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Judaic Studies Newsletter
Fall 2004 / Spring 2005 | No. 1
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President Hitt Honors Abe and Tess Wise upon Establishing an Endowed professorship in Judaic Studies
 The Judaic Studies Program at the University of Central Florida held a luncheon to honor Tess and Abe Wise upon the establishment of the newly endowed professorship in Judaic Studies named after them. The luncheon was attended by President John C. Hitt, Provost Terry L. Hickey, Dean Kathryn Seidel, the Honorable Judy Albertson, UCF Trustee, other university administrators, contributors, students, and community guests. The occasion also marked the 20th anniversary of the Judaic Studies program. Judy Albertson opened by greeting the audience.
President John C. Hitt spoke about UCF achievements and presented the Wises a special scroll in recognition of their contribution to UCF's Judaic Studies. It was accompanied with a symbolic gift of an artistic tapestry made by an Israeli artist with the title Lion of Juda. Tess Wise responded by thanking the community and the university for their help in establishing the endowed professorship. Dean Kathryn L. Seidel of the College of Arts and Sciences spoke of the importance of the endowed professorship and presented Dr. Moshe Pelli, the named Abe and Tess Wise Professor of Judaic Studies, a plaque commemorating his appointment to the endowed professorship.
Dr. Pelli, who has been director of the program for the past 20 years, spoke of the long tradition of Jewish Studies in history, and about the rewards of teaching and research at UCF. Dean Abraham Pizam of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, who was one of the founders of the program, and Dr. Shmuel Bolozky, of the University of Massachusetts, who was on a sabbatical at UCF at that time and helped establish the program, reminisced about the beginning of the program.
 Ms. Judy Albertson and Tess Wise then awarded the donors artisitically crafted commemorative crystal cubes with a hologram of the Hebrew letter Aleph at its center. Rabbi Rick Sherwin of Congregation Beth Am gave the invocation following the UCF string quartet playing an interlude of Ernest Bloch's 'Prayer,' from Jewish Life No. 1. A multimedia presentation of sights and sounds, which highlighted the program's 20th anniversary and its achievements, followed the lunch.
Tess and Abe Wise have been pillars of the Orlando community for more than 50 years. They were among the "founding fathers" of the Judaic Studies Program 20 years ago and have been involved in the program since then. They are well known for their philanthropy, their public activities and commitment to education. Abe was a founding trustee in 1980 of the T.O.P. Foundation. In 1985, the Wises established the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida. Tess, a 1972 alumna of UCF, has served as the center's executive director from its inception until recently.
In 2003/4, the Wises spearheaded a drive to fund a named professorship in Judaic Studies at UCF. With the addition of a professorship, the College of Arts and Sciences will allow the program to expand and enrich its curriculum for the benefit of students and the community.
Pelli Named "Abe and Tess Wise Professor of Judaic Studies" at UCF
 Professor Moshe Pelli, director of the University of Central Florida's Judaic Studies program, was appointed last month as the "Abe and Tess Wise Professor of Judaic Studies" at UCF. Orlando residents Abe and Tess Wise donated more than half of the $100,000 used to set up the newly endowed professorship, which demonstrates the commitment of both the public and the university to support the Judaic Studies program and its curriculum. The endowment is eligible for $50,000 of matching funds from the state.
The Wises founded the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida. Tess Wise is the center's board chairman and has been its executive vice president. The Wises have been members of UCF's Judaic Studies Advisory Board since that program began in 1984.
Pelli is a leading scholar of 18thand 19th-century Hebrew and Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah) literature. He is the author of seven books on Hebrew Enlightenment, eight children's books, and many other books, articles and book reviews. In 1991, Pelli was awarded the Friedman Prize for his contribution to Hebrew culture in the United States by the Hebrew Language and Culture Association, and in 1996 he received the UCF Researcher of the Year award.
Pelli is on the editorial board of Lamishpaha, a Hebrew periodical, and he was just elected second vice president of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew in the USA. He has been the director of UCF's Judaic Studies program for 20 years.
The UCF Judaic Studies program focuses on Jewish civilization, the Hebrew Bible, history, culture, literature, and Hebrew language instruction. It sponsors a yearly Distinguished Visitors Series, which has brought to UCF and other Central Florida venues speakers such as Nobel Prize Laureates Elie Wiesel, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Zalman Shoval, Israel's ambassador to Washington.
Memorable Quotes from the Professorship Luncheon
Dean Kathryn Seidel: "Certainly the theme that I hear emerging so far in the remarks is the theme of faith. Faith in our program, of people from 20 years ago, faith in the future of the program, faith in the future of our University. It is truly a wonderful theme for us and it is really part of UCF's destiny that we are associated with the future and all the good education can bring to that future."
President John Hitt: "20 years ago Abe and Tess Wise's lifetime commitment to education led them to become founding partners of our Judaic Studies program. The Wises contributed over half of the total and were the driving force in helping Judaic Studies find friends and supporters help the program achieve its goal. The Abe and Tess Wise Endowed Professorship in Judaic Studies will expand and enrich its curriculum for the benefit of our students and community."
Dr. Moshe Pelli: "Jewish scholarship may be traced from the first century to the present. Endowed professorship will allow the program to grow. To read a quote from the Jewish Bible, have a student finish a verse and tell you where it is from, is a reward of teaching and research. To cite from Pirke Avot: 'The reward of good deed is the good deed itself.' The reward of teaching is the very teaching itself."
Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Shmuel Bolozky
 Dr. Shmuel Bolozky, one of the most known experts in Hebrew language and linguistics, presented two lectures on "Hebrew in the 21st Century: Past, Present, and Future," and "Myths and Facts Regarding the History and Nature of the Hebrew Language" on Monday, October 18, 2004 and Tuesday, October 19, 2004, respectively, as part of the UCF Judaic Studies Distinguished Lecturers Series.
Dr. Shmuel Bolozky is Professor of Hebrew at the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, since 1978. Prof. Bolozky had served as the department chair from 1985- 1990, and from 1995-1998. He edited the textbook 501 Hebrew Verbs, published in 1996.
Prof. Bolozky is the immediate past President of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew (2001-2003), was its Vice President 1998-2001, and has been a member of the Program Committee of the International Conference on Hebrew Language and Literature since 1993. He is the Chair of the Modern Hebrew Divisional Committee of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew, and ex-officio member of its Advisory Council (1995-1998). He is currently working on a grant from by the U.S. Department of Education for a National Middle East Language Resource Center, 2002- 2006, and is also the Associate Director of its Resource Center.
Prof. Bolozky has a Ph.D. in Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1972, an M.A. in English Language from the University of London, 1968, and a B.A. in English Literature and Middle Eastern Studies from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1965.
These lectures are sponsored by the Judaic Studies Program at UCF, with the cooperation of Liberal Studies and the Honors College.
Friends of the Program
The Following Individuals and Families Have Given Graciously to the Program:
Benefactors:
- Abe & Tess Wise (Abe O. Wise & Tess Wise Philanthropic Fund)
- Barbara Weinreich
Sponsors:
- David & Judy Albertson
- Hy & Harriett Lake
- Sherman, Jordan & Barry Miller (Thelma Shefner Miller Memorial Fund)
- Abe & Tess Wise and Zelig & Bobbi Wise (O Z Wise Family Trust)
- Robert & Judith Yarmuth
Donors:
- Siegmund & Marilyn Goldman
- Alex & Sheila Greenspoon
- Sy Israel
Contributors:
- Avie Abramowitz
- Roy & Patricia Ambinder
- Hal & Victoria Kantor
- Seymour Weiner
- Robert L. Zlatkiss
Friends:
- Victor & Ronit Eyal
- Marc & Henrietta Katzen
- Eli & Ina Porth
- Gerald & Beth Rutberg
- Stephen & Judy Schreiber
- Marvin & Sonia Shey
Graduation Announcements for Spring and Fall of 2004
Marc Carrion, Erin Eichler, Rachel Feinman, Ariel Gardner, Max Garlick, Matthew Hosie, Bryan Kaufman, Avi Locke, Neil Shulman, Jennifer Rauscher, and Angela Rey graduated with a Minor in Judaic Studies. Congratulations and best of luck!
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