The Melton Center for Jewish Studies has been fortunate to have received endowed funds from donors over the years, some of which are earmarked for for several types of scholarships, such as education abroad, graduate fellowships, and essay contests, to name a few. The 2019 and 2020 scholarship recipients are listed below.
The George M. and Renée K. Levine Graduate Fellowship in Jewish Studies
2019
Michael Biggerstaff
Michael is a PhD candidate in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. The focus of his studies is the Hebrew Bible. His academic interests center around how ancient people understood the divine realm and how the divine is related to them. Michael’s dissertation concentrates on ancient views of prophecy as divinely given knowledge.
The Samuel M. Melton Graduate Fellowship in Jewish Studies
2020
John Michael Sefel
John Michael Sefel is a Fellow in the PhD program in the Department of Theatre and is pursuing an additional Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Disability Studies, specifically, disabilities and performance. His current research interests include disability portrayal, re-thinking theatre’s artistic and commercial approaches to accessibility, and Yiddish Theatre in the United States. John Michael is also a playwright and director and holds an MFA in Directing from Baylor University.
The George M. and Renée K. Levine Graduate Fellowship in Jewish Studies
2020
Darcy Benson
Darcy Benson is in the PhD program in the Department of History. Her research interests focus on themes of migration, racism, nationalism and everyday life in times of war. Her dissertation analyzes the development of community networks among communist immigrants in France in the 1930s and the ways in which these networks supported resistance during World War II. French and immigrant Jews constituted an integral part of these networks, and Benson’s project contributes significantly to recent Jewish- and Holocaust studies scholarship.
The Ellen and Victor Cohn Scholarship for Study at Hebrew University
2019
Jordan Baggs, Eleanor Damm, and Anna Hershinow
Jordan (left) graduated with a double-major in International Relations & Diplomacy and Religious Studies and a minor in French. Eleanor (middle) is a fourth-year student majoring in Accounting with minors in Jewish Studies and Business Analytics. Anna (right) graduated with a major in Dance and minor in Studio Art.
2020
Brittany Zimmerman, Josiah Zimmerman, and Caroline Mallory
Brittany Zimmerman (left) is a third-year undergraduate with a major in Hebrew. Josiah Zimmerman (middle) is a fourth-year undergraduate with a major in Psychology. Caroline Mallory (right) is a third-year undergraduate with a double-major in international relations and Chinese.
The Norbert and Gretel B. Bloch Scholarship in Jewish Studies
2020
The Bloch scholarship provides students with a scholarship and program budget to plan and execute a program with Jewish content. This year’s Bloch recipients are Jakob Bolman (left) and Danielle Gershen (right), who organized a program for students featuring Shachar Pinsker, who spoke on Jewish culture and cafés. The program was held at Freshwater Coffee House near campus. Jakob is a fourth-year student with a major in Psychology and minor in Jewish Studies. Danielle is a third-year student with a major in Sports Industry.
The Morris and Fannie Skilken Scholarship in Yiddish and Ashkenazi Studies
2019
Yoni Wechsler
Yoni is a third-year student with a double major in International Studies/Security and Intelligence and Middle East Studies, and a minor in Hebrew.
2020
Drew Mayerson
Drew is a fourth-year student with a major in finance and a minor in Jewish studies.
The George and Emily Severinghaus Beck Scholarship for Study Abroad
2020
(Michala Stewart not pictured)
Hayden Bidinger and Michala Stewart
Hayden and Michala will study German at Dresden University. Hayden is a third-year student and has a major in Anthropology and a minor in German. Michala is a fourth-year student with a major in International Relations and a minor in German.
The Reva and Sanford Lipson Student Support Scholarship
2019
(Madeline Robins not pictured)
Madeline Robins and Alexandra Zborovsky
Madeline is a second-year student in OSU’s University Exploration program with a minor in Jewish Studies. Alexandra is a fourth-year undergraduate with a double major in History and English and a minor in Hebrew.
2020
Faye Hartman Vaeth
(not pictured) Faye is a third-year student with a double major in Jewish studies and Anthropology.
The Charlotte Susan Roth Memorial Fund Essay Contest
2019
Graduate Level
1st Place
Jonathan Branfman for his essay, “Jewy/Screwy Leading Lady: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and the Critique of Rom-Com Femininity.” Jonathan earned his PhD in 2019 from the Department of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies.
2nd Place
Miriam Bourgeois
for her essay, “Protest in Sa’id the Pessoptimist –– A Look at the Rhetoric of Satire, Irony and Humor.” Miriam earned her PhD in 2019 from the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.
Sara Halpern
for her essay, “The Painful Road to Allied Liberation: Collective Emotions and Knowledge.” Sara is a PhD candidate in the Department of History.
Undergraduate Level
1st place: Nathan Hensley for his essay, “Miracles, Magic, And Apocalyptic Eschatology: An Analysis of Exorcisms in The Synoptic Gospels.” Nathan is a third-year undergraduate with a double major in History and Philosophy, and a minor in Legal Foundations in Society.
2020
Graduate Level
1st Place
Dannu Hutwohl for his essay, “Philo of Byblos and West Levantine Myths of Sacrifice and Rebirth.” Dannu is a PhD candidate in the Department of Classics.
2nd Place
(Tamra Hauser not pictured)
Michael Biggerstaff for his essay, ‘Greek Baggage: Prophētēs in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East’, and Tamra Hauser (need photo) for ‘Measured Steps to Inclusion: Jewish Influence in Fifteenth-Century Dance’. Michael is a PhD candidate in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, and Tamra is a PhD candidate in the Department of Dance.
Undergraduate Level
1st Place
Alexandra Zborovsky for her essay, ‘Mostly Dead? Mostly Dead Means Slightly Alive: The Jewish Comic Tradition of the 1950s’. Alexandra is a fourth-year undergraduate with a double major in History and English with a minor in Hebrew.
The Leah Metchnick Godofsky and Martin R. Godofsky Scholarship of JewishColumbus in memory of Clara U. and Abraham Mayer Metchnick
2019
Julian Jefko
Julian is a 4th year student with a major in Linguistics.
2020
Eden Chelouche
Eden is a third-year student with a pre-med major in Biology and minor in Jewish studies.