 "Photo: John Masco")
Gary Rendsburg, a renowned Jewish scholar, was inaugurated at Kirkpatrick Chapel yesterday afternoon as the Blanche and Irving Laurie Chair in Jewish History in the department of Jewish studies. He is the first to hold the position.
The ceremony featured introductory speeches by many members of the University administration, including President Richard L. McCormick, and was heralded by the speakers as a triumph for Jewish studies at the University.
A major contribution from the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, a philanthropic organization, established the Laurie chair, the first named professorship in the department, this fall.
"This is a very special day for Rutgers and for Bildner [Center for the Study of Jewish Life]" said Adelaide Zagoren, president of.the Laurie Foundation. She encouraged Rendsburg in "the awesome task of bringing Jewish history into perspective for new generations of students and faculty."
McCormick also praised Rendsburg's accomplishments, referring to the professor in his introductory speech as "one of our most distinguished academic colleagues."
Rendsburg brings to the University his expertise in Hebrew language and the Bible, as well as a curiosity for how the book functions to unlock pieces of Jewish history. "The biblical world is like a jigsaw puzzle," he said in a forthcoming article in the Bildner Center Newsletter. "We have to try to piece together the pieces we have - even if it's just a handful."
Before coming to Rutgers, Rendsburg taught Jewish studies at Cornell University for 18 years, during which time he authored five books, co-edited another five and authored more than 100 articles on various aspects of Jewish history, law and religion.
Speaking about his career and appointment as Laurie chair, Rendsburg fondly recounted numerous anecdotes from the course of his studies, each with a different point or thought about how he became and remains fascinated with Jewish history.
As he ended each story, he closed with the same phrase: "It is the journey of Jewish history, and what an enriching journey it is."
Perhaps what Rendsburg underscored as being most important about Jewish history was the meaning behind it.
He cited the Jewish culture, though not the first to record history, as the first to give meaning to history.
The journey of Jewish history, 3,200 years in the making, is one that never ends, Rendsburg said.
"And you have participated in Jewish history" he said to McCormick, Zagoren and members of the University community gathered to celebrate the event. "[You are] ensuring it will be taught in perpetuity."
Be the first to comment on this article!