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Last modified: Monday, April 15, 2013

Borns Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University marks 40th anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2013

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A special concert featuring world-renowned pianist Menahem Pressler and Friends will highlight the 40th anniversary celebration of the Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University Bloomington.

Menahem Pressler

Menahem Pressler

Print-Quality Photo

The performance by Pressler, Distinguished Professor in the IU Jacobs School of Music, will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at Auer Hall on the IU Bloomington campus. The event is free but ticketed. A limited number of tickets will be available Thursday, April 18, through the Musical Arts Center box office.

Joining Pressler for the concert will be Andrés Cárdenes on violin, Paul Coletti on viola and Jacobs School Professor Eric Kim on cello.

One of the largest and most vibrant programs of its kind, the Borns Jewish Studies Program fosters leadership skills, civic responsibility and academic achievement through rigorous interdisciplinary study.

"As we celebrate the program's 40th anniversary, we are profoundly grateful to all who have contributed to its success," said Jeffrey Veidlinger, director of the program and the Alvin H. Rosenfeld Chair in Jewish Studies. "These include the faculty, who not only teach but inspire; the staff, who work tirelessly and with dedication; our community, who support the program in so many ways; and most importantly our students and alumni, whose spectacular achievements stand as testament to the success of the program."

In 1973, Indiana University became one of the first public universities in the U.S. to establish a Jewish studies program. The program became the Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program in 2002, in recognition of a generous gift. It has flourished to become one of the world's leading research centers in Jewish studies and one of the largest degree-granting institutions in Jewish studies.

The program, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, uses the methods of the humanities, arts and social sciences to provide the foundations of an internationally informed and interdisciplinary liberal arts education. It considers students to be its most important asset and the bedrock of the program, and it seeks to promote understanding of Judaism and Jews and to foster literacy in Jewish studies to students of all backgrounds.