Endowed Professorships

Preston R. Tisch Professor of Judaic Studies
The Tisch professorship was made possible by a gift from Preston R. Tisch of New York City. The current incumbent of the professorship is Zvi Gitelman, a political scientist whose work focuses on the Jews of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

William Haber Professor of Modern Jewish History
The Haber professorship, which is supported by endowment funds of the Frankel Center, honors the memory of a former dean of the College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts and a major figure in the rebuilding of European Jewry after World War II. The incumbent of the Haber professorship is Todd M. Endelman. Professor Endelman is also the Director of the Frankel Center.

Padnos Visiting Professor in Judaic Studies
The Padnos Visiting Professorship in Judaic Studies was made possible by an endowment from the Padnos family of Holland, Michigan. It enables the Center to invite a distinguished visiting faculty member to the Ann Arbor campus each year. Visitors are selected for their ability to provide courses that complement the offerings of the regular Michigan faculty. Recent incumbents have taught courses in Jewish mysticism, sociology, Italian Jewish history, history of Jewish art, Anglo-Jewish Literature, East European history and philosophy of religion. Eli Yassif, will be the 2003-2004 Padnos Professor.

Jean and Samuel Frankel Professor of Rabbinic Literature
The Frankel Professorship in Rabbinic Literature has been made possible by the generosity of Jean and Samuel Frankel. For several years, the Frankel Professorship served as a visiting position, bringing experts in Rabbinic literature and Talmudic law and lore to UofM. Effective Fall Term 2000, Yaron Eliav became the first (non-visiting) Frankel Assistant Professor of Rabbinic Literature.

Samuel Shetzer Endowed Chair in American Jewish Studies
The endowed chair in American Jewish Studies honors the memory of Samuel Shetzer, a great believer in Jewish education. Mr. Shetzer was born in Suwalki, Poland, and immigrated to Detroit, Michigan, in the early 1920s. He had an abiding interest in Jewish affairs. Julian A. Levinson is the first incumbent of the Shetzer Chair, as well as Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. Professor Levinson’s work focuses on American Jewish and English literatures.

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