Scope and Contents Video recording of the Antisemitism at Davidson: Then and Now Panel Discussion, held March 14, 2019 in the Lilly Family Gallery of Chambers Building. Speakers included Professor Ronald Linden, Professor Ruth Ault, alum Joe Pearlman '79, and current student Caroline Black '20. The panelists were asked a series of questions regarding ways Jewish identity at Davidson has changed over time, as well as their experiences with antisemitism. Linden specifically discusses his experiences in 1977 when...

Scope and Contents Oral history interview and transcript with with Brian Bokor conducted on March 6, 2019. Brian Bokor recounts his experiences as Jewish student at Davidson and how it aligned with his experiences as a Jewish man living in the American South. He discusses his experiences as a student athlete and member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Davidson College. He talks about his interfaith relationship with his Catholic wife and discusses Jewish identity’s precarious position in current American...

Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Charles Horwitz, Davidson College class of 2008. In the interview, Horwitz discusses the cultural transition from Maryland, where he was raised in a strong Jewish community, to Davidson College where Christianity was more prominent. Horwitz explains how his Davidson experiences impacted his understanding of his own Jewish identity, discusses the founding of Hillel, references his experiences studying abroad in Germany and Israel as a Kelley Scholar, and emphasizes...

Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Cintra Pollack, Davidson College class of 1999. Pollack recounts her Jewish background and her experience as a Jewish student at Davidson College. She speaks of the isolation she often felt as one of the few Jewish students on campus. Pollack shares experiences ranging from writing an op-ed addressing Davidson’s exclusionary Board of Trustees policy, finding a Jewish community studying abroad in China, inklings of anti-semitism at local bars, and strengthening...

Scope and Contents Oral history interview and transcript with Frank Goldsmith '67 conducted on March 7, 2019. Frank Goldsmith ’67 reflects on his student years at Davidson, a period of time that preceded his eventual conversion to Judaism. Goldsmith speaks to how conservative a climate Davidson was in the mid-60s, the elimination of mandatory Vesper services, and the way the Religion department fostered critical inquiry about Christianity. A central figure in student activism at Davidson, Goldsmith also...

Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Hannah Joy Sachs, Davidson College class of 2016. Sachs discusses how her relationship with Judaism evolved both prior to and after Davidson College, the presence of Hillel and Interfaith Dinner Club events, building community with other Jewish students and other minority student organizations, the advocacy of Dr. Pegelow-Kaplan, working with local synagogues, experiences as an Asian Jewish student, and the mentorship of faculty and staff involved with her thesis...

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Oral history interview with Julia Miller, Davidson College class of 2011. In the interview Miller discusses being invited to participate in the STRIDE orientation program and how prior to that interaction she had not considered herself a minority student, her involvement with the student organization Hillel, the advocacy and support of Dr. Neil Lerner and Rabbi Shields, as well as how her personal understanding of Jewish identity evolved while at Davidson College.

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Oral history interview and transcript with Karl Plank conducted on April 9, 2019. Dr. Karl Plank recounts the evolution of the Religious Studies department since his hiring in the early 1980s, the types of students who have been attracted to courses that deal explicitly with Judaism, and his experience of being “read” as Jewish because of the courses he teaches.

Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Reverend Robert "Rob" Spach, Davidson College chaplain. The interview recording and transcript is split into two parts. In part 1, Reverend Spach speaks about his time as a student at Davidson. He talks about the Religious Studies Department in the early 1980s and the religious organizations on campus at the time including student-led groups and the college chaplain’s office. He goes on to describe coming back to Davidson as the College Chaplain in 1993 and his...

Scope and Contents Oral history interview and transcript with Ronald Linden conducted on March 15, 2019. Ron Linden describes applying for a professorial job at Davidson College in 1976. He speaks about the interview process and the discussion he had with College President Samuel Reid Spencer about Linden’s Jewish faith and how the Davidson bylaws only permitted Christian teachers. Linden recounts his surprise when he received a job offer that was subsequently rescinded and his shock when the incident made...