Bennett Center for Judaic Studies

The Bennett Center for Judaic Studies is a unique academic center that strives to enrich the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual dialogue of Fairfield University. Continuing the vision of Carl and Dorothy Bennett, the Center fosters continued learning experiences and campus-wide awareness about Jewish history, ethical values, and religious observances. It also seeks to engage the Greater Fairfield communities through inspiring lectures and annual programs. The Bennett Center works in collaboration with the Judaic Studies program, the Center for Catholic Studies, Campus Ministry, local Jewish community organizations, the Quick Center, and more.

The Center receives financial support from numerous generous individuals and foundations, including the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Foundation, the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, Larry Roberts and Suzanne Novik, Andrew and Robert Feigenson and family, David and Edith Chaifetz, and the Frank Jacoby Foundation maintained by Debby and David Zieff. Through these gifts, the Bennett Center has brought world-renowned lecturers to the University, including Pulitzer Prize finalist Nathan Englander; The New York Times Op-Ed columnist and author, Tom Friedman; Rabbi and theologian Yitz Greenberg; lawyer and activist Khizr Khan; American diplomat and author Dennis Ross; American Jewish historian, Jonathan Sarna; former US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro; Meet the Press moderator, Chuck Todd; painter, sculptor, and photorealist, Audrey Flack; and Nobel Peace Prize winner and author, Elie Wiesel.

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From the establishment of the Chair in Judaic Studies to an annual service in remembrance of the Holocaust, the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies has established a permanent and growing reputation in the Fairfield County community - reaching out to its 70,000 Jewish residents and neighbors - as well as to many others. Through the Center, Fairfield University continues to be committed to building a bridge of understanding between the Jewish and Jesuit traditions.

KADIMA is Fairfield University's Jewish undergraduate club, under the guidance of Fairfield University’s Jewish Chaplain, Rabbi Jim Prosnit.

Advisory Board

Robin Kanarek

About Robin Kanarek

ROBIN KANAREK is the daughter of Dorothy and Carl Bennett and has been active at Fairfield University for the past twenty years. An R.N. who continued her nursing education at Fairfield University’s School of Nursing, she graduated in 1996 as an adult learner. Robin served on the university’s Board of Trustees from 2013-2019 and currently serves as Chair of the university’s Kanarek Center for Palliative Care. She also serves as a member of the Nursing Advisory Board for the university’s Egan School of Nursing. Robin, along with her older brother, Marc, is honored to have been chosen to chair the newly established Bennett Center for Judaic Studies Advisory Board. She hopes to continue the legacy that her parents established in 1994.

Patricia Behre

About Patricia Behre

PATRICIA BEHRE Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of History and current Chair of the History Department at Fairfield University. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Yale University, and has taught on the Fairfield faculty since 1991. She was a member of the original faculty delegation advocating for a full-time faculty line in Judaic Studies before the establishment of the Bennett Chair. She specializes in early modern European History, particularly Jewish-Christian relations, and has published books and articles in that field. She regularly teaches in the Judaic Studies program, including a course on the history of Antisemitism. Dr. Behre lives in Guilford, CT with her husband, and has one daughter and three stepchildren.

Marc Bennett

About Marc Bennett

MARC BENNETT recently retired from a career in commercial real estate. He was a partner in a family real estate venture (DorCal Associates) which owned shopping centers in Fairfield County, and also became a commercial real estate broker and appraiser with Kaye Cahalan in Bridgeport and Austin McGuire Company in Norwalk. Marc currently serves as a trustee at Temple Sinai in Stamford where he is also a Brotherhood president. He coordinates Temple Sinai’s food pantry volunteers at New Covenant Center, which is part of Catholic Charities in Stamford, and serves on the Board of Directors of Stamford Academy, a charter high school in Stamford. Marc’s parents, Carl and Dorothy Bennett, are founders of the Bennett Center. Marc has supported their endowment to Fairfield University by being a donor and lecture attendee.

Glenn Dynner

About Glenn Dynner

On September 1, 2022, Dr. Glenn Dynner will succeed Dr. Ellen M. Umansky as the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies and Director of the Bennett Center at Fairfield University. Since 2014, Dr. Dynner has served as Professor of Religion and Chair of the Religion Department at Sarah Lawrence College. He received his B.A. with honors in Comparative History from Brandeis University, an M.A. with honors from McGill University in Jewish Studies, and his PhD from Brandeis University in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies in 2002. Dr. Dynner is the author of two acclaimed books published by Oxford University Press: Men of Silk: The Hasidic Conquest of Polish Jewish Society (2006), winner of the Koret Publication Prize and a National Jewish Book Award Finalist, and Yankel’s Tavern: Jews, Liquor, & Life in the Kingdom of Poland (2013), which received Honorable Mention for the 2013 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award. The author of numerous journal articles and essays in edited volumes, he is currently working on a book titled The Light of Learning: The Hasidic Revival in Poland on the Eve of the Holocaust. Recipient of a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2019-2020, he was Associate Editor of the journal, Jewish History from 2016-2018 and currently serves as co-editor of Shofar: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Jewish Studies. Glenn Dynner is a member of the Scholarly Advisory Board of the YIVO Institute and is the YIVO Representative on the Center for Jewish History’s Academic Advisory Council. He is a member of The Academic Advisory Board of the Yale Fortunoff Archive and serves on the Editorial Boards of POLIN and East European Jewish Affairs. He and his family live in Stamford, Connecticut.

Doug Karp

About Doug Karp

DOUG KARP is the managing partner of Pacific Partners, a private equity and advisory firm focused on healthcare innovation. His professional background includes founding Tailwind Capital, serving as a member of Operating Committee of Warburg, Pincus and as managing director of Salomon Brothers. He is a founding director of Horizons National (educational opportunity), served as chair of Morningside Nursing Home (Bronx, NY) and as a director of the City Parks Foundation.

Shelley Kreiger

About Shelley Kreiger

SHELLEY KREIGER is delighted to join the Bennett Center Advisory Committee. Shelley has been involved with the Center since its inception both as a participant in its many programs and as an active member of the local synagogue and Federation community. Shelley is a professional Jewish educator who currently serves as Head of School of Merkaz, the Community High School for Judaic Studies in Bridgeport. A frequent attendee at Bennett Center programs, she has been a long-time adult learner in Ellen Umansky’s “Lunch and Learn” class, an 8-week course co-sponsored by the Bennett Center and the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County.

Marissa Lischinsky

About Marissa Lischinsky

MARISSA LISCHINSKY, originally from Beverly, MA, is currently the Associate Director of Student Engagement for Transition and Retention at Fairfield University. Marissa earned her BA from Fairfield University (2012) and her MEd from Springfield College in Massachusetts (2014). While a student at Fairfield, Marissa minored in Judaic Studies, was an active member of Kadima, the student organization focused on educating about and promoting Jewish culture, and was part of the first on-campus monthly Shabbat services. Marissa credits Dr. Umansky and the Bennett Center for helping make her feel at home as a Jewish student at a Jesuit University. Since returning to Fairfield in November 2018 after being away for 6.5 years, Marissa has enjoyed re-joining the Fairfield University Jewish community and attending Bennett Center events.

Jim Prosnit

About Jim Prosnit

JIM PROSNIT has been an adjunct faculty member in Fairfield University’s Religious Studies Department since the early 1990’s. Initially teaching a class entitled “History of the Jewish Experience,” he currently teaches “Jewish Interpretations of Scripture” and, beginning in the fall of 2019, a new Hebrew Bible course on “Priests, Prophets, Psalmists, and Kings.” Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation B’nai Israel in Bridgeport, he became Fairfield University’s first Jewish Chaplain, in September 2018. One of Jim’s goals is to facilitate group programs affording students opportunities to engage with one another. He is developing special programs to help revitalize KADIMA, the Jewish undergraduate club on campus, and plans to speak in classes, organize holiday celebrations such as last year’s Hanukkah Celebration and Passover Seder, and lead Kabbalat Shabbat services on campus.

Sheila L. Romanowitz

About Sheila Romanowitz

Sheila L. Romanowitz has worked in Jewish communal service for much of her adult life. She served as Executive Director, Office of the President and Chair of the Board at UJA-Federation of New York; COO at UJA Federation of Greenwich; and Executive Director of the United Jewish Federation of Stamford. For her work in promoting interdenominational understanding and communication, she was honored with the Young Israel of Stamford's Community Service Award and received recognition from a uniquely pluralistic Board of Rabbis. Together with her late husband, Dr. Harry S. Romanowitz, she received the Daniel R. Ginsburg Humanitarian Award from the ADL and the Heritage Award from the Jewish Historical Society. A resident of Connecticut for the past 45 years, she currently serves on the Board of SilverSource, a leading resource for older adults.

Barbara Salop

About Barbara Salop

BARBARA SALOP is a management consultant specializing in Organization Transformation. She has played many roles in her years at IBM helping leaders to meet the challenges of change. Barbara is currently actively applying her expertise in the Not-For-Profit sector, including serving as Marketing VP member on the board for Jewish Family Services of Greenwich. Barbara is a Fairfield alumna (’75) who has extended the foundation of her Jesuit education to embrace pursuit of Jewish wisdom, tradition, and culture, making the Bennett Center her home for all three. She looks forward to helping the Center continue to grow and thrive.

Peter Willner

About Peter Willner

Peter Willner, EdD

Peter Willner has devoted his professional career to serving as an advocate for education, civil rights, and philanthropy. He was founding Executive Director of Cooperative Educational Services (CES), a public-school Regional Education Service Center in Fairfield County, and in 1987 transitioned his career to join UJA-Federation of New York as its Executive Director for Organization & Development. In 1991, he became the Anti-Defamation League’s chief operating officer responsible for overseeing its administrative and all fundraising operations. Most recently, until his retirement, Peter served as the National Executive Director and CEO for the American Friends of Hebrew University (AFHU). Today, he manages JANID Advisors, a boutique consulting firm specializing in non-profit management and fundraising. He is a member of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, a Trustee of the Town of Fairfield Library, on the Congregation Beth El Board and a member of the National Executive Service Corps Board of Directors.

David Zieff

About David Zieff

DAVID ZIEFF, a partner at the certified public accounting firm of CironeFriedberg, in Shelton, Connecticut, first became involved with the work of the Bennett Center and of Fairfield University through the Frank Jacoby Foundation of Bridgeport, of which he currently serves as President. For over fifteen years, David has guided the Foundation in its support of the annual Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lecture at Fairfield University, co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and the OpenVISIONS Forum. As he got to know Ellen Umansky, he became impressed with the programs offered by the Bennett Center and the willingness of the university to support its endeavors. David and his wife, Debby, are regular attendees at Bennett Center events and have been adult learners in Ellen’s “Lunch and Learn” class, co-sponsored with the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County.

Support

Support the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and make a gift that helps us continue to enrich the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual life of Fairfield University through lectures, programs, monthly Shabbat services and dinners, and ongoing support of the College of Arts and Sciences' undergraduate interdisciplinary program in Judaic Studies.

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Bennett Center for Judaic Studies