The Center for the Study of Polish Jewry at Tel Aviv University’s School of Jewish Studies will in its next semester “teach the history and heritage of Polish Jewry and will make the results available to the public at large in Israel and abroad, and to the scholarly community in all universities,” it was announced here by Prof. Shlomo Simonsohn, director of the School of Jewish Studies.
Simonsohn, who along with Tel Aviv University president Yehiel Ben Zvi addressed 300 members of the World Federation of Polish Jews at a gala reception for Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, added that the Center “will also serve as an information center for those inquiring into theirs’ and their families’ past in the shtetl in the days gone by.”
Both Ben Zvi and Simonsohn told of the work of the School of Jewish Studies in documenting and researching 1,000 years of Jewish history in Poland. The school’s faculty members will be available to the Center for the purpose of teaching the history and heritage of Polish Jewry.
Eryk Spektor, chairman of the reception-dinner, announced the establishment of a major scholarship endowment fund in Polish Jewish studies by Milwaukee industrialist Larry Rochlin who was present at the event The goal of the fund is $5 million.
It was also announced that Singer will receive an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Tel Aviv University. Kalman Sultanik, president of the World Federation of Polish Jews which with the American Friends of Tel Aviv University sponsored the dinner, presented the World Federation Award to Singer.
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