Walking out of class this past spring, an ecstatic Anne Yearwood (C'08) phoned home.
"Mom this class is going to change my life," Yearwood said. "This is going to be the most amazing thing I've ever done."
Her enthusiasm arose in the course, "How Jews and Christians Invented the Bible," taught by two faculty members: Jacques Berlinerblau, visiting assistant professor of Jewish civilization, and Provost James O’Donnell, professor of classics.
"They were both so brilliant," Yearwood said. "Anytime you asked a question, even if you thought it was totally obscure, they could tell you everything -- they had every area covered."
No stranger to studying multiple subjects, Berlinerblau said the academic conversations that take place in the class rarely occur in typical Jewish-Christian discussions.
"It was so unrestricted by traditional scholarship or religious pieties," Berlinerblau said. Tackling the interdisciplinary expanse of two religious histories is the objective of the course, which is offered as part of the university's new certificate in Jewish civilization.
Distinctive Approach
A trained jazz musician, Berlinerblau began his scholarly career as an expert on the ancient Israelite votive offering system and ended up earning a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Judaic studies. He then discovered theoretical sociology and pursued a second Ph.D. in that subject, fascinated with learning about the way people understand the reasons behind their actions.
For students like Yearwood, having a professor with such broad intellectual interests is ideal.
"I'm a gender studies major and even though that's not his focus, if I asked him questions he could still tell me tons and tons of things," she said. "He helps to tie into whatever we were each individually studying."
After taking Berlinerblau's course, Yearwood decided to pursue a minor in Jewish studies.
"I do love studying theology, but in a very secular way, and I think he's exactly the same way," she said. "I find it most interesting in its cultural and historical context."
Launched in 2005, the certificate and minor in Jewish civilization are one of the newest additions to the four-year-old Program for Jewish Civilization (PJC), an academic endeavor that offers a multifaceted perspective on Judaism.
Robert Lieber, professor of government and international affairs and chair of the PJC’s executive committee, said the program fits Georgetown because of its cross-disciplinary appeal.
"There were people across many departments and discussion across the three campuses with interests in literature, the Bible, linguistics, history, philosophy, Diaspora, Israel, medicine, law and the Jewish religion," Lieber said. "In each case, their interests might intersect with other subjects."
From the beginning, the program was geared to look beyond theology alone. Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Harold White -- who trained under Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, founder of the reconstructionist movement that considers Judaism as an evolving civilization -- saw Georgetown as an ideal place for a program focused on people, religion, nationhood and culture.
"The most important part allows Jewish civilization to interact with other civilizations," White said. "This fits with Georgetown's emphasis on diversity -- cultural and civilizational diversity."
After establishing an executive committee of faculty members from the Main Campus, Law Center and Medical Center, the program received support from a group of 15 founding donors and became active in 2003 under the directorship of government professor Yossi Shain, who is now on sabbatical in Tel Aviv, Israel. The program has been growing ever since its launch -- hosting more events, adding the visiting professorship in Jewish civilization and offering courses ranging from "Literature of Exile" to a "History of Peacemaking in the Middle East" taught this semester by Ambassador Dennis Ross, a key negotiator in the Middle East peace process.
"It's not a religious studies program and it's not a program only focused on politics. ... Jewish civilization looks at the history of civilization," said Professor Angela Stent, director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies, which has co-sponsored events with PJC. "People got together to look at how can we encourage a cross-discussion, how can we make disparate pieces come together?"
Stepping into the directorship of the program this semester, Berlinerblau said the decision to lead PJC was easy after interacting with faculty and staff in the program and within the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Impressed with the center's team-orientated approach, he said, "There was a common vision that we were all after the same thing. ... There was a great atmosphere within the PJC and ... tremendous support from the administration."
Lieber said Berlinerblau is an enormous asset to the program because of his diverse scholarly interests.
"The peril of any discussion is the tendency to pursue it in a way so esoteric, it only engages a handful of specialists," Lieber said. "In his own teaching and writing and as director of the program, he connects sources to the study of Jewish civilization in such a way that it's of great interest to a wide range of students, faculty and the public."
With an eye toward the future, Berlinerblau said his goal for the program is to "look longitudinally across a 2,000-year period at what has happened in Jewish civilization."
Emphasizing the university's distinctive theological resources, location in Washington, D.C., and immense support of administrators, faculty, staff and students, he stressed that the interdisciplinary program can be "the" place for certain types of exploration of Jewish civilization.
"This is one of the most influential student bodies in the nation," Berlinerblau said. "It's important that they gain an appreciation for the taproots of civilization, the Jewish civilization, the Jewish equation and what are the Jewish possibilities."
