The Jewish Studies Program would like to congratulate our 2015 graduates!
Although Northeastern does not offer a stand-alone major in Jewish Studies, Anna Meyers, a former Ruderman Scholar in Jewish Studies, took the initiative to propose an Independent Major in Jewish Studies, organized around the three subfields of Jewish art and culture, Jewish history, and Israel Studies. Her capstone project brought these three areas together in an in-depth exploration of Holocaust memory and memorialization in 1950s Israel. Following her graduation, Anna will work full time as Director of Jewish Student Life at Northeastern University Hillel, a position she has held part-time for the past semester.
Theresa Burnham, a Biology major and Jewish Studies minor, completed a fascinating capstone project on eco-kashrut. Bringing together her passion for the environment and her interest in Judaism, she researched the growing movement to broaden the concept of kashrut to include environmental and social justice concerns. Theresa presented her thought-provoking findings to the Northeastern University Hillel and hopes to share them with other Jewish institutions as well.
Jenny Travis, a Communications Studies major and Jewish Studies minor, linked her interest in fashion with her interest in Jewish women’s studies in a capstone project on modest fashion for observant Jewish woman. After researching the both the halakhah (Jewish law) and contemporary issues relating to rules of modesty, she created an online “lookbook” on Pinterest that features a variety of fashionable clothing that meets the requirements of tzniut (modesty) and a Facebook community page on “Modest Fashion for Jewish Women.” Like her page and join the discussion!
Kelly Ganon, a Sociology major, and Izzy Haar, a Finance major, both completed their studies in December 2014. Interested in a career in law, Kelly completed a capstone project comparing halakhic [Jewish legal] perspectives on capital punishment with American legal principles. Izzy’s project compared contemporary literary analysis of the bible with Orthodox understandings of the bible’s origins and meanings.
Congratulations to all our fabulous students!
