Lauren Kerner
Class of 2017After graduating from UC Irvine in Spring 2017, I was working at a Jewish student organization at a major university. The events of that summer and fall, in particular the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville and the Las Vegas shooting, brought me to an inflection point. Alarmed by inflamed nationalism, racism, and anti-Semitism in the United States, I went on to earn a Master's degree at Oxford University in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, focusing on the history and international relations of the region, a subject area I had come to love in the History and Jewish Studies programs at the UC Irvine School of Humanities. During my time at Oxford, I watched the news of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting and family separations from across the Atlantic. I felt strongly about bringing change to our national leadership and immediately after graduation I began working as a field organizer in New Hampshire for Joe Biden's campaign, going on to work in South Carolina and Virginia during the Democratic Primary Elections and as the Regional Organizing Director in Broward County, Florida during the 2020 General Election. As I wait for my next chapter to begin, I am reminded of the extraordinary community at UC Irvine's School of Humanities, the History Department, the Humanities Honors Program, the Jewish Studies Program, and Professor Lehmann, all to whom I owe a great deal for believing in me as a young undergraduate and pushing me to explore, to care, to question, and to engage.
Deborah Lewis
When I transferred to UC Irvine two years ago, I knew along with majoring in English that I also wanted to minor in Jewish Studies. The program would not only fulfill my desire to learn Hebrew and to learn more about Judaism, but it also aided in the construction of my Honors thesis. Both the Jewish Studies program and the Humanities Honors Program enabled me to accomplish a goal that I have had since I was very young: to learn more about my family’s history.
When my journey began, the only knowledge I had of my great great grandmother was that she brought a locket with her when she immigrated to America and that she died very young leaving her husband to admit their four children into an orphanage. With the grants I was awarded for my project, I was able to research in the Philadelphia Jewish Archives at Temple University and interview my great Aunt Esther, the eldest member of my family. Both the archives and my great aunt’s memories revealed an orphanage she and her siblings grew up in, showing me the true heart of my paper. This orphanage, located in Philadelphia, was also known as America’s first Jewish orphanage founded in 1855 by Jewish philanthropist Rebecca Gratz. With the orphanage’s records and my aunt’s memories, I analyzed the ideals and the realities of institutional life and found that it was not as Dickensian as one would think. My paper sought to understand the orphanage’s place in the history of childcare during this time period, how it fit in American Jewish history, and how it was a reflection of the Jewish community of Philadelphia.
Esfir Mitelman
“I am currently in my final year finishing my degree in Psychology and Social Behavior with a minor in Jewish Studies. Following graduation, I hope to attend UCI’s School of Education to pursue my Master’s in Teaching and elementary credential. Being raised in a Jewish home and participating in numerous Jewish youth organizations in high school, including B’nai Birth Youth Organization, sparked my interest in pursuing a minor in Jewish Studies. Learning about my heritage through the Jewish Studies courses at UCI has brought me closer to my religion and has solidified my connection to the Jewish community.”
Lily Wagner
“Towards the end of my first year at UCI, I got involved with the Jewish community on campus. I’ve enjoyed being a part of Hillel, Chabad, Anteaters for Israel and the larger Jewish community that I have met through networking with these groups. I initially took a Jewish Studies course to fulfill my last general education requirement, but found myself both engaged and intrigued, and went on to take another course for my own learning. The two courses I took, Jewish Cultures and History of Antisemitism, were thought provoking. They challenged my own ideas about my heritage, encouraging me to explore both my own Judaism and culture as it related to my values and goals. I encourage everyone with an interest in history or religion to take a course offered by the Program in Jewish Studies. There is a breadth of knowledge to be discovered, and for myself, I found these classes to be a wonderful introduction onto this path.”
