The Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program at the College of Charleston is the result of the vision and generosity of Henry and Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik, who began the program in 1984 to honor their parents; commitment to philanthropy and community involvement. The matching endowment from Norman and Gerry Sue Arnold in 1998 enabled the Program to significantly expand its offerings.
Jewish Studies at the College of Charleston is unique in its incorporation of Jewish student life, via Hillel, as an integral part of the Program. The College of Charleston currently has nearly eight hundred Jewish students and CofC Hillel is very active in arranging weekly Shabbat services, Wednesday meet-to-eats, and other events and celebrations to keep students interested in Judaism engaged and interacting with one another. For more on what CofC Hillel does, check out their website.
Jewish Studies at the College also emphasizes community outreach as a hallmark of its program. By sponsoring numerous events, lectures, discussions, and Sunday morning brunches that are open to the public, the Program serves as a bridge between town and gown, between the academic and broader South Carolina community. More recently, the Program assumed the last remaining programs of the Charleston Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Book and Jewish Film Festivals.
The Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik Jewish Studies Center, at the corner of Glebe and Wentworth Street, has been the home of the Program since October 2002. The Center houses the offices of faculty members of the Jewish Studies Program, CofC Hillel, and the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. It also offers Arnold Hall, a state-of-the-art meeting and conference room where educational and cultural programs are conducted, benefiting both students and the community-at-large. In January 2016, the Jewish Studies Center completed an expansion, doubling in size and including additional classroom space, offices, and Marty's Place, a dining hall offering Kosher, Vegan, and Vegetarian options.
We encourage all who are interested in the Jewish Studies Program to become a part of it, whether by matriculating as a full-time student, attending a community program, or auditing a course. Community participation has long been the lifeblood of the Program, and we have built our foundation on the contributions of a growing group of dedicated donors. To discuss giving opportunities, please contact Program Director, Dr. Yaron Ayalon at 843.953.7625 or via email.
Director, Jewish Studies Program
Associate Professor of Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
ayalony@cofc.edu, 843.953.7625
Associate Director, Jewish Studies Program
Director, Norman and Gerry Sue Arnold Center for Israel Studies
Associate Professor of Jewish Studies
shanesj@cofc.edu, 843.953.3929
Professor of Jewish Studies and English
cappelle@cofc.edu, 843.953.5874
Director, Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies
Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies
gibbsc@cofc.edu, 843.953.5156
Director, Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture
Assistant Professor, Jewish Studies
waltersa1@cofc.edu, 843.953.2036
Instructor of Hebrew
ayalonko@cofc.edu, 843.953.7585
Associate Director for Community Relations
ksbrowdy@cofc.edu, 843.953.4930
Director of Operations and Administrator for Jewish Studies
idelsohne@cofc.edu, 843.953.3918
Director, College of Charleston Hillel
kodnerj@cofc.edu, 843.953.2118
Engagement and Program Associate, College of Charleston Hillel
tigerer@cofc.edu, 843.953.3917
Professor, History
bodekr@cofc.edu, 843.953.8030
Associate Professor, Religious Studies
huddlestunj@cofc.edu, 843.953.4996
Assistant Professor, Biology
rhodesme@cofc.edu, 843.953.8087
Curator, Jewish Heritage Collection, emeritus
rosengartend@cofc.edu, 843.953.8028
Zucker/Goldberg Chair of Holocaust Studies, emeritus
Associate Professor, Art and Architectural History
stiefelb@cofc.edu, 843.953.3888
Founding Director of the Jewish Studies Program
The Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program has a Community Advisory Board which promotes the interests of the Jewish Studies Program and serves as a bridge to the larger community of Charleston, South Carolina, and beyond. Advisory Board members meet twice a year to review the Program and make suggestions about its future direction. Members of the Board also serve on various program committees.
Chairperson: Louis Tick, Charleston
Chair-elect: Scott Hellman, Charleston
Immediate Past chair: Robert Steinberg, Charleston
Yaron Ayalon, ex officio, Charleston
Tim Johnson, ex officio, Charleston
Gerry Sue Arnold, life member, Columbia
Sharyn Bluestein, Mt. Pleasant
Pam Kaplan, John’s Island
Phillis Mair, Charleston
Olga Mintzer, Sullivan’s Island
Arnold Nemirow, Mt. Pleasant
Erica Rabhan, Charleston
Jeffrey Rosenblum, Charleston
Rachel Kronick Rothbart, Los Angeles, CA
Mollie Selmanoff, Baltimore, MD
Regina Shapiro, life member, Atlanta, GA
Michael Sharnoff, Washington, DC
Michael Shemtov, Atlanta, GA
Loren Ziff, Sullivan's Island
Anita Zucker, Past-Chair & life member, Charleston
Norman and Gerry Sue Arnold
Edna Banov
Shera Lee Ellison Berlin and Children
Donald and Bobbi Bernstein
Stanley B. Farbstein
Stanley and Teddy Feldberg
The Goer Family
The Hirschman Family
Alan and Charlotte Kahn
The Stanley and Charlot Karesh Family
Harriet and Ben H. Keyserling
Jerry and Sue Kline
Nathan B. Kogan
Allan and Jeanne Lieberman
Rabbi Hirsch Zvi Levin
Allan L. and Carol A. Mysel
The Pearlstine Family
Harold and Esther Sherman
Louis and Phyllis Tanenbaum
Robert M. and Deborah C. Turkewitz
Henry and Sylvia Yaschik
Jerry and Anita G. Zucker
Erected in 2002, the Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik Jewish Studies Center is the center of Jewish activity at the College of Charleston. Located in the heart of the historic campus, the Center houses the administrative offices for the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program, a lounge and offices for the College of Charleston Hillel and the offices of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina, as well as offices for some of the professors that teach in the Jewish Studies Program. It also offers a state of the art conference room, the Rabbi Hirsch Levin Judaica Library, and Arnold Hall, a large all-purpose meeting room with an adjoining kitchen that accommodates events, lectures, and banquets. The third floor houses offices for the Program's three academic centers of excellence: The Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture, the Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies, and the Arnold Center for Israel Studies.
The original building was a three-story 12,000 square foot facility at the corner of Glebe and Wentworth Streets, immediately across the street from Grace Episcopal Church and one house down from the President’s House. It is the site formerly occupied by Peroclene Cleaners, a dry cleaning operation run by Jerold and Lilah Hirschman. The Center was designed by Rosenblum/Coe Architects and built by M.B. Kahn Construction.
The building is named after the late Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik, a kind woman of valor and a pillar of the Charleston Jewish community. Mother of three daughters and grandmother of six grandchildren, Sylvia was associated with most every Jewish organization in Charleston, often in a leadership capacity. The Jewish Studies Center is a fitting tribute to her well-lived life.
An addition to the Jewish Studies Center opened in January 2016, doubling the size of the building, including additional classroom space and Marty's Place, a College of Charleston dining hall offering kosher, vegan and vegetarian options. Under the supervision of the Kosher Commission of Charleston (KCC) and operated by Aramark, the dining hall accepts the student meal plan, dining dollars, as well as cash and credit transactions, and is open to the wider Charleston community for dine-in or take-out. Marty's Place is open August to May. Hours of operation vary. For more information, please consult the College of Charleston Dining Services website.
