USF gets donation for Judaics library

A portion of the new Judaics library at USF The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation in New York City has donated $5,000 to create a Judaics reference library at the University of South Florida, Tampa campus.

“For us, this donation from the Littauer Foundation, creating this Judaics reference library, is a first step toward trying to reinvigorate an interest in Jewish studies and Jewish life,” said Cass Fisher, assistant professor of Religious Studies at USF.

The Religious Studies Department at USF was awarded the money last fall, but it took until the spring to receive the donation and acquire the books, Fisher said. Since the early 1900s, the Littauer Foundation has promoted Jewish Studies across the U.S. by funding various research and projects.

The $5,000 donation enabled the department to purchase more than 100 books including Hebrew bibles, Hebrew dictionaries for biblical Hebrew and rabbinic Hebrew, a Talmud and many collections of Midrash.

The idea of creating the reference library is to educate students on the canons of Jewish law as well as help students learn how to use these books to further their understanding of Judaism, Fisher said.

He also wants students to experience reading these valuable works of Judaism on the printed page, rather than online.

“It serves as teaching purposes for the students and for the faculty, so we are looking to build it further,” Fisher said.

To that end, USF this summer also received a large donation by Rabbi Leonard Azneer of St. Petersburg of his rabbinic library.

A variety of courses geared toward Judaism are offered in the Religious Studies Department, including Introduction to Judaism, Early Jewish Literature, Biblical Archaeology and Jewish Theology. Fisher estimated some 15 to 30 students enroll in each Jewish Studies course.

These classes can help earn students a degree in Religious Studies. However, students cannot earn a degree or certification specifically in Jewish Studies itself by taking these classes.

“By not having the certificate, the courses don’t count toward any degree so students are not inclined to take them,” said Fisher, who is also a Hillel board member. “I think we would have more enrollment, if courses actually counted towards a degree.”

Fisher believes that with more interest in Jewish Studies at USF by both students and the Jewish community, a certificate will be possible. To draw more interest, Fisher and a few other professors have been writing grants to create a lecture series.

“I think for Jewish Studies to grow at USF, there’s going to have to be community support,” said Fisher. Conversely, he believes that a strong USF Jewish Studies program can help unify the Jewish community in the Tampa Bay area.

For more information on the Jewish Studies program at USF, contact Professor Cass Fisher at 813-974-0445 or cass@usf.edu.