PROGRAMS

TRAVELS IN AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY

Travels in American Jewish History, a biennial program, is one of the AJA's most unique and popular study programs. Participants travel to American cities to study the region's Jewish history with outstanding scholars of the American Jewish experience. Travels programs have taken groups to Charleston, Albuquerque, Curaçao, Richmond, and Denver.

In June of 2011, the sixth biennial "Travels in American Jewish History" will convene in Savannah, Georgia. Participants will visit historic sites such as the Old Jewish Cemetery (dedicated in 1772), the historic district, city market, the cobblestone riverfront, and historic Congregation Mickve Israel, the third oldest Jewish congregation and only neo-Gothic Jewish sanctuary in the United States.

THE PROGRAM

The program will begin June 1, 2011 at 3:00 pm and conclude June 5, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

• Enjoy Shabbat dinner and services at Congregation Mickve Israel, one of the oldest congregations in America.
• Take a "Jewish" tour of Savannah stopping at a number of important Jewish sites including Jewish homes that are still in existence today.
• Visit sites around Savannah including homes from the Colonial and Victorian eras, Fort Pulaski -- from the Revolutionary and Civil War, and the Tybee Island Light House to discuss the unique role that Georgia played as one of the 13 original colonies.
• View the schedule of events. [PDF, updated 16 May 2011]
• View the pre-trip readings. [LARGE PDF, updated 12 May 2011]

Tour Prices

The tour price is $950 per person and based on double occupancy. (For single occupancy please add $300.) Price includes a four-night hotel stay, continental breakfast and lunch each day, three dinners and sightseeing. Transportation costs to and from Savannah are the responsibility of each individual.

Commuter Registration Fees

Fees, per person, for Savannah area daily commuters are listed below. These fees do not include housing accommodations, but do include all meals and tours.

Accommodations

Still rich in history and culture, the newly-renovated Hilton Savannah DeSoto Hotel is situated in the heart of Savannah's historic, dining, shopping, and theatre districts; just a short stroll to River Street and City Market. The DeSoto is surrounded by Savannah's beautiful landscaped squares, magnificent restored homes, and historic landmarks.

Meals

Included meals are "Kosher Style."

Cancellations

If you must cancel, please contact Lisa B. Frankel, The Marcus Center, at (513) 487-3218 or lfrankel@huc.edu. Cancellations received more than 30 days before May 21, 2011 entitle the registrant to a full refund less a $25 per person administrative fee. 75 percent of the total fee will be refunded for cancellations received 7–29 days before May 21. Cancellations received less than seven days before May 21 will result in the registrant forfeiting 50 percent of the total fee.

Registration

You may register online or through the mail [PDF].

For More Information

Lisa B. Frankel, Director of Programs, The Marcus Center, (513) 487-3218 or lfrankel@huc.edu.

FACULTY

Dr. Pamela S. Nadell

Pamela S. Nadell holds the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women's and Gender History and is Professor of History and Jewish Studies at American University. In 2007, she received AU's highest faculty award, the Scholar/Teacher of the year, and in 2010 she received the Lee Max Friedman Award from the American Jewish Historical Society for distinguished service to the profession. She is the author of Women Who Would Be Rabbis: A History of Women's Ordination, 1889-1985 (Beacon Press, 1998), which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a main selection of the Jewish Book Club, and Conservative Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook (1988). Her most recent book, co-edited with Jonathan D. Sarna and Lance Sussman is New Perspectives in American Jewish History (2010).

Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna

Jonathan Sarna is the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History and Director of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University. Dubbed one of America's fifty most influential American Jews by the Forward, Sarna was chief historian for the 350th commemoration of the American Jewish community, and is a leading commentator on American Jewish history, religion and life. Dr. Sarna attended Brandeis University, Boston Hebrew College, Merkaz HaRav Kook in Jerusalem, and Yale University, where he obtained his doctorate in 1979. From 1979-1990, Dr. Sarna taught at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, where he was Professor of American Jewish History and Director of the Center for the Study of the American Jewish Experience. He has also taught at Yale University, the University of Cincinnati, and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Dr. Sarna served two terms as chair of Department of Near Eastern & Judaic Studies at Brandeis, and now chairs the Academic Advisory and Editorial Board of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives. He also serves as chief historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. Dr. Sarna has written, edited, or co-edited more than twenty books, including the acclaimed American Judaism: A History. Winner of the Jewish Book Council's "Jewish Book of the Year Award" in 2004, it has been praised as being "the single best description of American Judaism during its 350 years on American soil."

Dr. Gary P. Zola

Gary Zola is Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and Professor of the American Jewish Experience at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Dr. Zola is a historian of American Jewry and a highly regarded expert on the development of American Reform Judaism. His published volumes include A Place of Our Own: The Rise of Reform Jewish Camping in America (co-edited with Michael M. Lorge and published by the University of Alabama Press, 2006); The Dynamics of American Jewish History: Jacob Rader Marcus's Essays on American Jewry (Brandeis University Press, 2004); Women Rabbis: Exploration and Celebration (HUC-JIR Alumni Press, 1996) and Isaac Harby of Charleston (the University of Alabama Press, 1994), a biographical study on the life of one of the founders of the first organized effort to reform Judaism in the United States. His scholarly articles have appeared in publications including American Jewish History, Journal of Reform Judaism, and Hebrew Union College Annual.