Undergraduate conference on Judaic Studies at Princeton

CONFERENCE REPORT: Princeton hosts a first in Judaic studies. University undergrads gather to share ideas and research with peers (Ricki Heicklen, New Jersey Jewish News).

PRINCETON — When Ayelet Wenger heard about a conference for undergraduate classics students at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, her immediate thought was: “Why doesn’t such a thing exist in Judaic studies?”

The Princeton University junior from Columbus, Ohio, e-mailed religion professor Martha Himmelfarb to pitch the prospect of hosting such a conference, where undergraduate students would present original research in Judaic studies. The two met last March, Wenger told NJJN, and shared excitement at the idea.

Several months of planning later, the inaugural Undergraduate Judaic Studies Conference met on Feb. 14 in Princeton’s Fine Hall. Over 50 students from across the country and beyond came to hear 11 undergraduates present on topics ranging from Second Temple literature, to demonology of Nahmanides, to messianism and Israel’s disengagement from Gaza.

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Sounds like the conference was well-run (by the students themselves) and very successful.