philanthropy. Tey represent a significant, dynamic part of the American cultural landscape. We can count among influential Jewish Michiganians who atended EMU, for instance, Larry Berry, David Techner, and Steve Tapper. Nevertheless, from my experience teaching at Eastern, I can tell you that most students here know very litle about Judaism, about Jewish culture, or even about Jewish contributions to the American experience. Many of our students—both from large cities and from small towns—may not even be aware of ever having met someone who is Jewish.


Eastern: Tat being said, do you expect this program to be popular?


Shichtman: I think students will be very interested in EMU Jewish Studies courses. One of our current classes, Culture and the Holocaust, has been offered for more than 10 years and is always filled with over 100 students. It is a team-taught, interdisciplinary class in which Carla Damiano, a professor of German in our Department of World Languages, and I talk about the long history of anti-Semitism, from the Book of Mathew, which suggests the notion that Jews are collectively responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, to the racial bigotry of the Nazi regime. Te great majority of students who take this class are non-Jewish.


Eastern: How does anti-Semitism manifest itself today? Do any courses cover Holocaust denial or don’t you dignify that with a response?


Shichtman: Anti-Semitism is a powerful force in today’s culture. One need not look very far to find conspiracy theorists of all stripes speculating about Jewish groups controlling nearly all facets of life—politics, the economy, the media. Te web is an especially fertile ground for anti-Semites, and they have worked very hard to make their ideas accessible. For this reason, it is important we in the academic community be especially vigilant, that we recognize as part of our responsibility to our students providing them with the truth. A number of our courses deal with anti-Semitism, and Professor Jack Kay, a member of our Department of Communications


and Teatre Arts, is an internationally recognized expert on hate groups.


Eastern: Last year, the campus newspaper published a controversial Ku Klux Klan cartoon intended to illustrate hypocrisy, but many found it offensive. You were part of a panel to start the healing process. What was your message?


“That’s what universities do. They challenge people.”


Shichtman: My message is that we can’t be blithe about symbols. Te swastika existed, probably as a sun symbol of some sort, long before the Tird Reich. But it is no longer innocent. It is now completely associated with Nazi Germany. Te same is true in the United States with the noose. For African- Americans, it has a specific meaning, and that meaning is always associated with KKK hangings. Because of the powerful nature of symbols, we need to be very careful when we deploy them. I think the panel went well. Students were passionate and asked difficult questions. Tat’s what universities do. Tey challenge people.


Eastern: Can a program like Jewish Studies objectively address the Arab-Israeli conflict?


Shichtman: EMU is fortunate to have faculty members from many sides of the political spectrum. Terefore, the minor in Jewish Studies will ask students to take courses that will challenge whatever preconceptions they might bring with them. Te conflict in the Middle East is brutally difficult to resolve because it is so tangled in history, culture, and religion. Our job, as educators, is to help our students understand the complexity of this conflict and to provide them with materials so that they can make important decisions for themselves.


Eastern: What is the ultimate goal?


Shichtman: EMU students come from many backgrounds. We have students who are Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, atheists—and many other faiths—and I want Jewish Studies to provide a gathering place. I want this program to build bridges and foster new understandings between Jews and others, to provide all the communities that comprise EMU with an open place for dialogue, for exchange. 3


Eastern | FALL 2011 11


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