History of the Center

The story of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies at Appalachian State University begins with two courses and a shared concern.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Appalachian State University offered only two classes on the Holocaust: The Road to Hitler taught by Dr. Rennie Brantz in the Department of History, and Literature of the Holocaust taught by Dr. Zohara Boyd in the Department of English. Because the courses overlapped in both subject matter and student enrollment, the professors decided to combine them into a single Honors course, History and Literature of the Holocaust.

As this combined course grew in popularity, Drs. Brantz and Boyd noticed a recurring theme in their students’ reflections: many had been introduced to the Holocaust in high school by teachers who, through no fault of their own, had limited background in the history of the period or in Judaism more broadly. After class one day, the two professors sat together over coffee in the Plemmons Student Union and began imagining how they might support these teachers.

With only a coffee-stained napkin at hand, they began jotting down what felt at the time like “pie in the sky” ideas. They had heard of Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff, a Florida educator and Holocaust survivor known for leading seminars for public school teachers across the country. Drs. Brantz and Boyd contacted Dr. Kassenoff, who agreed to come to App State for a nominal fee. Even that modest cost, however, was beyond what available university funding could cover.

Unwilling to abandon their idea, the professors approached then-Chancellor Dr. Frank Borkowski. Rather than explain why it would be difficult to fund, Dr. Borkowski immediately called long-time university benefactors Martin (z”l) and Doris Rosen. To the professors’ astonishment, the Rosens agreed almost at once to support the project for one summer.

The Birth and Growth of the Rosen Symposium

In 2002, a three-day Holocaust education symposium—later to become the Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium—was quickly organized around Dr. Kassenoff’s schedule and advertised locally to App State faculty and area teachers. Attendance at the first symposium was small but deeply engaged. The Rosens recognized its potential and agreed to fund the program again, this time with a larger gift that enabled teachers from across North Carolina to attend, stay in the residence halls, receive meals and materials, and earn continuing education credits from the North Carolina Board of Education.

Over the next decade, the Rosen Symposium expanded into a week-long event. Attendance grew steadily until waiting lists were needed. Teachers from other states and from Eastern Europe began to participate through programs of the U.S. State Department, transforming the symposium into an international gathering. World-renowned scholars and authors came to campus to lecture and lead seminars, and the symposium has continued as a cornerstone of the Center’s work.

Dr. Kassenoff’s leadership helped attract distinguished presenters, and she inspired hundreds of teachers and students over her ten years with the program. Several years later, Lee Holder—a North Carolina teacher, member of the NC Council on the Holocaust, recipient of the Irena Sendler Award for Best Holocaust Educator in the U.S., and graduate of the Rosen Symposium—assumed the role of facilitator and has remained with the program since.

In the mid-2000s, the symposium’s curriculum expanded again when Stan (z”l) and Ruth Etkin introduced “Judaism 101,” a popular component designed to give participants a stronger foundation in Jewish history and practice. In many ways, “Judaism 101” addressed the very gap first identified by the undergraduate students in Drs. Brantz and Boyd’s original Holocaust course.

Community Support and the Office of Judaic Studies

Almost simultaneously with the symposium’s beginnings in 2002, several members of the Boone Jewish community—now the Temple of the High Country—attended classes and programs inspired by the new initiative. In August 2002, Drs. Brantz and Boyd were invited to speak to the community’s Havurah group. After their presentation, Bernice Setnor z”l stood up and asked a simple question: “How can we help?”

The response was immediate. Approximately $1,000 was raised at that meeting. A retired local high school teacher, Nanci Tolbert Nance, volunteered to build a membership database, and a growing circle of Friends of the program began to take shape. By early 2003, plans were underway to establish an Office of Judaic Studies, Holocaust Education and Studies in Non-Violence.

Initially, this Office existed informally, based in the departmental offices of Drs. Boyd and Brantz. One of the Friends, Meliné Markarian, approached Chancellor Borkowski with a proposal to transform the informal office into an official university center. Dr. Borkowski again demonstrated strong support by helping shepherd the transition through university processes. Dr. Edelma Huntley, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, provided crucial assistance with the required documentation.

A faculty advisory board and a Community Advisory Board were created, with members including (among others) Markarian, Grad, Etkin, Gaynor, Ramo, Fogel, Aibel, Zahorian, Ruthfield, Quatrano, Margolis, Rawicz and Nemerson, who contributed both academic and financial support. Drs. Brantz, Boyd, and colleagues drew on existing courses across campus to develop an interdisciplinary minor in Holocaust, Judaic, and Peace Studies, formalizing the academic program.

Chancellor Dr. Kenneth Peacock, who succeeded Dr. Borkowski, continued this strong institutional support. In 2005, with his backing, the Office was officially designated by the University of North Carolina system as the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies. Until his retirement in 2014, Dr. Peacock hosted annual dinners for the Friends at the Chancellor’s Residence, with menus created by the Center’s tireless supporter and gourmet chef, Meliné Markarian.

Leadership, Funding, and an Endowed Chair

For several years, the Center was led by a triumvirate of faculty: Drs. Rennie Brantz, Zohara Boyd, and Rosemary Horowitz (English), herself a second-generation Holocaust survivor. Dr. Horowitz’s skill in grant writing helped secure significant external funding, including an important grant from the Holocaust Reparations Office to support the Rosen Symposium.

As the Center’s programs expanded, it became clear that a permanent, full-time director was essential for continued growth. In 2011, the Leon Levine Foundation of Charlotte offered a generous matching grant of $466,000 to help endow a professorship in Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies. Combined with a state grant and private gifts, this would create a $1 million endowed chair, the Leon Levine Distinguished Professorship in Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies.

The Friends of the Center embraced the challenge. With the guidance of David Taylor, then Associate Vice Chancellor for University Development, and the enthusiastic leadership of Havurah president Jack Lubin and many others, they undertook a two-year fundraising effort to secure the required funds. The first holder of the endowed chair and director of the Center, Dr. Simon Sibelman, served from 2013 to 2015, followed by Dr. Thomas Pegelow Kaplan, who served from 2016 to 2022. In 2024, Dr. Davis Hankins, was appointed as the director of the Center.

A Lasting Legacy

Shortly before his passing, Martin Rosen, whose generosity and vision had helped launch the original symposium, made a major gift to ensure its continued support. The Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium continues to bear their names and remains a central program of the Center, even as the community honors the memory of those whose commitment made it possible.

With ongoing support from the Center’s Friends, the university and the wider community, the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies looks toward the future with the same spirit that guided its beginnings: a belief that education, remembrance and dialogue can help build a more just and peaceful world.

History adapted from a narrative written by Zohara Boyd, Molle Grad and Nanci Tolbert Nance (2014).