TORONTO, July 4, 2001 -- York University’s Centre for Jewish Studies and the Jewish Teacher Education Program in the Faculty of Education have been given a $500,000 boost thanks to the generosity of philanthropists Jack and Anne Weinbaum and their children Allan and Carol. The gift will establish "The Jack Weinbaum Family Endowment Fund in Support of Jewish Teacher Education".
The endowment fund will enable York to expand its Jewish Teacher Education Program -- the only program in North America whose graduates are certified in both Jewish and general education studies. It will allow the program to accommodate more students, increase activities and in-service projects, and promote further research in relevant aspects of Jewish education. The endowment fund will also assist with the program’s outreach activities in communities across Canada including the expansion of York’s partnership with the Western Canadian Coalition of Jewish Educators.
"This generous gift from the Weinbaum family will make possible important development in the Jewish Teacher Education Program which has already benefited from the strong founding support of individuals in the Jewish community, the Board of Jewish Education and the UJA Federation," said York University President Lorna R. Marsden.
Said Professor Michael Brown, director of York’s Centre for Jewish Studies, "The Weinbaums’ support of the Jewish Teacher Education Program stems from their commitment and dedication to traditional Jewish learning and to the vitality of the Jewish community. We are most appreciative that they recognize the role that York can play in strengthening the Jewish community and the importance of a strong university to serve the larger community in all of its parts."
York’s Jewish Teacher Education Program has achieved several milestones in its 20-year history. Recently, York was the first Canadian host for the annual conference of the Network for Research in Jewish Education held in June; earlier this year, the program was awarded a $150,000 grant by the Pincus Jewish Education Fund for the Diaspora to establish a ‘virtual’ professional development centre for Jewish day school teachers across Canada.
As part of a new initiative, ten York students will join students from Germany and Poland for three weeks in Europe this summer to explore issues in Holocaust and anti-racism education as part of a project called "Learning from the Past, Teaching for the Future". The project is intended to help them as future educators to develop curricular responses to racism and antisemitism.
York’s Jewish Teacher Education Program is a partnership of the Faculty of Education, the Centre for Jewish Studies and the Faculty of Arts in cooperation with the Toronto Board of Jewish Education.
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For more information, please contact:
Prof. Michael Brown
Centre for Jewish Studies
York University
416-736-5823
michaelb@yorku.ca
Prof. Alex Pomson
Faculty of Education
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 88762
apomson@edu.yorku.ca
Ken Turriff
Media Relations
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 22086
kturriff@yorku.ca
YU/084/01
