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Judaic Studies Newsletter
Fall 2002 | No. 1
Distinguished Lecturer Series on the Terrorist Threat Today. Dr. Daniel Pipes: America's Response to Terrorism
 Noted terrorism expert, Dr. Daniel Pipes, spoke at the University of Central Florida on Monday, October 7, 2002, on "The Terrorist Threat Today." The lecture was intended for UCF students, faculty and staff as well as members of the community.
The lecture was sponsored by the UCF Interdisciplinary Program in Judaic Studies and the Global Perspective Office in cooperation with their community partners -The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and Global Connections for Central Florida.
It was part of the Judaic Studies Distinguished Lecturers series. The lecture took place in the UCF Student Union, room 218 CD. It was the first event sponsored by the Judaic Studies Program this fall semester. Dr Pipes also conducted an evening lecture for the community on "America's Response to Terrorism" on Monday, October 7, 2002, at 7:00 PM at Maitland Hotel in Maitland, FL. Daniel Pipes has been labeled "an authoritative commentator on the Middle East" by the Wall Street Journal and as one of the best-known "Mideast policy luminaries" by MSNBC. He is currently the director the Middle East Forum (www.MEForum.org), an independent organization founded in 1994, which promotes American interests through publications, research, consulting, media outreach and public education. He is also a columnist for both the New York Post and the Jerusalem Post.
After receiving his A.B. (1971) and Ph.D. (1978) in History from Harvard University, Daniel Pipes went on to spend six years studying abroad - three of them in Egypt. He has taught at the University of Chicago, The U.S. Naval War College, and at Harvard University. He has served in the U.S. Departments of State and Defense in various capacities, such as the presidentially appointed Fulbright Board of Foreign Scholarships. Additionally, Pipes served as director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute from 1986-93.
Pipes has frequently appeared on such programs as ABC World News, CBS Reports, Crossfire, Good Morning America, NewsHour with Jim of Lehrer, Nightline, O'Reilly Factor and The Today Show to discuss current affairs. Pipes has written eleven books and edited two collections of essays. His books cover a range of topics including the Middle East, conspiracy theories, Syria and Islam.
In addition, Pipes has lectured in twenty-five countries and he has consuIted on Middle Eastern topics for prominent corporations, law firms, U.S. government agencies and law courts in North America. He also serves on the "Special Task Force on Terrorism and Technology" at the Department of Defense. Pipes sits on five editorial boards, has testified before many congressional committees and has worked on four presidential campaigns.
Henry Sapoznik Spoke on the Joys of Yiddish
 The "Joys of Yiddish" have come to the University of Central Florida and to the Orlando community through the good offices of the UCF Judaic Studies Program. The popular Yiddish Radio Project that was aired on National Public Radio several months ago was featured in the distinguished lecturer series by the UCF Judaic Studies Program.
Mr. Henry Sapoznik spoke on "The Joys of Yiddish: Flourishing of Yiddish in USA (Yiddish Radio Project: Yiddish Theater)." The Lecture took place on Monday, October 21,2002, 7:30 PM, in the UCF Visual Arts Auditorium. Mr. Sapoznik also conducted a seminar on "Yiddish Culture: The First Thousand Years" on Tuesday, October 22, 2002, at 11:30 AM, in the Visual Arts Building, room 113 at UCF.
UCF Judaic Studies on the International Scene:
Prof. Pelli Presented Three Scholarly Papers at International Conferences in Israel, Germany, and France
Director of Judaic Studies, Prof. Moshe Pelli, participated in several international conferences held in past months in Israel and in Europe.
Israel - Study of Autobiography:
He presented a paper on "Moshe Leib Lilienblum's Process of Becoming A Maskil (Enlightener: Hatot Ne'urim (Youthful Sins) as An Artistic and Documentary Autobiography," at the 2002 International Conference on Hebrew Language, Literature and Culture of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew in the USA. The conference took place at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer Sheva, July 2-4, 2002. In addition, he chaired a conference session. While in Israel, he conducted research at the National Jewish Library in Jerusalem as well as at Ben-Gurion University Library.
Germany - Study of Herder in Hebrew Enlightenment:
On September 1-4, 2002, Prof. Pelli was invited to partake in an international conference on Johann Gottfried Herder, German's well-known 18th-century philosopher, poet, and writer (1744-1803), in Potsdam, Germany. The conference was sponsored by the Moses Mendelssohn Zentrum (Center) of the University of Potsdam and the International Herder-Gesellschaft (society).
He presented a paper titled "These Are the Words of the Great Pundit, Scholar and Poet Herder: Herder and the Hebrew Haskalah (Enlightenment)." The general title of the conference was "Hebrew Poetry and the Jewish National Spirit: Herder's Influence on Central and East-European Judaism." Herder is known for his writing on the Hebrew Bible and biblical poetry. The conference was chaired and organized by Prof. Dr. Christoph Schulte, an expert on Haskalah and Jewish philosophy at the Center and the University of Potsdam. The conference took place at the old City Hall of Postdam, which is now a museum.
Prof. Pelli was a research-fellow at the Moses Mendelssohn Center two years ago and the UCF Judaic Studies Program is conducting on-going research and scholarly actives with the Center.
France - Studies on the First Hebrew Journal Published in Europe:
On September 30 - October 4, 2002, he was invited to the "17ème Congrès européen d'études hébraïques" (The 17th Congress of European Hebrew Studies) to present two papers. The international congress is sponsored by the World Union of Hebrew Culture (in Jerusalem), Paris 8 University, and the Institute of European Jewish Studies. It was held at the UNESCO Palace and at the Museum of Art and History of Judaism, both in Paris.
The first paper is titled "'Besorat Measfim Hadashim:' (An Announcement of the Renewed Journal, Hame'asef): An Unknown Prospectus for the Renewal of Hame'asef in 1809: An Innovative Perspective of Jewish History." The topic is part of Prof. Pelli's on-going research on the first Hebrew journal which was published in Germany from 1783 to 1811, and which was the subject of his recent book, The Gate to Haskalah (2000).
The second paper was a progress report on the computerized and annotated Index Project of Bikurei Haitim, the second major Hebrew journal published in Vienna from 1820-1831, undertaken by Prof. Pelli at the Judaic Studies Program in UCF (with the computer assistance of graduate student Jacob Engel). The paper delineated the events that lead to the founding of the second journal in the wake of the demise of the first Hebrew journal, Hame'asef, by its last editor, Shalom Hacohen, and an analysis of his editorial policy as based on the first volume of the new journal. The paper also presented information and data about the structure of the project, the entry format of each entry, and on-going plans for its continuation and completion.
Mr. Alex Messer, a graduate student at Paris 8 University Hebrew Studies Program, who is assisting in the project, presented a supplementary paper on the journal's background, the cultural milieu and the journal's editors.
The organizers of the conference were Prof. Gideon Kouts and Prof. Ephraim Rivlin of Paris 8 University's Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies. UCF Judaic Studies has been cooperating with Paris 8 University's Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies in research and scholarly activities. Prof. Pelli was guest professor there two years ago presenting lectures on Hebrew Enlightenment.
Academic Profiles of Judaic Studies Faculty
Prof. Moshe Pelli is Director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Judaic Studies, and a professor of Judaic Studies. His major area of specialization is Modern Hebrew Literature, especially Hebrew Haskalah (Enlightenment) in the 18th and 19th centuries, in addition, he has written extensively on the Literature of the Holocaust, and has lectured on Literature of the Bible. He has taught courses in these areas. Prof. Pelli published seven scholarly books on Hebrew Enlightenment and 146 research papers, 2 novels, 8 children books, 3 text anthologies, 38 review articles, 59 book reviews, 4 bibliographies and indices, 15 short stories. Awarded the Friedman Prize for his contribution to Hebrew Culture in USA in 1991, he was also the recipient of the Researcher of the Year award for 1996 at UCF, and many other awards and grants. He was Fellow of the prestigious Moses Mendelssohn Center at the University of Potsdam in Germany in May 2000. He is listed in many Who's Who books in USA, Europe and Israel. He is on the editorial board of Lamishpacha, Hebrew Monthly, and a member of the Executive Council of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew in the USA.
Dr. Kenneth Hanson is an Adjunct Professor in the University of Central Florida Judaic Studies Program. He has published three books, which are in their second printings, including Words of Light: Spiritual Wisdom from the Dead Sea Scrolls, released in March 2000, Dead Sea Scrolls: The Untold Story, Treasures in Earthen Vessels: The Legacy of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Words of Light is featured (with a seven page essay) in the August 2000 issue of Jewish Book News. Dr. Hanson also continues to give public lectures. In the coming months he will be speaking in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Michigan, North Carolina, and Miami. He teaches History, Culture, Dead Sea Scrolls and Bible. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Rollins College in the Department of Religion and Philosophy.
Rick Sherwin received a B.A. in Sociology from UCLA and a B.H.L. degree from the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. He received an M.A. in Hebrew Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Rabbi Sherwin currently serves as spiritual leader of Temple Israel in Orlando. He is married to Elissa Abelson. Two of their four children are students at UCF.
Ms. Dora Avni is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Central Florida Judaic Studies program. It is her first year of teaching the Hebrew language I and II courses and the Conversational Hebrew course at the University of Central Florida. Ms. Avni has been teaching the Hebrew language and the history and culture of the Jewish people and the State of Israel at The Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Dept. in Ohio State University and in Jewish Youth summer camps in the US. In 1985 she was a member of a board in Ohio that organized an exhibition of Anne Frank's diaries and photographs. For ten years Ms. Avni served as a board member of the Israeli Forum which facilitated connections and activities with Jewish youth and Jewish communities in the Diaspora. Holding a Master degree in Information and Public Relations from Ohio State University, Ms. Avni worked with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Israeli Parliament members, organizing conferences for Israeli impaired groups in Israel and in Germany and locating donors in Switzerland, the US and Germany for the AIDS Treatment Center in "Kaplan" Medical Center in Rehovot, Israel.
Courses for Spring Semester, 2003
HBR 1121 [code: 12879]
Elementary Modern Hebrew Language and Culture II
Elementary Modern Hebrew for the second semester is designed to teach major language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, and to introduce the student to Israeli culture and Jewish civilization. First semester Hebrew or its equivalent is prerequisite. The course is open to students and members of the community who have had some background in Hebrew, equivalent to one semester.
T&R 13:00-14:45 | 4-credit course | Trailer 544 Room 102 | Instructor: D. Avni
JST 3402 [code: 13254]
History of the Jewish People II
Students will learn of life and history of the Jews in the medieval and modern worlds, including topics such as the Jewish-Christian relations; development of Jewish philosophy and mysticism; Jewish life in Eastern Europe and in the Arab countries; the Holocaust; modern Israel; and Jews and Judaism in North America.
T 18:00-20:45 | 3-credit course | MOD 10 Room 104 | Instructor: K. Hanson
JST 3751 [code: 13255]
Literature of the Holocaust
This course is a study of the traumatic experience of the Holocaust in Europe as expressed and depicted in contemporary Jewish and Hebrew literature (in translation). Authors to be studied include: Elie Wiesel, Aharon Appelfeld, Ka-Tzetnik, H. Bartov, G. Gouri, Y. Amichai, and J. Kosinski.
T&R 10:00-11:15 | 3-credit course | PH 221 | Instructor: M. Pelli
JST 3930 [code: 16209] Sec. 1
ST: Tenets of Judaism
This course is a study of the basic tenets of Judaism as they have evolved from ancient times to today, including the values, practices and beliefs that define Judaism as a religious civilization. The course of study will involve a multi-level approach using both primary and secondary sources.
T&R 11:30-12:45 | 3-credit course | CL1 319 | Instructor: R. Sherwin
JST 3930 [code: 16204] Sec. 2
ST: Romantic Love in the Bible
This course will deal with the dimensions of romantic love in Biblical narrative. The course focuses on Biblical depiction of human feelings of romantic love and relationships, and will examine social norms and historical events that shed light on the role and nature of man-woman interactions in ancient Israel.
M 18:00-20:45 | 3-credit course | MOD 11 Room 105 | Instructor: K. Hanson
JST 3940 [See Dr. Pelli]
Internship
Internship: with Dr. Pelli's permission
3-credit course | CNH 201E | Instructor: M. Pelli
JST 3905 [code: 13256]
Independent Study
Independent study: with Dr. Pelli's permission
3-credit course | CNH 201E | Instructor: M. Pelli
- Judaic Studies courses as a Minor or Electives: Students may take the courses as electives or as required courses to satisfy requirements for a Minor in Judaic Studies (18 credits of upper division courses).
- Judaic Studies Certificate: Certificate in Judaic Studies is available for students completing 5 courses in Judaic Studies.
- Foreign Language Requirements: Hebrew language courses may satisfy foreign language requirements.
- Liberal Studies - Minor in Judaic Studies: Liberal Studies students are encouraged to take a Minor in Judaic Studies.
- Religious Studies Minor, Humanities Minor, or Middle East Studies Minor: Students who take a Minor in Religious Studies, Humanities, or Middle East Studies are encouraged to take courses in Judaic Studies. Most of our courses may be counted toward their Minors.
- Registration for Non-Degree Students: Members of the community may take the courses as non-degree students or may audit the courses. Registration is required of non-degree students; call the Registrar's office at (407) 823-3100 for details.
- Tuition Fee Waiver for Senior Citizens: Persons 60 years of age or older who meet Florida residency requirements may register for classes without payment. Seniors should call Linda Scaglione at (407) 823-3531 (lscaglio@mail.ucf.edu) or Kelly Shilton at (407) 823-2842 (kshilton@mail.ucf.edu), to obtain registration forms in advance.
For information, please call Dr. Moshe Pelli, Director, Judaic Studies Program, (407) 823-5039; or: 823-5129, 823-2296. Touch-tone early registration and regular registration for degree students: October 28, 2002-January 5, 2003. Regular and simplified registration for degree and non-degree students is January 3, 2003. Non-degree students are kindly requested to call the Judaic Studies Program Office prior to January 3, 2003, to be listed for registration. Classes begin January 6, 2003.
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