Judaic Studies: From enrichment to enlightenment

For nearly a decade, Fairfield University - a Jesuit and Catholic institution - has operated as a hotbed of learning in Judaic studies. Jews and non-Jews from the surrounding community flock to the campus each spring to participate in an adult education program that dissects the myriad aspects of Jewish life, culture, religion, and history.

Called Lunch and Learn (because of its midday time slot), the 10-week course annually attracts up to 75 participants just weeks after the registration materials hit mailboxes.

At the helm of this Jewish studies movement is Dr. Ellen Umansky, the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies. Arriving on campus in 1994, she was charged with developing an undergraduate program in Judaic Studies and simultaneously creating a vehicle for outreach to the local Jewish community. She met with leaders of the Jewish Center for Community Services in Bridgeport, and the idea for the adult-education course blossomed.

The University, along with JCCS, co-sponsors the series, which tackles academically challenging themes such as Jewish Concepts of the Messiah, Jews and Judaism in America, and Turning Points in Jewish History. This year's course, Jewish Identity in a Changing World, met on Fridays, Jan. 31 to April 11, at the Charles F. Dolan School of Business.

"Dr. Umansky surprises all the time," says Nate Rosenbaum, a retired physician from Trumbull who will participate for the sixth year. "She possesses a vast depth of knowledge about her subject. And tapping into it is intellectually fulfilling, as well as a great deal of fun."

Carl and Dorothy Bennett, of Greenwich, Conn., were instrumental in the creation of a Judaic Studies program and center at the University. In 1993, they endowed both with a $1.5 million contribution. The progressive mission of the program was articulated in the original endowment proposal: "Our goal is to create a multifaceted program that studies Judaism as an entity unto itself, not one which studies it solely in its relationship to Christianity. We believe it is highly important that Catholic students have exposure to and contact with Jewish ideas, culture, and thinking."

This perspective impressed Dr. Umansky, who had taught since 1978 at Princeton University, Haverford College, Vassar College, Emory University, and Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. "It is wonderful to be on a campus that takes religion and the study of it seriously," she explains. "At times, I may feel lonely as a Jew, but as a person of faith I feel incredibly at home."

Dr. Umansky also directs the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, housed in Donnarumma Hall. The Center maintains an extensive collection of Judaica books and magazines, and serves as a meeting place for modern Hebrew language classes, weekly meetings of KADIMA (Fairfield's Jewish student organization), and Jewish Faculty Forum discussions.

While the Judaic Studies minor attracts about five students per year, more than 300 students enroll in courses such as History of the Jewish Experience and Faith after the Holocaust. "Studying Judaism in a serious way at the college level makes students realize how little they know about their own religious tradition," observes Dr. Umansky.

And for the 30- to 80-somethings sitting in her weekly Lunch and Learn class, many experience a quantum leap in learning from their early days in Hebrew school. "I attended school for several years, but it was largely superficial instruction," recalls Alice Madwed, M.D., a retired anesthesiologist from Easton. "My parents never urged me to continue. Now I am drinking up the enthusiasm and knowledge of this dynamic teacher."

Jackie Eskin, a working mother who attends the series, appreciates the way Dr. Umansky relates her own personal experiences to the material she's talking about.

Dr. Umansky's expertise centers on Jewish theology, modern Jewish history and thought, and women in Judaism. A wife and mother of three (Abraham, 17; Ezra, 15; and Seth, 14), she received a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College, a master's degree from Yale University Divinity School, and a doctorate in religion from Columbia University. The author of several books, her newest, From Christian Science to Jewish Science: Spiritual Healing and American Jews, will be published shortly.

Her Lunch and Learn sessions, 90 minutes in length, are structured as part lecture, part discussion. Participants are expected to digest 20 to 30 pages of related readings per week in order to spark exchange. While on sabbatical this past spring semester, Dr. Umansky shared presentation of the course, Identity in a Changing World, with fellow Fairfield faculty.

"This is my intellectual stimulation for the week," she says. "To have people of my faith take learning so seriously is wonderful. Hopefully the course encourages Jewish people to become more involved in their communities, and for the Christians who attend, a newfound respect for Judaism."

By Marybeth Christie Redmond