Gilya Schmidt

See Also: Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies | Curriculum Vitae

Education

• Ph.D.in Comparative Religion, concentration in Judaism. University of Pittsburgh, 1991
  Mellon Pre-Doctoral Fellow 1985-86.
• M.A., Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Pittsburgh, 1985
• B.A., Liberal Arts, summa cum laude, University of Pittsburgh, 1983.
  Chancellor's Scholar and University Scholar.

Areas of Concentration

• Modern Western and Central European Jewry
• East European Jewry
• Zionism
• Holocaust
• Israel
• European Intellectual History
• Women's Studies
• Multiculturalism

Dissertation Topic

• From Turmoil to Unity: Martin Buber's Efforts Towards a New Concept of Jewish Community 1897-1915.

Honors and Awards

• 2009-11 -- President-elect of Heska Amuna Synagogue (two-year term)
• 2009-12 -- American Academy of Religion: International Connections Committee
• 2009-11 -- Serving a two year term on the Curriculum Committee of Leadership Knoxville
• 2008-11 -- American Academy of Religion: Holocaust, Religion, and Genocide Group Steering
  Committee, member.
• 2008-11 -- Commissioner, Tennessee Holocaust Commission, reappointed for 5th term.
• 2008 -- YWCA's Woman of the Year Award in the Phyllis Wheatley Humanitarian category
• 2008 -- Leadership Knoxville class of 2009.
• 2008 -- UT Research Seminar on Modern Germany and Central Europe, funded by College of
  Arts and Sciences, core faculty member (second renewal).
• 2008 -- SARIF Travel Grant to China.
  YWCA Tribute to Women: Phyllis Wheatley Memorial Humanitarian Award.
• 2007-08 -- UT Research Seminar on Modern Germany and Central Europe, funded by College of Arts and Sciences, core faculty member (renewal).
• 2007 -- SARIF Travel Grant to China.
  Conference/seminar on teaching the Holocaust in China, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China (July), invited participant.
  Semester-long research leave in Israel and Germany.
  Introduction Knoxville class of 2007.
• 2006-07 -- UT Research Seminar on Modern Germany and Central Europe, funded by College of Arts and Sciences Humanities Initiative.
• 2006 -- Summer research in Germany.
  UT lecture series on Modern Germany, funded by College of Arts and Sciences
  Humanities Initiative, core faculty member, spring 2006.
• 2005 -- UT SARIF Travel Grant to Japan.
• 2002 -- Semester-long research leave in Israel and Germany.
• 1999 -- Semester-long research leave in Germany.
  UT Faculty Research Award for research in Germany.
• 1998 -- National Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award, University of Tennessee.
• 1997 -- UT Faculty Development Award for travel to conference in Germany in 1998.
• 1996 Seven-month research leave in Israel.
  International Theology Conference at the Hartman Peace Institute, Jerusalem.
• 1995 -- Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council Outstanding Faculty Award.
  UT Faculty Development Award for research in Israel, Jan.-Aug. '96.
• 1994 -- UT Faculty Development Award for study/research in Israel, May-Aug. '94.
• 1993 -- NEH grant for summer seminar on Zionism at Columbia University, New York, NY.
• l99l-02 -- Post-Doctoral Fellowship Judaic Studies, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
• 1988 -- University of Pittsburgh Israel Heritage Room Nationality Rooms Scholarship for
  dissertation research at Buber Archives, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
• l985-86 -- Mellon Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
• l984 -- UCIS Research Grant, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
• l984 -- "Apple-for-the-Teacher" Award, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
• l982 -- University of Pittsburgh Honors Program Edythe Portz Prize for essay, "Hope for the
  Twenty-First Century."
• l98l-83 -- Chancellor’s Scholar, University Scholar.

Academic Positions

• 2008 -- Adjunct Faculty, German Program, Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Tennessee.
• 2008 (July) Visiting Professor, Institute of Jewish Studies, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
• 2002 -- Head, Department of Religious Studies, The University of Tennessee Knoxville; and Director, The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies, The University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
• 2001-2002 -- Associate Head, Department of Religious Studies; and Director, The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies, The University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
• 1999 -- Professor of Religious Studies, Department of Religious Studies; and Director, The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies, The University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
• 1999 (Summer) -- Visiting Professor, North America Program, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
• 1995-1999 -- Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Department of Religious Studies; and Director, The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.
• 1993-1995 -- Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Department of Religious Studies; and
  Director, The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.
  --  Courses taught: World Religions in Comparison, Introduction to Judaism, Contemporary Jewish Thinkers (Emancipation and Beyond/History of Zionism), Voices of the Holocaust, Modern Jewish Thought (Modern Israel), Women in Judaism.
• 1993 -- Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies in Department of Religious Studies, The
  University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
• 1992-93 -- Research Associate and Instructor, Department of Religious Studies,The
  University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
  --  Course taught: Introduction to Religious Studies.
• 1991-92 -- Post-doctoral Fellow, Judaic Studies, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa,
  AL.
  --  Courses taught: History of Zionism; Feminism and Womanism in the Religious Experience, and Martin Buber in the German Jewish Cultural Context.
• 1991-93 -- Director, B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa,
  AL

Publications

Monographs

• 2009 -- Author. Completing monograph, “Suezza – No Grazing Land for Jews.” This is a booklength chronicle of Jewish life in Süssen, Germany, and a close look at the two Jewish
  families who were living and working there. While there is a history of the Jews of
  Württemberg and Göppingen, to whose community these families belonged, the history
  of the Lang and Ottenheimer families has not been written before, they had barely been
  mentioned in the post-Holocaust writings when I began my work. This micro-history is a
  contribution to the study of Landjudentum in southern Germany. The research for this
  project was conducted in collaboration with Werner Runschke, Stadtarchivar, Süssen,
  Germany. Other archival sources were provided by the Göppingen City Archive, the
  Göppingen District Archive, the Hauptstaatsarchiv in Stuttgart, the Landesarchiv in
  Ludwigsburg, Germany, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, and the United States Holocaust
  Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Oral history interviews were conducted in
  Newton, N.J., Saranac Lake, N.Y., and Havana, Cuba. Major financial support since
  1999 was contributed by the Graduate Office (January-March 1999), the Fern and
  Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies, the Department of Religious Studies, and
  the College of Arts and Sciences (1999, 2002, 2006, 2007), at the University of
  Tennessee.
• 2005  --  Editor and contributor.  Mira Kimmelman, author.  Life Beyond the Holocaust – Memories and Realities.  In addition to editing author’s text, I contributed a historical introduction and Holocaust time line to the book.  UT Press, Knoxville, TN. 
• 2003  --  "The Art and Artists of the Fifth Zionist Congress: Heralds of a New Age." A book on the first all-Jewish art exhibition at the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1901. The exhibition was organized by Martin Buber and friends. This study explores the lives and works of 11 artists who contributed 48 works of art to the exhibition. Images of all recovered art work included. Syracuse University Press.
• 2001  --  Editor, translator and author. Letters on the Occasion of the Political Theological Task and the Sendschreiben (Open Letter) of Jewish Heads of Households by [Friedrich Schleiermacher] Translation of six open letters from 1799, and extensive introductory essay. Edwin Mellen Press.
• 2000  --  Translator. Ninety-Two Poems and Hymns of Yehuda Halevi. Translation of 92 poems from German and Hebrew, as well as introductory essay to poems. Richard A. Cohen, University of North Carolina, editor. SUNY Press.
• 1999  --  Editor and translator, The First Buber: The Youthful Zionist Writings of Martin Buber. This book was authorized by the Buber estate. It includes 42 articles and poems by Martin Buber as well as an introductory essay by me on the significance of cultural Zionism to Jewish individual and national rebirth. Syracuse University Press.
  -- Editor of Avraham Shapira book, Hope for Our Time: Key Trends in the Thought of Martin Buber. SUNY Press. Comprehensive study of Buber's thought patterns with exhaustive bibliography including works by and on Buber in Hebrew. Took charge of final editing and production process, including reading galleys and creating index.
• 1998  --  Editor and translator. National Socialism and Gypsies in Austria, by Erika Thurner. --  Translated and expanded this book in German by Austrian author Erika Thurner on the fate of the Austrian Gypsies in the Holocaust. English version includes revisions, update, expansion and pictures, new introductions, and a foreword by Dr. Michael Berenbaum, Shoah Foundation. The University of Alabama Press. Received 1999 Choice Award.
• 1995  --  Martin Buber's Formative Years: From German Culture to Jewish Renewal 1898-1909, The University of Alabama Press Judaica series. Study examines Buber's development from his student days to the conclusion of his Hasidic studies.
• 1992  --  Dissertation in bookform, From Turmoil to Unity: Martin Buber's Efforts Towards a New Type of Jewish Community l897-1915, UMI, Ann Arbor, MI, 1991.
• 1991  --  Dissertation, UMI microfilm
  

Articles

• 2008 -- Invited article on Teaching Judaism and the Holocaust in China for Points East, March 2008.
  
  Invited Preface to Robert Heller book, “Living On: Portraits of Tennessee Survivors and Liberators.” A project of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, published by the University of Tennessee Press, May 2008.
  
  
• 2007  --  Invited entry on “Awe” for Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions, Yudit Kornberg Greenberg, ed.  Vol. 1: A-I, ABC/CLIO, Santa  Barbara/Denver; Oxford, England, 2008, pp. 64-66.
  
  Invited catalogue section on Judaism for Sacred Beauty art exhibition catalogue for Marco Semester, McClung Museum, University of Tennesee, fall 2007.
  
  
• 2006  --  “Richard Bernstein on the Jewish Question,” invited paper for 2000 annual conference of Highlands Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought (HIARPT).  Published in The Pragmatic Century.  Conversations with Richard J. Bernstein.  Sheila Greeve Davaney and Warren G. Frisina, eds.  Binghamton, NY: SUNY Press, 135-152.
  
  Book review on Hugh Nissenson’s The Days of Awe.  Soundings 2006.
  
  
• 2005  --  Introductory essay on Jewish refugee situation after the Holocaust for Mira Kimmelman’s new book, Life Beyond the Holocaust – Memories and Realities (see “Monographs.”)
  
  Holocaust Timeline for Kimmelman book (see “Monographs.”)
  
  
• 2004  --  “Die anderen Suessener.”  In collaboration with Werner Runschke.  Article on two Jewish families in Suessen, Germany, based on archival research conducted in Germany since 1999.  In Hohenstaufen/Helfenstein.  Historisches Jahrbuch fuer den Kreis Goeppingen, Volume 13, 2003,157-96.
  
  
• 2003  --  Book review of Asher D. Biemann, ed., "The Martin Buber Reader." Forthcoming in "Soundings."
  
  “Rich Seeds We Must Sow....If Only a Few Will Take.”  Invited Festschrift contribution for Professor John Neubauer, University of Amsterdam.  Arcadia Band 38, Heft 2.  Berlin/New York: De Gruyter, 2003.
  
  
• 2001  --  Multiculturalism--A Bridge Over Troubled Waters," in Festschrift for Professor Lothar Hönnighausen, Director, North America Program, University of Bonn.
  
  Extensive historical introductory essay for Friedrich Schleiermacher’s Letters on the Occasion of the Political Theological Task and the Sendschreiben (Open Letter) of Jewish Heads of Households (see “Monographs.”)
  
  
• 2000  --  Solicited book review of Diane Ashton's Rebecca Gratzfor Soundings (Spring, 2000) LXXXIII, No. 1:256-61.
  
  "The Absolute and the Relative Life in the Thought of Martin Buber," in Shofar (Winter 2000) 18;2:18-26.
  
  Introductory essay to my Yehuda Halevi/Franz Rosenzweig poem translation in Richard A. Cohen, ed., Ninety-Two Poems and Hymns of Yehuda Halevi (see “Monographs.”)
  
  
• 1999  --  Solicited book review of Rachel Feldhay Brenner's Writing as Resistance, Four Women Confronting the Holocaust (1997), in JAAR (June 1999) 67;2:479-81.
  
  Introductory essay on cultural Zionism for The First Buber” The Youthful Zionist Writings of Martin Buber (see “Monographs.”)
  
  
• 1997  --  "German Romanticism, Schleiermacher, and Martin Buber's Idea of Jewish Renewal," in Neue Athenäum, Vol. V, Edwin Mellen Press. This article includes two unpublished Buber manuscripts.
  
  
• 1996  --  "The Soul, God, and Zion in the Poetry of Yehuda Halevi," in Mystics Quarterly (December 1996) Vol. XXII:4.
  
  "Theology and Worship in 19th Century Judaism," in Nineteenth Century Theology Group Working Papers, American Academy of Religion.
  
  
• 1995  --  "Devekut Through the Ages: A Socio-Historical Analysis of the Concept, 'Cleaving to God' from the Biblical Ezekiel to 18th Century Polish Hasidism," in Mystics Quarterly (December 1995) Vol. XXI:4.
  
  Solicited review of Steven Katz's Historicism, the Holocaust, and Zionism: Critical Studies in Modern Jewish Thought and History in The Jewish Quarterly Review, LXXXVI, Nos. 1-2 (July-October, 1995), 221-224.
  
  "Nietzsche's Zarathustra and Martin Buber's Conception of the Jewish Renaissance," in Nineteenth Century Theology Group Working Papers, American Academy of Religion.
  
  
• 1992  --  Review essay of Amy Colin's Paul Celan, in Modern Judaism 12, 299-302.
  
  "Martin Buber's Perception of the Religious and Ethnic Components of German Turn-of-the-Century Jewry," in Jewish Assimilation, Acculturation and Accommodation: Past Traditions, Current Issues and Future Prospects, l27-l40.
  
  
• 1989  --  "Schäferei am Ohio," in Suevica, Band V, Hans-Dieter Heinz Akademischer Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, l3l-l50.
  
  
• 1988  --  "Leonhard Ragaz as a Christian Socialist: From Dogma to Ethics," in Nineteenth Century Theology Group Working Papers, American Academy of Religion.
  
  
• 1986  --  "Harmonist Poetry Provides Glimpse Into Sacred Communal Life," in Yearbook of German-American Studies, Vol. 2l, 75-96.
  
  
• 1982  --  "Hope for the Twenty-First Century," in The Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review, Vol. III, No. l, Fall '82, 38-72. Received Edythe Portz Prize.
  
  
• 1981  --  "There Is No Permanence -- Odysseus and Gilgamesh," in The Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review, Vol. II, No. l, Fall '8l, l-25.
  

Work in Progress

1. Major research project on Landjudentum is underway since 1999. Three different book publications are envisioned over time.
   1. A book-length chronicle of Jewish life in Süssen, Germany, is nearing completion (see
      “Monographs”).
   2. A second book on Landjudentum, including family histories, cemeteries, and former Jewish buildings from about twenty Swabian villages and towns. During the 2002 research trip, I visited some of these sites and subsequently photographed all of the Jewish cemeteries and surviving buildings that used to be owned by German Jews. Yet to be collected are pictures and stories of some of the families and people who lived there. This will require additional inquiries and research trips in the near future. To date I have taken about 3,000 photographs and collected all of the available writings on these communities. Additional holdings are in the Leo Baeck Institute in New York, Yad Vashem, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Staatsarchiv in Ludwigsburg.
   3. A coffee-table book with selected photographs of tombstones, buildings, and people with short German-English bilingual text on facing page.
2. Monograph of Cantor Mordecai Gustav Heiser, Berlin/Pittsburgh. In 1995, I completed a memorial recording and short biography of Cantor Heiser. This is an extensive study of his life in Jewish Berlin before World War II as well as the continuation of his life and work in Pittsburgh. This study is significant for Cantor Heiser's contribution to Jewish sacred music (hazzanut). Some family research carried out in Berlin in 1999, and Pittsburgh 2004. Preliminary liturgical studies carried out in Israel February-April, 2002 and April, 2007. The final project will also include a CD with selections from Cantor Heiser’s music.

Future Research Projects

• Additional articles on Jewish art and artists are planned, in German and English.
• More articles on cultural Zionism are planned.
• Article(s) on Suessen research and Landjudentum in German and English are planned.
• Translator and editor of unpublished Buber manuscripts as well as several collections from the early chaluzim (pioneers) in the land of Israel.

Scholarly Papers

• 2009 “  -- Friend or Foe: A Tale of One Family’s Journey into the Holocaust,” SECSOR.
  --  “Return to the Black Forest,” Performance with Marilyn Kallet and Mimi Schwartz, Association of Writers and Writing Programs.
• 2008  --  “Suessen is Now Free of Jews,” dramatic reading of Nazi persecution during the Holocuast, International Humanities and Arts Conference.
  --  Paper for Holocaust and Genocide Group, American Academy of Religion, on the challenges of teaching the Holocaust.
  --  “O du mein kleines Dorf.” Paper on Jewish settlement patterns in rural German communities for German Studies Association.
• 2007  -- Panel on “Living On” exhibition in Knoxville, TN, summer and fall 2006, for Holocaust and Genocide Group, American Academy of Religion.
  --  “Oh Little Village Mine.  ”Paper on Jewish settlement patterns in rural German communities for International Humanities and Arts Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii.
• 2006  -- “The Concept of ‘Israel’ in Martin Buber’s Mind and Life,” Association for Jewish Studies.
  -- “The Influence of Local German Customs on Jewish Life in Southern Germany ,“ SECSOR.
  -- “Culture is Not a One-Way Street: The Contribution of Local German Customs to Jewish Life in Southern Germany,” International Humanities and Arts Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii.
• 2005  -- “Medinat Schwaben or The Localization of Judaism in Southern Germany,” International Association for the History of Religions,” Tokyo, Japan.
  -- “From Rags to Riches: Structural Evidence of Rural Jewish Life in Southern Germany,” SECSOR, Winston-Salem, NC.
  “Martin Buber’s Life on the Narrow Ridge,” AJS, Washington, DC.
• 2004  -- “Regional Peculiarities of Swabian Synagogues,” SECSOR, Atlanta.
  -- “Rural Jewish Life in Nineteenth Century and Early Twentieth Century Swabia.”  International Humanities and Arts Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii.
• 2003  -- “Images from the ‘House of the Living’ in Southern Germany,” SECSOR, Chattanooga.
• 2001  --  "From Cattle-Dealing to Riga: A German Jewish Family Before and During the Holocaust," SECSOR, Charlotte.
  -- "The Evolution of a New Category of Jewish Scholarship--Landjudentum." for AJS, Washington, DC.
• 2000  --  "The Recovery of Small-Town German Jewish LifeAn Example," for AJS, Boston.
  -- "Martin Buber's Ecstatic Confessions Revisited," for IAHR Congress, Durban, S. A.
  -- "Richard Bernstein on the Jewish Question," for HIARPT, Highlands, NC.
  -- Paper on Jews in Germany today for SECSOR, Atlanta.
• 1998  --  "The Appropriation of Biblical Images for Modern Jewish Art," Association for Jewish Studies, Boston, MA.
  -- "Multiculturalism--A Bridge Over Troubled Waters," Highlands Institute for American Religion (HIART), Bad Boll, Germany (funded).
  -- "Not by the Word Alone," South East Commission for the Study of Religion (SECSOR), Knoxville, TN.
• 1997  --  "The Significance of Jewish Visual Art in Jewish Spiritual Renewal," American Academy of Religion, San Francisco, CA.
  -- "Hermann Struck--Artist and Diplomat," AJS, Boston, MA.
  -- "Busy Hands for Jewish Spiritual Renewal in the Visual Arts, SECSOR, Macon, GA.
• 1996  --  "Theology and Worship in 19th Century Judaism," AAR, New Orleans, LA.
  -- "The Absolute and Relative Life in Martin Buber's Thought," AJS, Boston, MA.
• 1995  --  "Nietzsche's Zarathustra and Martin Buber's Conception of the Jewish Renaissance," Nineteenth Century Theology Group, AAR, Philadelphia, PA.
  -- "The Soul, God, and Zion in the Poetry of Yehuda Halevi," 30th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI.
  -- "Jewish spiritual renewal and art, SECSOR, Gainesville, FL.
• 1994  --  "Personal Experiences in Israel Focusing on the Peace Process at the Grass Roots Level," Midwest Jewish Studies Association, Nashville, TN.
  -- "Martin Buber and Romanticism", International Schleiermacher Conference, Naples, Italy (funded).
  -- "A Historical Analysis of 'Devekut' (Cleaving to God)," 29th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.
  -- "Artistic Creativity and the Renewal of the Jewish Spirit," SECSOR, Atlanta, GA.
• 1993  --  "The Significance of the Fifth Zionist Congress for Cultural Zionism," AJS, Boston, MA.
• 1992  --  "The Complexity of Turn-of-the-Century 'German' Jewry," SECSOR, Atlanta, GA.
• 1991  --  "Schleiermacher's Transcendental Idealism," Schleiermacher Group, AAR.
• 1990  --  "Martin Buber's Zionism," AJS, Boston, MA.
• 1989  --  "Martin Buber's Perception of the Religious and Ethnic Components of German Turn-of-the Century Jewry," Second Annual Symposium, Creighton University, Omaha, NE.
• 1988  --  "Bildungsjude or Bildungsdeutscher: A Reappraisal of Post-Emancipation German Jewry," AJS, Boston, MA.
  -- "Leonhard Ragaz as a Christian Socialist: From Dogma to Ethics," AAR.
  -- "Martin Buber's Baal Shem Tov as Model of the Righteous Person in Early Hasidism," AAR Midwest Conference, Columbus, OH
• 1987  --  "Martin Buber's Conception of Woman," AJS Annual Meeting, Boston, MA
• 1985  --  "Isaac Singer's Shosha," Modern Language Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
  -- "The Communal Art of the Harmonists," German Americana Conference, Society for German-American Studies, Lincoln, NE.
• 1984  --  "The Agony of Julius," International Interdisciplinary Conference in Honor of Friedrich Schiller's 225th birthday, Hofstra University, New York, NY

Lectures

• 2009 -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.
• 2008 -- Henan University, Kaifeng, China.  Invited lectures on Judaism, Israel, and the Holocaust.
  -- Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.  Invited lecture and workshop on Judaism for Pluralism, Globalization, and Values.
  -- Yunnan University, Kunmking, China.  Invited lecture and workshop on Judaism for Holocaust conference.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.
• 2007 -- Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.  Invited lecture on Judaism for Holocaust conference.
  -- Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.  Invited lecture on psychological and social effects of the Holocaust for Holocaust conference.
  -- Jewish Museum of Jebenhausen.  Invited lecture, “Das Schicksal der Süssener Juden,” sponsored by the Jewish Museum of Jebenhausen, the Geschichts- und Altertumsverein Göppingen, and the City of Göppingen.      
  -- University of Tennessee.  Lecture, “Can Grand Larceny and Good Neighboring Exist Side by Side: The Case of Two Jewish Families in Rural Swabia During the Nazi Era,” for Humanities Initiative Wednesday lunch series.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.
  -- ORICL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  Invited Lecture Series with Dr. Daniel Magilow (3 lectures, based on “Living On” lectures in fall 2006 at East Tennessee History Center).
  -- University of Tennessee.  “Requisitions-Restitution-Reparations: The Story of the ‘Judenhaus’ in Süssen,” Lecture for Modern Germany and Central Europe Research Seminar.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Invited remarks for former Dean Larry Ratner’s memorial service.
• 2006 -- University of Tennessee.  Lecture on Landjudentum for German Studies Lecture Series, “Culture is Not a One-Way Street: The Contribution of Local German Customs to Rural Life in Southern Germany.”
  -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Discussion of Israeli author Savignon Liebrecht’s book, A Man, A Woman, and a Man, for Middle East Literary Colloquy.
  -- East Tennessee History Center.  “Recovering Lost Jewish Communities,” Invited lecture for Tennessee Holocaust Commission/East Tennessee Historical Society exhibition, “Living On: Portraits of Tennessee Survivors and Liberators.”
  -- University of Tennessee.  Adaptation of “Recovering Lost Jewish Communities” Lecture for Modern Germany and Central Europe Research Seminar.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Joint lecture on issues concerning Archival Research for Modern Germany and Central Europe Research Seminar with Dr. Daniel Magilow. 
• 2005 -- University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.  “The Many Faces of Martin Buber.  Herald of a New Age for Christians and Jews,” Invited Annual Rabbi Sidney H. Brooks Lecture.
  Temple Israel, Omaha, Nebraska.  “Martin Buber and Life on the Narrow Ridge: 1. ‘Martin Buber’s Struggle With I and Thou,’ 2. ‘Crossing the Narrow Bridge of Life with Martin Buber.”  Scholar-in-Residence for Sidney H. & Jane Brooks Institute on Judaism for Christian Clergy.
  Hadassah Spring Conference, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Invited lecture, “Peaks and Valleys: The Joys and Challenges of Being a Jewish Woman.”
  -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.
  -- Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem, Israel.  Invited remarks for Jo Hess Morrison’s memorial service.
• 2004 -- ORICL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  Invited lecture on Judaism.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.  
  -- Chattanooga Jewish community.  Invited lecture on Jewish Art to Jewish teachers.
• 2003 -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.
  -- Arnstein Jewish Community Center, Knoxville, Tennessee.  Two invited lectures on research on Swabian Landjudentum to Jewish community.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Invited lecture on Judaism to College Lunch and Learn group, College Office of Academic Outreach.
• 2002 -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.
• 200 -- University of Tennessee.  Guest slide lectures on Jews in Berlin for German 415 course on Berlin.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Presentation about UT Judaic Studies Program to UT Development Council.
• 2000 -- ORICL, Oak Ridge, Tennnessee.  Invited lectures on Roma and Sinti (“Gypsies”).
• 1999 -- Jewish Museum, Goeppingen.  Invited lecture on Martin Buber and Cultural Zionism.
  -- Synagogue, Bonn.  Invited lecture on Theology and Philosophy in Judaism.
• 1998 -- Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, Tennessee.  Scholar-in-residence for “Witness and Legacy Exhibition.”
  -- Nashville, Tennessee.  Presentation on Israel Jubilee Celebration in Knoxville to State of Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner, Bill Baxter.
  -- Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, Tennessee.  Keynote speaker for city-wide interfaith Holocaust memorial service.
• 1997 -- University of Tennessee.  Invited lecture on multiculturalism, "Why Shouldn't Others Be Like Us," Center for Multicultural Studies.
  -- Unitarian Church, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  Invited lecture, "Multiculturalism in our Time.”
  -- Invited lecture on the Holocaust to Foothills Council of Social Studies Teachers, Knoxville TN.
  -- Presentation on plans for Israel Jubilee Celebration to Governor’s Conference on the Arts, Nashville, TN.
  -- University of Tennessee.  Guest Lecture on the Holocaust to Religious Studies Class 499.
• 1996 -- Kibbutz Gezer, Israel.  Invited slide lecture on modern Jewish art.
• 1995 -- Invited lecture on the Holocaust for the Foothills Council of Social Studies Teachers.
• 1994 -- University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Invited slide lecture, "Jewish Art: A Footnote in Jewish History.”
  -- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Invited lecture, "From Antigone to I and Thou: Martin Buber's Conception of Woman.”

EXHIBITIONS

• 2007 -- Scholarly resource for Judaism portion of “Sacred Beauty” exhibition, including catalogue copy, McClung Museum, Dr. Jeff Chapman, curator, the University of Tennessee.
• 2006 -- Organizer of Knoxville portion of traveling “Living On” exhibition and related programming, The Tennessee Holocaust Commission, East Tennessee Historical Society, Susan Knowles, curator.
• 2001 -- Organizer of Knoxville portion of traveling “Luboml” exhibition and related programming, The Tennessee Holocaust Commission, University of Tennessee University Center, Lon Nuell, curator.
• 1998 -- Scholarly resource for “Witness and Legacy” exhibition, Knoxville Museum of Art, Stephen Wicks, curator.

Professional Activities

• Tennessee Commission on Holocaust Education
  • Commissioner (1996-9), reappointed for three-year-term in 1999.
• Tennessee-Israel Trade Committee
  • Arts, Culture and Education Subcommittee, member (1996-8)   
  • Member of Official Delegation to Israel with Governor Sundquist,  January 1997.
• University of Tennessee Press
  • Editorial board, member (1995-8).
• Soundings
  • Editorial board, member (1996- ).
• American Academy of Religion
  • Member (1986- ).
  • International Connections Committee, member (2009-12).
    • 2009 Annual Meeting ICC Forum chair.
  • Religion, Holocaust, and Genocide Group Steering Committee, member (2009-12).
  • Nineteenth Century Theology Group, member (1986-2004).
    • Steering Committee (1997-2000).
    • Convener and chair of “Art and Theology,”1998.
    • Convener and co-chair, “Gender and Religion in the Nineteenth Century” session, 1990.
  • Schleiermacher Group, member (1986- ).
  • Reviewer of the Religion, Holocaust, and Genocide Group for renewal (2005).
• SECSOR (Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion):
  • Board of Directors, Constituency Representative (1995-98).
  • Chair, History of Judaism section (1996- ).
  • Organizer and convener of annual meeting sessions.
• Association for Jewish Studies
  • Member (1986- ).
  • Women’s Caucus, member.
  • Convener of session on Martin Buber, “Martin Buber’s Relevance to Life in Our Times.” 2005.
  • Convener of session for 30th anniversary of Martin Buber’s death, 1995.
  • Session chair, “German Jewry in the Age of Enlightenment and Reform,” 2002.
  • Session chair, “Jewishness in the Performing Arts: Opera, Song, Dance, and Film,” 1998.
  • Session chair, “Knowledge, Redemption, and the Significance of Emotions,” 1996.
  • Session chair, “Spinoza and Modernity,” 1994.
• German Studies Association
  • Member (2006-)
• Modern Language Association
  • Member (1984-87).
  • Organizer and chair of panel on Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim, December 1986
• Gender and Judaism Conference, Ohio State University, April 1993.
  • Session chair
• Jewish Feminism Conference, Professor Bernard Goldstein, Universit of Pittsburgh, organizer, October1990.
  • Participant and session chair, “Jewish Theolog from a Feminist Perspective,” with Judith Plaskow.
• IAHR Congress, Durban, South Africa, August 2000.
  • Convener and session chair, “Jewish History: Turn It and Turn It Again, For Everything Is Contained In It.”
• Reviewer of grant proposals for NEH.
• Reviewer of paper proposals for International Humanities and Arts Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii (2005-).
• Reviewer of manuscripts for SUNY, UT Press, Soundings, etc.
• Media contact on matters to do with Judaism, Holocaust, and Israel.

Institutional Service

• University of Tennessee Knoxville:
  • Review Committee, University Center (2009).
  • Chair, DORS Board of Visitors (2004-)
  • Internal reviewer for English Department midcycle review (2007).
  • Internal reviewer for English Department program review (2004).
    
  • College Development Council (2004).
  • College Humanities Initiative (2003-).
  • College External Research Funding Committee (2003).
  • College Space Committee.
  • College Faculty Development Leave Committee (2005, 2006).
  • Chair, departmental search committee for Hebrew Bible scholar (2002).
  • Faculty Senate (2001-2003)
    • International education committee.
    • Mentoring and faculty development subcommittees.
  • College Outreach Council (2001)
  • Departmental Post-Tenure Faculty Review Committee (2001).
  • College Screening Committee for Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award (1998-9).
  • UT Selection Committee for Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award (2000-2001).
  • Focus Area Advisory Committee: Intellectual and Cultural Expression (1998-9).
  • Planning Committee, International House Middle East Semester (Fall 1998).
  • UT Campus Cultural Life Committee (1995-7).
  • Religious Studies speakers and substantive sessions co-organizer with Professor Ralph Norman (1996-1997).
  • Theses committees for MA and PhD students (ongoing).
  • Board of Admission, Elementary Education: Holistic Teaching/Learning, College of Education (1996-9).
  • Religious Studies Association Co-organizer and Advisor (1996-7).
  • Religious Studies Major Committee (1994).
  • Search Committee, Judaic History position (1998-9).
  • Participant, College of Arts and Sciences Speakers' Bureau (1994- ).
  • Chair, Judaic Studies lecture series (1993- ­), Solomon/Schwartz Distinguished Lecture Series (1998- ), and Robinson Family Lectures on Modern Israel (2002-).

Grant Writing

• 2007 -- Collaborated on application for DoED grant.  Co-Investigator for federal grant for two-year Arabic instructor and curriculum infusion and internationalization of Humanities curriculum with Arabic culture ($348,192).  Not funded.
• 2006 -- Collaborated on application for DoED grant.  Principal Investigator of federal grant for two-year Arabic instructor and seed money for a Center for Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations ($400,000 total).  Not funded.

Funded Projects

• 2009 -- Diane and Guilford Glazer Teaching Fellow in Modern Hebrew for 2009-10 academic year.  Initiated fund-raising effort for this position.
• 2010 -- Schusterman Visiting Israel Professor for 2009-10.  Initiated grant and raised matching funds for Israeli scholar to teach at UT.
• 2009 -- Schusterman Visiting Israel Professor for 2008-09.  Initiated grant and raised matching funds for Israeli scholar to teach at UT.

• 2006 -- Tennessee Holocaust Commission “Living On: Portraits of Tennessee Survivors and Liberators” Exhibition at East Tennessee History Center.
  Exhibition of photographs of Holocaust survivors and liberators by Professor Rob Heller, UT.  Co-chair of Knoxville opening event and organizer of nine outreach programs between July 17 and October 22, 2006.  Secured funding for opening reception and some of the programming, approximately $2,500.  Donations for THC programming totaled $18,000.
  Sponsors: Tennessee Holocaust Commission, East Tennessee Historical Society, the Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Jewish Alliance, Heska Amuna Synagogue, Temple Beth El, Oak Ridge Jewish Congregation, Chabad of Knoxville.
• 2003 -- Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Judaic Studies Program Tenth Anniversary Events September and October 2003 ($8,500).  Organizer and chief fund raiser for events.  Lectures and receptions for campus and wider community. 
  Sponsors: The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies, along with Haines-Morris Fund and the College of Arts and Sciences, Arts & Sciences Academic Outreach, School of Art, Departments of Classics, English, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Modern Foreign Languages, and Knoxville Jewish Alliance.
• 2001 -- Holocaust Conference April 1-3, 2001, Knoxville, TN ($45,000).  Organizer, chief fund raiser, and conference chair for educational outreach effort to East Tennessee.  With input from city-wide advisory committee, planned and implemented three-day conference.
  Sponsors: Tennessee Holocaust Commission, The University of Tennessee.  Co-sponsors: The College of Arts and Sciences, College of Architecture and Design, College of Business Administration, College of Education, College of Law, Charity Fund of Heska Amuna Synagogue, The Knoxville Jewish Federation, Arnstein Jewish Community Center, Arts Fund of the East Tennessee Foundation, Goody’s, Knox County Public Library System, Knox County Schools, Knoxville Museum of Art, Temple Beth El, Tennessee Arts Commission, and individual contributers.
• 1998 -- Israel Jubilee celebration, Spring 1998 ($20,000).  Organizer, chief fund raiser, and city-wide chair of celebration in honor of Israel's fiftieth anniversary.  With collaboration from city-wide advisory committee, planned and designed overall calendar of 25 diverse cultural events in Knoxville throughout Spring of 1998.  Original creations included a modern dance program, "Negotiations--Dance as Cultural Exchange," with Professors Ze'eva Cohen, and Aleta Hayes, Princeton University, and Jill Sigman, Ph.D., New York, as well as Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble at Clarence Brown Theatre; multimedia performance, "Phantoms and Other Songs," by Professor Norman Magden, music by Aaron Feldman and Manny Herz, and poetry readings by Rabbi Howard Simon and Professor Marilyn Kallet; Dogwood Arts Festival event, "Outdoor Israeli Festival," with five children's choirs comprised of 200 children from Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and Oneida, TN; Oak Ridge and Knoxville Klezmer Bands, Knoxville Israeli Dancers, Beaumont Polka Dots, and Kol Shira Woman's Quartet.  A special number, "Sharing the Water," was choreographed by Professor Ze'eva Cohen, Princeton, for TCDE's annual dance concert 1998.
  Sponsors: City of Knoxville, The University of Tennessee Knoxville.  Co-sponsors: State of Tennessee, Tennessee Arts Commission, Knoxville Jewish Federation, Tennessee Children's Dance       Ensemble, Heska Amuna Synagogue, Temple Beth El, Belz Foundation, and individual contributors.  
• 1995 -- East Tennessee Holocaust Conference, Knoxville, TN, October 22-24, 1995 ($40,000).  Organizer, chief fund raiser, and conference chair for educational outreach effort to East Tennessee.  With guidance from city-wide advisory committee, planned and designed three-day conference.
  Sponsors: Tennessee Holocaust Commission, The University of Tennessee. Co-sponsors: Tennessee Humanities Council, Knoxville Jewish Federation, and the College of Arts and Sciences.
• 1993 -- Conference on World Religions in Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, January 1993 ($10,000).  Organizer, chief fund raiser, and conference chair for educational outreach effort.  With guidance of advisory committee, planned and designed three-day program.
  Co-sponsors: Alabama Humanities Council, The University of Alabama.

Community Activity

Knoxville:

• Membership: NAACP, Hadassah, Knoxville Jewish Alliance, Heska Amuna Synagogue, Heska Amuna Sisterhood, Temple Beth El, Southern Poverty Law Center, NCCJ (National Conference on Community and Justice, Knoxville chapter terminated in 2005), US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad Vashem.
• Community Committees:Jewish Student Center Advisory Committee (1993-2001), Heska Amuna Rabbi and Religious Services Committee (1995- ), Continuing Education Committee (1993-2000); KJF Yom HaShoah Committee (1994- ), and member, KMA community advisory board (1997-98). 
  Frequent lectures, workshops, interviews, and other media events on Jewish matters including the Holocaust and Israel in Knoxville community at large and East Tennessee.

Alabama:

• 1991-1993 Director and Faculty Advisor, B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation, University of Alabama; lay chazzan for Conservative Women's League; lay chazzan conducting High Holiday and weekly services for Beit Hillel as well as planning and implementing programming, fund raising; administrator, Temple Beth El Religious School, Birmingham, AL; lectures and workshops in community at large.

Pittsburgh, PA:

• 1989-91 member, Board of Directors, Congregation B'nai Israel, Pittsburgh, Pa.; 1988-91 Board of Directors, B'nai Israel Sisterhood; 1988-91 Congregation and Sisterhood Adult Education chairman; chairman, 85th anniversary concert and other special events; member, Religious Services Committee.  Religious services chairman for Conservative Women's League of Tri-State area, conducted services for Spring and Fall Conference; resource person for Holocaust Center of Greater Pittsburgh and docent for Auschwitz and Anne Frank exhibits; judge, Holocaust Arts and Writing Contest. 1986-91 planning, publicity and participation in South Hills Interfaith Ministries annual interfaith Holocaust observance; adult education at area churches and synagogues; 1985-91 participant in dialogue of National Conference of Christians and Jews

Contact Information

Gilya Schmidt
Professor and Department Head
501 McClung Tower
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0450

Phone: 865-974-2466
Email: gschmidt@utk.edu