Dear Friends, 

With this newsletter arriving in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, our thoughts are with those still suffering the effects of her destructive fury. In response to this crisis, Gratz College student Gavy Alter initiated a fundraising campaign in partnership with the local Jewish organization, The Collaborative. On the Jewish Community High School level, students in a Jewish civics class are planning a hurricane relief drive.  

The articles below demonstrate Gratz community outreach of a different kind. One describes The Esther Tuzman Memorial Holocaust Teach-In held at Gratz this month, providing participants from around the Delaware Valley with a weighty program on the Holocaust and genocide. Another unveils the special collection of Russian Holocaust art open to the public in Gratz's Leona P. Kramer Gallery. And a third explains how Gratz professor Dr. Joseph Davis is using his expertise in Biblical interpretation on behalf of the broader community.

On a lighter note, this issue includes a review of the show Stars of David, currently in its last week at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Philly, as well as a new Insider feature: "The Gratz Gourmet," with a dessert recipe provided by Rabbi Gabbai. Enjoy!

Bruce Holberg and Arnold and Marty Tuzman

Gratz Presents The Esther Tuzman Memorial Holocaust Teach-In

"We are blessed to be here to carry the burden of the survivors," said Marty Tuzman in his introductory remarks to the event that bears his mother's name, The Esther Tuzman Memorial Holocaust Teach-In. At least 300 people attended this event at Gratz on Sunday, November 4th from all over the region, including New Jersey and Delaware, where only days before, Hurricane Sandy had released her wrath. For an overview of what took place during the Holocaust Teach-In, read more.

Professor Joseph Davis: Explaining the Bible and Beyond from A to Z

Were you ever curious about the Jewish view on cherubs, the Christian perspective on circumcision or Muslim commentary on dreams? What about how topics like these have been captured in music, film, art and literature? There is currently a work in progress that promises to provide information on all of these subjects and countless others. This massive work is called the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception--and it has some Gratz connections. For a small window into this big undertaking, read more.

Given the unfamiliar surroundings and the barrage of equally unfamiliar faces, starting a new job can be a stressful affair. But not so for Mike Blum. His new job has brought him back to a very familiar place. Blum graduated from Gratz College in 2006 with a master's in Jewish communal service--and six years later, he has returned as the new director of teen engagement at Gratz's Jewish Community High School. To follow his path to Gratz and back again, read more.

Stars of David Brings Perspectives on Jewish Identity to the Stage

What do such disparate personalities as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, fashion designer Kenneth Cole and actress Fran Drescher have in common? They are all successful American Jews--and they are all characters portrayed in the musical Stars of David, produced by the Philadelphia Theatre Company and premiering at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre through November 18th. A preview performance of this production was attended by Jodi Benjamin, our writer for The Gratz College Insider. Read her review of this show here.