Dr. Manfred Weidhorn, Abraham S. and Irene Guterman Chair in English Literature at Yeshiva University, has recently published a series of works over this academic year. They include “Is There An Afterlife—For Imaginary Persons?” in Otoliths’ Winter 2010 issue, “The Fall of 1941: A Meditation on History,” in September 2010’s Historically Speaking, “When Hitler and Churchill Thought Alike,” in Autumn 2010’s Finest Hour, “Shakespeare and Milton as Dissidents” in October 2010’s Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, “Lubricous Meaning (s),” in April 2011’s Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, and “The Political Reaction to Modernity,” in June 2011’s Journal of the Historical Society. He also published “The Originalists and the Constitution,” in The New York Times on January 16, 2011, and “Testing the Limits of Religion” in The Bergen Record on March 13, 2011.

Peninnah Schram, professor of speech and drama at Stern College for Women, participated in Limmud Fest 2011 from August 25th-29th. Limmud Fest was held at Winchester’s Sparsholt College in England, attracting 700 participants from the British-Jewish community. Schram presented five sessions of storytelling and teachings about Jewish oral traditions for all ages.

Dr. Nancy Beckerman, professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, and Dr. Gary Stein, associate professor at Wurzweiler, have been selected for the 2011 Rose Dobrof Award for their article, “Lesbian and Gay Elders and Long-Term Care: Identifying the Unique Psychosocial Perspectives and Challenges.” The article discusses findings based on a study of two focus groups of 16 lesbian and gay elders in community and long-term care settings.  Expressed fears included fear of being rejected or neglected by healthcare providers, particularly personal care aides, fear of not being accepted and respected by other residents, fear of having to go back into the closet if placed in long-term care, and a preference for gay-friendly care. The Rose Dobrof Award is presented to authors of an article published in the Journal of Gerontological Social Work that is determined to have the strongest methodology, greatest innovation and the strongest application to gerontological social work practice and policy. The award will be presented at the 64th Annual Gerontological Society of America Meeting, which will be held in Boston from November 18-22. Stein is also a presenter at the conference.

Professor Peninnah Schram, of Stern College's Speech and Drama Department, attended the second NewCAJE conference for Jewish educators. This year, the conference was held at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC on July 31-August 4, 2011. Schram presented two sessions: "The Live Storytelling Experience: Joining In!", which focused on participatory storytelling, and "Becoming a Jewish Storyteller," which focused on the process of recalling early storytelling experiences and remembered stories, better understanding names and biblical verses, and selecting stories from which to learn and spread wisdom. She also presented a storytelling performance at the Opening Night program of the conference.