Gratz College Insider
May 2017
In This Issue
Gratz College Gala
HONORING OUR LEGACY AND CHARTING A COURSE FOR THE FUTURE
Jeffrey B. Plevan Event

May 16 
Hilton City Avenue
6:00 PM

Honoring
Leon L. Levy
 
and celebrating
Dr. Saul Wachs 
and 
Joy W. Goldstein

Special Guest Speaker
David Makovsky

Lunch and Learn
Speaker:
Herbert Kaufman
Wednesday, May  24
12:15 - 1:45 pm
$15 by May 16
$18 from May 17 
Kramer Gallery
Marlene Adler: 
Past and 
Present Work
On view through 
May 21
Gallery Hours
Monday through Thursday, 9:00 - 5:00 
Friday, 9:00 - 3:00 
Sunday: Please call.
215-635-7300
Movies @ Gratz
Rescue in the Philippines
Sunday, June 4, 2017
4:00 pm
Co-sponsored by Gratz College and the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center (HAMEC).
F ree and open to the community. 
Register by calling 
HAMEC: 215-464-4701.
Gratz College CLE
Save the Date
August 9, 2017
at Gratz College
Contact: Mindy Cohen
Contact Us
Gratz College
7605 Old York Road
Melrose Park, PA 19027
215 635-7300
Dear Friends,

Spring is such a festive and exciting time of year for Gratz College, with our annual Jeffrey B. Plevan Gala, later followed by commencement ceremonies for the College and the Jewish Community High School. At the gala, we will be honoring philanthropist and longtime member of the Gratz College Board of Governors Leon Levy and celebrating Prof. Saul Wachs and former Gratz president Joy Goldstein.

In this issue of the Insider, we give you a taste of what you can expect from our gala speaker, David Makovsky, a distinguished expert on the Middle East. We also introduce you to an exciting new program being launched this summer: the doctorate in Education Leadership. In addition, Prof. Saul Wachs reflects on his 40-plus years at Gratz College, and Prof. Joseph Davis shares a family recipe for Shavuot.

I hope you enjoy the newsletter, and I look forward to seeing you at the gala on Tuesday.

Warmly,
 
Rabbi Erin Hirsh
Interim President

Middle East Expert David Makovsky Will Share His Insight at Gratz Gala
At the Gratz gala on May 16, our special guest speaker, David Makovsky, will discuss the situation in the Middle East, a topic that can make for somber conversation, given the intractable problems in the region. But Makovsky, the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute, offers some surprising reasons for optimism. 
Read more
Dr. Saul Wachs: Reflections on My Life at Gratz
There is something pure, clean and morally significant about working in education. For over four decades, I've had the privilege of doing this good work here at Gratz College, which has become my second home. Read more.
Gratz Launches Doctorate in Education Leadership
For over 120 years, Gratz College has been educating teachers. This summer, we will take that responsibility a step further with the launch of a new doctoral program: the Ed.D. in Education Leadership. The goal of this program is to provide our students with the skills they need to advance in their careers and to effect change in their institutions. Read more.
Student Spotlight on Jackie Kemper: Teaching the Holocaust
In a small Christian school in York, Pennsylvania, high school students have the option of taking an intensive course on World War II and the Holocaust, so intensive that they may receive college credit for it. Although their teacher, Gratz student Jackie Kemper, describes the subject matter as "horrific," she says, "I'm called to teach what I know." Read more.
Faculty Updates
Speaking engagements, a publication and an ELI Talk - some good news from Profs. Joseph Davis and Ruth Sandberg, as well as adjunct faculty member Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer. Read more.

Davis
Sandberg
Kaplan-Mayer
Meet the Board of Governors: Carl Goldstein
A leader in the Jewish community and former president of Philadelphia's oldest Jewish funeral home, Bennett Goldstein was a member of the Gratz College Board of Governors for 18 years. Last fall, his son Carl stepped up to continue his family's legacy of support for Jewish education by assuming his father's seat on the Gratz board. Read more.
The Gratz Gourmet
On May 30 to June 1, Jews will celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the event of God giving the Torah to the Hebrews at Mount Sinai. On this holiday, it is customary to eat dairy, which means cheesecake in Prof. Joseph Davis' house. For his wife Susan's famous cheesecake recipe, read more.