About the Melton Center
(*Samuel Mendel Melton: A Visionary by Jonathan Silva and Saul Wachs.)
Jewish studies at The Ohio State University comprises one of the largest and most diverse programs in the country, offering an impressive selection of courses, a multidisciplinary faculty, and a wide range of events. We provide students with a first-rate opportunity to explore the academic breadth of course work connected with Jewish studies. Our graduates have had the privilege to study with some of the very best scholars in the field.
Jewish studies at Ohio State commenced officially in 1966 with the establishment of the Samuel M. and Esther Melton Chair in Jewish History and Institutions. This was one of the first chairs in Jewish studies at an American public university, and it was followed in 1976 by the establishment of the Samuel M. Melton Center for Jewish Studies, the fi rst such center at an American public university. Ohio State has thus been a pioneer in Jewish studies in the United States since the field became recognized as an independent academic discipline. These venerable origins sprang from the visionary mind of Mr. Samuel M. Melton of Columbus, one of the nations foremost advocates and supporters of Jewish education in the later twentieth century. Mr. Melton, a highly successful business leader who had immigrated to the United States as a young man, was always focused on the betterment of the Jewish people and of the United States through improvements in educational opportunities.
The Melton Center is the body which coordinates Jewish studies around the university. While some institutions create a department of Jewish studies which includes faculty working in many disciplines, Ohio State's Jewish studies faculty remain in their disciplinary departments and schools. At present, Melton faculty members come from History, Philosophy, Political Science, Music, English, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Germanic Languages and Literatures, Classics, Art, and Education.
The Melton board is composed of about thirty professors from these departments who meet together regularly to plan events and discuss issues of common interest. The Melton Center also coordinates course offerings in Jewish studies, oversees the Jewish Studies major and minor, provides monetary support for faculty and students, conducts competitions for student prizes, and creates programs for both campus interests and the larger community. The range of teaching and research in Jewish studies conducted by Melton faculty is among the broadest in the nation. Melton faculty are internationally recognized in their respective fi elds. They are assisted in their research by the presence of a full time Judaica librarian, an outstanding Judaica library, and one of the few connections in the United States to the ALEPH catalogue of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Undergraduate study may include a comprehensive, interdisciplinary major or a minor in a variety of Jewish topics. We have established endowed undergraduate scholarship programs as well as an endowed travel program to Israel.
Graduate study in Jewish studies at The Ohio State University is enhanced by two named graduate fellowships. Graduate study involves acceptance by an appropriate department with a graduate degree program. Graduate students may pursue the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in a core area of Jewish Studies.
The Center's work is greatly enhanced by a full time Judaica librarian who manages the Judaica collection (over 100,000 volumes) at the University Libraries -- one of the largest and finest of its kind in the United States. In 1992, University Libraries implemented ALEPH (Automated Library Expandable Program Hebrew University of Jerusalem), a cataloging system that accommodates not only Roman, but also Hebrew, Arabic, Slavic and Greek scripts.
Jewish Life in Central Ohio
The Columbus metropolitan area, with a population of 1.2 million people, is the seat of state government and the home of seven colleges and universities. Ohio State not only boasts the Melton Center for Jewish studies with an outstanding library and research facilities, but also gives ready access to other institutions with Jewish resources. Columbus is a two-hour drive from the riches of Hebrew Union College's Klau Library or the variety of resources available in Cleveland. Other major universities in Ohio with sizeable Judaic Studies programs include Miami University, Wittenberg University, Case Western Reserve, The Siegal College of Judaic Studies in Cleveland, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, the University of Dayton and the University of Cincinnati.
Today's Jewish population in Columbus exceeds 22,000 people and is well served by a diverse, active group of institutions and resources including eight synagogues -- three reform, two conservative, three orthodox, and others in nearby communities. An outstanding Jewish community campus, including the Leo Yassenoff Jewish Center, Wexner Heritage Village, the Columbus Jewish Federation, the Columbus Jewish Foundation, the Columbus Jewish Historical Society, and Jewish Family Services provides Jewish programming and services for all ages. The Columbus Community Kollel in Bexley and the Schottenstein Chabad House on the OSU campus offer opportunities for adult study, as do the various congregations.
The Hillel Foundation's Wexner Jewish Student Center is a major focus of activity for OSU's Jewish students from all over the United States, providing its own activities and services and linking students with the Jewish community outside the university. It includes a state-of-the-art fitness center for students as well as a kosher cafe.
Options for Jewish education are available at all levels in Columbus and include Columbus Torah Academy, a strong 50 year-old K-12 orthodox day school, the Columbus Jewish Day School, a ten year old egalitarian day school modeled on the "inclusive" curriculum of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York, as well as independent synagogue-based programs that provide after-school Jewish education to the community.
Jewish Life at Ohio State
The best available estimates suggest that there are between 2,500 and 5,000 Jewish students at Ohio State. Many wonderful opportunities are available to anyone who wishes to participate in Jewish life of all sorts in the campus area. Even more can be found in the larger Columbus Jewish community, about which you can read in the next section.
We boast one of the country's best known and most loved Hillel organizations. The state-of-the-art Hillel Wexner Jewish Student Center is directly next to campus and features a full kosher eating facility, Shabbat services, workout facilities, meeting rooms, a full-time rabbi, numerous clubs and groups, social action opportunities, and exciting activities throughout the school year. Hillel also affords a venue for musical performances by student groups, from rock bands to our choral group, Meshuganotes. Ohio State’s Hillel is often viewed as a model for those at other universities to emulate. Find out more about Hillel through their web portal www.osuhillel.org.
Ohio State has a full range of Greek life for Jewish students as well. The traditionally Jewish fraternities are Alpha Epsilon Pi, Zeta Beta Tau, and Sigma Alpha Mu. The traditionally Jewish sorority is Alpha Epsilon Phi. These organizations provide another avenue of social life for Jewish students, with an emphasis on social activities and benevolent projects in the community.
Students interested in experiencing observant Jewish life also enjoy the hospitality of the Schottenstein Chabad Home and Jewish Student Center near campus, with its vibrant leaders, Rabbi Zalman and Sarah Deitsch. The Deitsch family lives next to campus and they are always available for study, Shabbat and holiday meals, services, social events, counseling, and Israel action activities. Students love to visit Zalman at his kosher hot-dog stand on High Street and to stay up late for the fun at the Chabad Home on Friday nights. Find out more about Chabad at www.osuchabad.com/home.php.
Students who wish to keep kosher can now opt for a kosher meal plan, organized through Hillel. Meals are arranged at Hillel's Bagel Café, which is under the supervision of the Kosher Va’ad of Columbus.
