With the birth of our son (Gavin), my wife and I decided to introduce Gavin to some Jewish traditions, and one of the people I turned to for advice on this matter was Jay Jacoby. Jay was then a professor in the English Department, and he and I had many conversations over the years. An expert on Jewish culture, Jay explained to me the significance of several of the major Jewish holidays. Like my father, I am not a religious man, but I took an interest in the stories that Jay told about these holidays.
Several current members of the English Department share Jay’s interest in Jewish literature and culture. Here are three examples. Jeffrey Leak is currently researching the connections between mid-twentieth-century African American poets and Rosey Poole, a Jewish scholar and editor who lived in Holland and Great Britain. Alan Rauch has taken an interest in graphic novels that deal with Jewish themes, and he will be teaching a course on this topic in the spring semester. Maya Socolovsky has written on Allegra Goodman’s most recent novel, The Cookbook Collector, which deals with contemporary Jewish-American culture.
The topic of cookbooks reminds me that Jewish holidays almost always have some sort of food connection. Apples dipped in honey is associated with Rosh Hashanah. In keeping with this culinary tradition, I will bring in some apple-honey tarts of my own invention tomorrow and set them out in the faculty/staff lounge. In the meantime, I wish you all a happy Jewish New Year.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is a date to keep in mind:
Quirky Quiz Question — In addition to teaching in the English Department, Jay Jacoby served as the interim chair for two departments. Can you name these departments?
