Taking the Helm

Patricia Rosenmeyer was named the Seymour and Carol Levin Distinguished Term Professor in Jewish Studies and director of the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies in fall 2022. Although her Ph.D. from Princeton University is in comparative literature, her new position is helping her explore a deeper understanding of Jewish history, culture and thought.

The Carolina Center for Jewish Studies celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2023. Rosenmeyer was quick to credit her predecessors, the late Jonathan M. Hess and Ruth von Bernuth, for creating such a solid foundation.

Recent events at the center have included topics as wide-ranging as Yiddish culture in Ukraine, Southern Jews and the Lost Cause, and Jewish perceptions of justice during and after the Holocaust. The center has hosted more than 200 events since its founding in 2003.

Rosenmeyer is particularly grateful for the fellowships and research grants for students that have been made possible through private support, including gifts made during the Campaign for Carolina.

Rosenmeyer’s professorship was established in 2010 by Seymour Levin ’48 and Carol Levin, providing her with support for directing the center.

“We really are keen on supporting the next generation of scholars, and they don’t have to be academic scholars,” said Rosenmeyer. “They can find a career that they love, and it doesn’t have to be teaching at the university level. But we want to give them the foundation and experience in Jewish studies that they can combine with whatever other interests they have.”

Read more about Rosenmeyer’s research…

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