“Kehillah” is the Hebrew term for the organized Jewish community — a group with shared values, traditions and belonging. In Jewish civilization, community is a responsibility. At the University of Florida, the Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies upholds this through dedicated outreach efforts, actively contributing to the collective task of building relationships and creating a vibrant atmosphere of learning.
“We view ourselves as a public resource,” said the center’s Director Norman J.W. Goda, the Norman and Irma Braman Professor of Holocaust Studies. “A large part of our mission concerns public programming.” For over 50 years, the Shorstein Center has promoted the academic study of Jewish culture, history and politics at UF. But the center strives to reach a broader audience beyond the Gainesville area and even beyond the Jewish community. Its programs, meanwhile, are as diverse as the community itself.
The Shorstein Center is the lead sponsor of the longstanding Gainesville Jewish Film Festival, an annual event that brings Jewish-themed films to the entire community. Now in its 14th year, the festival features films from Israel, Europe and North and South America.