|
|
July 1, 2005
Jewish studies revived
University of Ottawa announces a new curriculum.
ADAM GRACHNIK CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS
University students interested in delving into the world of Jewish
education can now acquire a distinctively Canadian flavor of that
knowledge in the nation's capital, thanks to one man's vision and
a generous grant.
Prominent Ottawa couple Sara and Zeev Vered donated $1 million to
the University of Ottawa to create the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies
Program. It's an interdisciplinary program that will be the first
post-secondary Jewish education curriculum in Canada to focus on
the history, culture and literature of the Jewish Diaspora in Canada.
There are other Jewish education programs at Canadian universities
– McGill, York and Concordia – but this one will be the
first that doesn't centre on Judaism and Middle East politics.
"This will focus on Jewish people in Canada and how they contributed
to Canadian society and the various difficulties they had,"
University of Ottawa president Gilles Patry said, adding that there
is the potential to offer some of the 12 to 15 courses in Hebrew.
"We are meeting the need that exists to focus on Jews in Canada."
The university was founded by Catholic priests and is now trying
to position itself as "Canada's University." The new program
will have students from all backgrounds, according to the brains
behind the program, U of O Institute of Canadian Studies director
Pierre Anctil.
"The planned program will be open to students from all interests
and disciplines who wish to deepen their knowledge of the Jewish
community and its contribution to the development of Canada,"
Anctil said.
Anctil is not Jewish, but is well known among the French-speaking
Jewish community. He writes and speaks Yiddish, English and French
fluently. The Canadian Jewish Congress honored him in 1998 with
the Ezekiel Hart Award, which the CJC gives every three years to
a person outside the Jewish community who has contributed in an
outstanding way to intercultural relations. He has authored many
historical studies on the Montreal Jewish community and multi-ethnic
context.
According to Patry, a Jewish program has been in the works since
the late 1990s. However, it wasn't until Anctil joined the U of
O last year that the program took on a distinctively Canadian flavor.
The Vereds spoke at an afternoon unveiling at the university on
June 16.
"We are pleased to be able to support this exciting new program,"
said Sara Vered. "We strongly believe in the University of
Ottawa's plans to build a sustainable program of scholarship in
Jewish Canadian studies on a national scale."
The planned program will initially offer undergraduate and graduate
courses, exploring topics such as contemporary
Canadian Jewry, English- and French-language Jewish literature and
culture, Canadian Yiddish literature and culture, relations of the
Jewish-Canadian community with its non-Jewish environment, the social,
economic and ethical contributions of Canadian Jews to Canada, and
major east European migrations of the early 20th century. It will
be under the administration of the Institute of Canadian Studies
and is expected to start admitting students for the fall of 2006.
^TOP
|
|
