In addition, Prof. Pelli delivered a lecture at the Center for Jewish Studies in Shanghai, China, which is part of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. The lecture was attended by the Center's Dean, Prof. Pan Guang, professors who are members of the Center and graduate students. The topic was "Hebrew Culture in America in the 20th Century." Questions and answers followed the lecture. Graduate students who work on the PhD dissertations on aspects of modernity and Judaism exchanged questions with the speaker. One Chinese student, who is taking Hebrew at Shanghai University, conversed in Hebrew with Prof. Pelli. Afterwards, the Center held a luncheon in honor of the speaker.

Following the lecture and luncheon Prof. Pelli discussed matters of cooperation between the Center and the UCF Interdisciplinary Program in Judaic Studies in research, exchange of scholars and books.

Sabbatical Activities: Prague, Berlin, Jerusalem
Prof. Pelli is returning from a year's sabbatical. He was visiting scholar at the Institute of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in October 2006. He attended The 19th Scholarly Conference, World Hebrew Union, European Hebrew Studies, and the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 16, 2006, and delivered a scholarly paper on the Hebrew Enlightenment. He then delivered a keynote lecture at the International Conference Commemorating Isaac Euchel's 250th Birthday held at the University of Potsdam, Germany, on Isaac Euchel, on October 17-18, 2006.

In December he presented a scholarly paper at The 38th Annual Conference of the Association for Jewish Studies, San Diego, California. 

He Conducted research at the Jewish Museum library in Prague, the State library in Berlin, and the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem, in October-November, 2006; and at the Yivo Library in New York, in December 2006 and January 2007.

In Pelli's absence, Dr. Aaron Liberman, member of the Judaic Studies Academic Committee, and UCF Professor in the Department of Health Professions, served as Interim Director. In an Judaic Studies Advisory meeting that took place on May 15, 2007, Prof. Liberman reported on last year's activities of Judaic Studies, under his directorship. Prof. Pelli, who was in attendance, thanked Prof. Liberman on behalf of the program and the committee for his devotion and dedication, and for his professional handling of the program during the year.

Above: Professor Moshe Pelli (center) meets with colleagues at the Center for Jewish Studies in Shanghai, China, including, on the left, Professor Pan Guang, dean of the center; on the right, Professor Zhou Goujian, deputy director of the Department of Middle East Studies; and in back, professors, graduate students, and associate of the center.