Title:Gift supports the growth, impact of the Center for Jewish Civilization

A recent $3 million gift from the Alfred Taubman Foundation, on whose board William and Ellen Taubman (Parents’16) sit, will help expand the offerings provided by the Center for Jewish Civilization (CJC), housed within the Walsh School of Foreign Service. 

The gift provides $1.5 million for the Director’s Leadership Fund, with the remaining $1.5 million establishing the Taubman Family Fund for Student Experiential Learning. 

Thanks to a combination of current-use and endowed giving, the funds can be used right away for new initiatives, guest speakers, and adjunct professorships while at the same time strengthening the CJC in perpetuity.

“This generous gift from the Taubmans is critical in terms of our role at the School of Foreign Service and the university more broadly,” says Jonathan Lincoln, director of the CJC and Andrew Siegal Visiting Professor. “We are an important resource for the university on all subjects related to Jewish civilization, from culture, literature, and film, to Holocaust studies, Israeli society, Middle East politics, and the Hebrew language. 

“Given the country-wide and global-wide rise in anti-semitism, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and a host of other issues, it’s vital that we bring in the best experts, ” adds Lincoln.

Giving back to Georgetown

“Our son attended Georgetown for both undergraduate and graduate studies. He had a great experience and made great friends,” shares William Taubman. “Our family always wants to give back to the institutions that have been good to us so we began speaking with Bruce Hoffman, the previous CJC director, about what the center could do with more funding.”

Hoffman explained how the center wanted to offer more student experiences—not only for students who are minoring in Jewish Civilization but for all students at the university. 

“They have so many ideas,” says Taubman. “The center’s activities aren’t just for the Jewish students at the university; they are designed to help the whole university community understand and learn about Jewish culture in a way that’s more accessible.”

Serving the whole university

An interdisciplinary program, the CJC offers 20 to 25 courses each year with a reach of about 800 students, most of whom are not Jewish.  

Each year about 25 students opt to earn a minor in Jewish Civilization, writing thesis papers that range from “Interethnic Relationships in Israeli and Palestinian Literature” to “The Nazis on Our Streets: Neo-Nazi Offline Mobilization.”

Interested students can spend time working with faculty members at think tanks and organizations including the Council on Foreign Relations, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Middle East Institute, the American Enterprise Institute, and Moment magazine.

The CJC supports students in international fellowship and research experiences that push learning outside the classroom. In addition to fellowship opportunities available at the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, Poland, each year a few students participate in a special travel program to conduct on-the-ground research on The Holocaust by Bullets. Working with Father Patrick Desbois, Professor of the Practice of the Forensic Study of the Holocaust and founder of Yahad-in-Unum, students participate in Holocaust forensic processes and hear witness testimonies while visiting sites of atrocities that occurred eight decades ago.

“You can just imagine the emotions and the historical significance of these trips,” shares Lincoln. “They are unlike any other educational experience.”

The CJC also invites special guests to Georgetown. This fall, the CJC has hosted a series of book talks with CJC faculty as well as outside guests. A recent event focused on Welcoming the Stranger, a collection of essays by Ori Soltes and Rachel Stern discussing what the Abrahamic traditions teach us about welcoming people we don’t know. In October, CJC faculty member David Ebenbach spoke about his new novel, Possible Happiness, a coming-of-age story about developing the courage to face and understand yourself. The CJC also hosted a book talk and tasting with Naama Shefi, founder of the Jewish Food Society, on her cookbook The Jewish Holiday Table where listeners were able to try small bites from her cookbook while hearing about the global and historical influences that shape Jewish cuisine. 

In September, the CJC hosted a panel with several families of hostages held by Hamas. Student attendees were able to ask questions of the families, and Rabbi Ilana Zietman from Georgetown’s Office of Jewish Life delivered a closing prayer. 

In early October, the CJC hosted a talk with Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, who currently serves as the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. She is also a renowned historian and author, who was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in April 2024 and was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023. 

“It’s thanks to the generosity of donors like the Taubmans that we are able to provide these extraordinary opportunities—now and into the future,” adds Lincoln. “We are grateful and believe that our programs are a shining example of what can be offered at a Jesuit institution, or anywhere.” 

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