Dear Friends and Supporters of Rice Jewish Studies,
The times continue to be difficult. The war in Israel, now in its 13th month, drags on and, instead of coming to an end with the release of the hostages and peace returning to the region, is widening to include fighting at Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Antisemitism is rampant everywhere, and antisemitic incidents remain at an all-time high, here in the United States and abroad. And student organizations, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, continue their relentless efforts to infiltrate U.S. college campuses and spread their hateful anti-Israel rhetoric.
In all of this, it can be difficult to remain hopeful. If we cannot talk to each other, how can we ever find peace? For me, it is helpful to distinguish between those things over which I have some control and those that are simply out of my hands.
In this edition of Branches, we have assembled the voices of some members of our community who work for the good. Three students, who have received Jewish studies fellowships this year, write about their adventures to Korea, Germany and Israel. Jay Zeidman ’11, who serves on Gov. Greg Abbott’s Texas Holocaust, Genocide and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, reflects on his work in Holocaust and antisemitism education. Mendel Kranz, the Samuel W. and Goldye Marian Spain Postdoctoral Fellow, is currently teaching Antisemitism and Islamophobia for our undergraduate students, the first class on antisemitism to be offered at Rice. I contribute an essay on my two months this summer as a visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. And Joe Pryzant, the president of the Jewish Studies Advisory Board, writes about what his Jewish identity means to him.
Our efforts to address the rise of antisemitism will continue in spring 2025. Particularly noteworthy are two conferences, both organized by our program, about two very different aspects of antisemitism. Daniel Cohen, the Samuel W. and Goldye Marian Spain Associate Professor of History, has put together an international conference, “Rethinking Anti-Antisemitism and Philosemitism,” which he and Mendel Kranz will be hosting Jan. 9–11, 2025, on campus. Then, Peter Hotez, dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and I are jointly organizing “Antiscience and Antisemitism: An Alarming Convergence,” a major conference to be held April 8–9, 2025, at the Holocaust Museum Houston. The conference, which will include a total of eight academic talks given by prominent scientists and historians of antisemitism, will be open to the general public at no charge, but participants have to register to attend in advance.
These and numerous other initiatives give me hope that something can be done. We at Rice are extremely fortunate to have a supportive university administration that understands how difficult the current situation is, especially for our Jewish students and faculty and the Israeli members of our Rice community. I continue to be grateful to Rice President Reginald DesRoches and Provost Amy Dittmar for their ongoing support of Rice’s Jewish Studies Program.
I look forward to seeing you at our many learning opportunities in the new year. It is my hope that the festival of Hanukkah will bring some light into our world. Chag urim sameach, a Happy Festival of Lights.
Matthias Henze
Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Biblical Studies
Director, Program in Jewish Studies
Distinguished Fellow, Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem