Photo by Chris Meyer
 “I have admired his erudition as I have been moved by his commitment to his devoted students and colleagues. . . . A man of vision and dedication, he has tirelessly worked on behalf of Memory.” —Elie Wiesel, 1986 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and University Professor and Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanties, Boston University |
Alvin Rosenfeld founded the IU Jewish Studies Program on the Bloomington campus in 1973, when such programs were rare in academia. Almost single-handedly, he raised the funds for academic positions and student scholarships to launch what would become recognized as one of the most outstanding Jewish studies programs in the country. In his 30 years as director of the Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program, Rosenfeld brought international acclaim to the university, along with a great measure of good will and tangible support.
Creating a program “from scratch” clearly required a bold and daring vision. “Nothing remotely like it had existed before,” said Aron Rodrique, Eva Chernov Lokey Professor in Jewish studies and director of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford University. “Most Jewish studies programs have followed in Alvin Rosenfeld’s vanguard footsteps, and, quite frankly, most have not been able to match his achievements.”
Rosenfeld’s professional activities are a testament to his dedication to the university and to the larger community. He has played a key role in developing IU Press into one of the leading academic publishers in Jewish studies, both as editor of its Jewish Literature and Culture Series, and as an adviser to other editors.
In addition to his skill at building such relationships benefiting the university, Rosenfeld has greatly enhanced the cultural life of IU and the Bloomington community. He has invited a stellar list of guest lecturers to the campus, including Primo Levi, Elie Weisel and this semester, World Trade Center architect Daniel Libeskind, among many others, and has organized countless art exhibitions, concerts and lectures. These efforts also extend well beyond Bloomington, in the form of educational outreach to other Indiana communities as well as through lectures delivered throughout the United States and Europe.
The service perhaps closest to Rosenfeld’s heart is his work in Holocaust education and commemoration. The impact of his work in
these areas is reflected in his presidential appointment to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
|
