Goldman Visiting Professor in Israel Studies

SAN FRANCISCO, June 25, 2007 -- The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Visiting Professor in Israel Studies at San Francisco State University is made possible by $90,000 in support from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, and is intended to advance Israel studies on the campus and to encourage relationship-building between the campus and community. "This is a major step toward developing Israel studies as one of the emphases in the Jewish Studies Program's curriculum," said Fred Astren, professor and director of Jewish Studies at SF State. In addition to the Israeli democracy class introduced in spring 1998, the program added an Israeli Cinema class last year. "Israel studies is a natural component of the Jewish studies major and offers both a complement and counterweight to our strong offerings in Holocaust studies," Astren said.

Goldman Visiting Professors:

• Fall 2010 - Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Gideon Aran, expert in sociology of religion and Israeli society.
• Spring 2010 - Mandel Institute scholar Daniel Marom, expert in Israeli education, and the history and philosophy of Jewish and Zionist education in Israel and the United States.
• Fall 2007 - Spring 2009 Haifa University scholar Uri Bar-Joseph, expert in security studies and intelligence.

A $1 million gift to SF State from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund in 1997, at the time the largest donation in the University's history, established the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility, held by Mark Dollinger since 2002.