EUGENE–The University of Oregon’s Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies has named prominent Judaic studies scholar Judith Baskin as director.

The UO program–the first degree granting Judaic studies program in Oregon–was established in 1999 with a $1.5 million gift from the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, founded by Portland philanthropists Harold, Arlene and Jordan Schnitzer.

Baskin comes to the UO from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, where she is credited with revitalizing the Judaic studies program during her 12-year tenure as chair.

"When I first came to Albany, the department was very weak and there was talk of dissolving it," she says. Baskin says that in working with her colleagues, they increased student enrollment in department programs.

"We redesigned the curriculum to make it attractive to students from many disciplines," she explained, "and secured private funds to pay for speakers and events and to cover the initial costs for a new tenure-track position."

"Under Professor Baskin’s leadership, Judaic studies at Oregon will gain a new prominence, enriching the experiences of many students here," says Joe Stone, dean of the UO College of Arts and Sciences. "The program is designed to be interdisciplinary and well-integrated with many other UO programs. We are extraordinarily pleased to have Professor Baskin bring to our campus the experience, leadership and vision needed to develop the program."

As a leader in the national Association for Jewish Studies, Baskin helped legitimize women’s contributions to Judaic studies. She is now vice president for the program. A researcher, who focuses on the study of women in rabbinic literature and Jewish women in the Middle Ages, Baskin has published several books. Her edited volume, "Jewish Women in Historical Perspective," now in its second edition, is widely used in university courses in North America and abroad.

Baskin says her primary goal at the UO is to develop innovative and substantive courses to reach a wide range of UO students. A second goal is to heighten the visibility of the UO program by scheduling nationally known speakers and by sponsoring conferences.

A third priority is to carry out the Schnitzers’ vision of a statewide consortium of Judaic studies programs among public and private universities in Oregon. In pursuit of that effort, Baskin participated this summer in a Judaic studies workshop at Willamette University in Salem, along with faculty members from the UO, Oregon State University, Portland State University, Reed College, Lewis and Clark College, Willamette University, University of Portland, Pacific University and Linfield College.

Baskin obtained her doctorate in medieval studies from Yale University in 1976. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Antioch College in 1971 and her master’s degree in medieval studies from Yale in 1972.

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