The department of Jewish studies at Tulane University in New Orleans received an anonymous $2 million gift that will be used to establish a chair for the Contemporary Jewish Life Endowed Fund, the university announced on Monday.
The money will be put towards the salary and other expenses associated with the chair’s academic work. That designated person will participate in the Stuart and Suzanne Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience, which opens July 1.
“We are honored to be able to endow Tulane’s chair in contemporary Jewish studies,” said the donors, parents of a recent Tulane graduate. “It embodies Jewish and universal values so important to the humanities in shaping and inspiring the future.”
“With Tulane’s interdisciplinary approach to education, it will not only make Tulane a leader in the field, but will also serve as a model for national and international collaboration,” they added.
Brian Edwards, dean of the School of Liberal Arts, where the department of Jewish studies is located, added: “By enhancing scholarship and teaching on the diversity of the American Jewish experience, we are committed to combating anti-Semitism through knowledge—a vision we share with these donors.”