“Kehillah” is the Hebrew term for the organized Jewish community — a group with shared values, traditions and belonging. In Jewish civilization, community is a responsibility. At the University of Florida, the Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies upholds this through dedicated outreach efforts, actively contributing to the collective task of building relationships and creating a vibrant atmosphere of learning.
“We view ourselves as a public resource,” said the center’s Director Norman J.W. Goda, the Norman and Irma Braman Professor of Holocaust Studies. “A large part of our mission concerns public programming.” For over 50 years, the Shorstein Center has promoted the academic study of Jewish culture, history and politics at UF. But the center strives to reach a broader audience beyond the Gainesville area and even beyond the Jewish community. Its programs, meanwhile, are as diverse as the community itself.
The Shorstein Center is the lead sponsor of the longstanding Gainesville Jewish Film Festival, an annual event that brings Jewish-themed films to the entire community. Now in its 14th year, the festival features films from Israel, Europe and North and South America.
These films, which include comedies, dramas and documentaries, have appeal beyond the Jewish culture. They are based on themes that are truly eternal, from family relationships to severe trauma. As Goda put it, “We look for films that are artful, that bring viewers to pose difficult questions and which stick with the viewer. They are Jewish films that speak to all of us.”
The Shorstein Center also brings some of the world’s finest scholars. In early March, historian Jeremy Black, author of more than 100 books, spoke to a group at Pugh Hall on the Gainesville campus. The discussion focused on the need to keep the history and veracity of the Holocaust alive. The event was co-sponsored by the Shortstein Center and the Hamilton Center.
“The University of Florida is the flagship university in the state, and we have the leading Jewish studies program. We’re the only entity in the state of Florida that does what we do,” Goda said, highlighting that many Jewish organizations provide continuing education, but the center’s programs focus on current, research-driven topics of great importance.