A new program in Jewish studies has been established at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the university announced Wednesday.
The program will be based in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and has funding from the Jewish Federation of Arkansas, a Little Rock-based organization.
Along with offering courses to UA students, the Jewish Studies Program will also host public lectures and other events.
“A Jewish Studies Program will enrich not only the intellectual and cultural life of the university, but also Jewish life in Arkansas, by raising awareness of Judaism and Jewish life here and thereby helping to attract those interested in Judaism and Jewish culture to Arkansas,” said Marianne Tettlebaum, director of the Jewish Federation of Arkansas, in a statement released by the university.
In the announcement, the university credited faculty members Jacob Adler and Jennifer Hoyer with researching grant funding for the program in its earliest stages. Hoyer, an associate professor in UA’s Department of Religious Studies, received the 2014 Tikkun Olam prize from the Jewish Federation of Arkansas for her work in Jewish studies.
— Jaime Adame