Theme of the Seminar

This seminar will engage in an interdisciplinary study and examination of the development and treatment of the Other in western society, particularly in relation to the Jew in the gentile world. We will follow the trajectory of Jewish Otherness both historically and philosophically using Rabbinic and Classic texts. In addition, to provide much needed context for our study we will compare and contrast these realities with other groups such as the early Christians, Cathars, Gypsies, Native Americans in colonial America and Muslims in contemporary Europe and America. The course will not only examine how the Other is created, defined and depicted by the majority and those who possess power, but how minorities and marginalized groups are complicit in the production of Otherness, and use their status as a means of survival in a hostile society. The course will also examine how Otherness has become, over time and most markedly in the past 100 years, a badge of honor and vehicle for recognition and entitlement.

What Former Students Have to Say

Ramaz
Senior Honors Inter-Disciplinary Seminar

My favorite aspect of the program was what it stood for: a relaxed yet academic environment where students and teachers could engage in meaningful discussions about Judaism and the outside world, and how the two interrelate. Gabrielle Agus '13 I gained so much cultural and worldly knowledge from this course that I would have not have otherwise known about. Many of the ideas I encountered in the program both from the trips and guest speakers, and the classes, I had never thought about, but am now motivated to continue studying about these topics. Andrew Bergman '13 I enjoyed the sense that no topic was deemed too controversial or off limits to be discussed or studied. I also felt that the small group created a warm and intimate environment where the students developed camaraderie around the course and better appreciated each other as thinkers. Emmanuel Cantor '13 The most intriguing aspect of this years program for me was most definitely the chance to learn about other religions and the connection and interplay with Jewish religion, thought and history. This class did a great job of introducing us to some aspects of other religions and the relationships between Judaism and those religions. Celine Ifrah '13

Ramaz Upper School

60 East 78th Street New York, NY 10024 ramazintegratedstudies.weebly.com

Core Faculty
Dr. Jon Jucovy, chair, History
department, coordinator of Hitlahavut Scholars Program

As part of our efforts to expand our horizons, we will have a series of extra-curricular trips and speakers. In the past we have gone to galleries, museums and met with both young and tenured academics. An example of some of these opportunities include:
Speakers: Maya Benton, ICP Adjunct Curator of "Roman Vishniac
Rediscovered"

R Dr Ilan Schimmel, chair,

Judaism department, Tanakh department

Trips: NYU Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW): "Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan" The Jewish Museum: "Crossing Borders: Manuscripts from the Bodleian Libraries" The Metropolitan Museum of Art: "Cultural Influences on Islamic Art" JTS Library Rare Book Room: "Christian Censorship and Jewish Self-Censorship" International Center for Photography (ICP): "Roman Vishniac Rediscovered"
To learn more about these experiences look at the blog from last year, at ramazintegratedstudies.weebly.com

R Yigal Sklarin, coordinator of Inter-Disciplinary Studies, Talmud department sklariny@ramaz.org

Professor Elisheva Carlebach, Salo Wittmayer Baron

Professor of Jewish history, culture and society at Columbia University

Professor Jane Gerber, professor of Jewish history and

The class will rotate between three primary teachers, Dr. Jucovy, R Dr Schimmel and R Sklarin. Each teacher will be teaching units that reflect their individual areas of expertise. Having three faculty members teach the course will allow us to integrate the different disciplines and to reinforce the inter-disciplinary model by emphasizing throughout the year how texts, artifacts, and images should and could be analyzed in multiple ways.
the director of the Institute for Sephardic Studies at City University of New York

Dr. Sarit Kattan Gribetz, PhD Princeton University Professor Michael Helfand, Associate Professor of
Law and Associate Director, Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies Pepperdine Law School

Rabbi Jerry Schwartzbard, Librarian for Special

Collections at the JTS Library

Mr. David Wachtel, Judaica Specialist at Sothebys