Jewish Studies - Fairfield University

Fairfield University

The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University was founded in 1994 with an initial endowment of $1.5 million from Carl and Dorothy Bennett of Greenwich, Connecticut. The Bennett Center's goal is to provide Fairfield University students exposure to and contact with Jewish ideas, culture, and thinking. For example, the Bennett Center has brought several world-renowned lecturers to the University, including Nobel Prize-winner Elie Wiesel, Former Ambassador Dennis Ross, and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.

Fairfield University also began offering an academic minor in Judaic Studies within the Religion Department beginning in 1996. The major objective of the Program in Judaic Studies is to provide a variety of courses that will deepen students' knowledge and understanding of Jewish faith, history, and culture. It seeks to integrate Judaic Studies into the curriculum of the Fairfield College of Arts and Sciences and to offer programs and special events of interest to the University community and to audiences drawn from the Fairfield County, Connecticut community.

Since their inception, Dr. Ellen Umansky has served as both the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies and the Director of the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center.