Jewish Studies Minor

In this interdisciplinary minor, Jewish and non-Jewish students are empowered to identify and examine critically: the roles and influences of Jewish civilization in Western Civilization; the interaction of overlapping civilizations; and inherited Hellenic-Christian assumptions about religion, ethics, philosophy, community and more.

Students use Jewish paradigms to analyze ethical, social, labor, and technological issues and to consider how Jewish thinkers illuminate passages from a text. Credit is given for Hebrew instruction and other Jewish Studies courses at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and Dickinson College. Activities of Gettysburg College’s Hillel chapter complement the minor.

Stephen J. Stern – Chair of Jewish Studies

Affiliated Departments

English
Classics
German Studies
History
Political Science
Religious Studies

Requirements

One introductory core course:
- Introduction to Judaism
Five core courses, cross-listed or affiliated

Jewish Studies Courses

Introductory Core Course

IDS 214: Introduction to Judaism

Five Cross-listed or Affiliated Courses

CIMS/GER 235: The Holocaust Through Film
CLA 255/355
ENG 261: After Auschwitz: Literature of Witness
GER 225: Yiddish Literature in Translation
GER 265: Antisemitism and Jewish Responses in Lit and Film
GER 285: European Jews: History, Holocaust, Future
GER 351: The German-Jewish Experience
HIST 218: Modern Germany
IDS 229: The Longest Hatred: Antisemitism & Anti-Judaism
IDS 238: Religion & Politics in the Middle East
IDS 265: Jewish Thought and the Enlightenment
IDS 331: Religion and Technology
IDS 338: Ethics after the Holocaust
PHIL 265: Jewish Humor: From Tevye to Seinfeld
REL 105: Bible & Modern Moral Issues
REL 204: History, Literature, and Religion of the Hebrew Scriptures
REL 205: History, Literature, and Religion of the New Testament
REL 237
REL 238
REL 311: Jesus in the First Three Gospels

Faculty and Staff

Stephen Stern, Chair, Jewish Studies; Associate Professor, Jewish Studies; Associate Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies
Vernon Cisney, Associate Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies
Steve Gimbel, Professor, Philosophy
Susan Russell, Adams Professor in Theatre Arts and Associate Professor, Theatre Arts
Kerry Wallach, Chairperson/Associate Professor, German
Lin Myers, Academic Administrative Assistant, Interdisciplinary Studies

Georges Lieber Essay Contest

Fifth Annual Georges Lieber Essay Contest on Resistance

Georges Lieber, at the age of 16, prided himself on being part of the French resistance. Perhaps because of that involvement, he and his family were identified and taken by the Nazis, and on July 3, 1944, Georges was deported to Auschwitz, where he was murdered. To make a blessing of Georges Lieber’s memory, please articulate an issue on or of resistance that you have encountered and analyze what it has taught you about resistance and yourself. Note that the most engaging essays often reflect deeply on a particularly meaningful experience or episode in one’s life. That approach could focus on resistance pertaining to:

A personal issue
A family matter
An academic inquiry
A dilemma in literature or film
A recent article or editorial in a major newspaper
A current conflict in American life
An international crisis

Submission

Email your essay, with “Georges Lieber” as the subject, to the Jewish Studies Committee at Gettysburg College: glieberessaycontest@gettysburg.edu

Format

In 3,000 words, you are encouraged to raise questions, single out issues, and identify dilemmas involving resistance. Essays may be written in the formal or informal tone, but most importantly, an individual voice should be evident. The essay should be developed from your point of view and may be biographical, historical, literary, philosophical, psychological, sociological or theological. It must be the original, unpublished work of one student. Only one essay per student per year may be submitted. It must have a title, and must be written in English. Essay should be titled, typed in 12-point font easily readable font (such as Times New Roman), double-spaced with 1” margins and numbered pages. Submissions will be judged anonymously, by the Gettysburg College Jewish Studies Committee. (We have heavily relied on the language from the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics essay contest.)