Lecture looks at culture mix that is not well known

~Beth Oberleiter, Staff Writer… Lecture looks at culture mix that is not well known

~Beth Oberleiter, Staff Writer

Scholar Pan Guang lectured Monday on the integration of Jewish culture and traditions in China during a period when Shanghai was a haven for Jewish refugees fleeing from Stalin’s Soviet Union and Hitler’s Germany.

Guang said that Jews established their own synagogues, clubs and organizations in Shanghai. This acculturation between the Chinese and Jewish peoples created a common bond that discouraged anti-Semitic activities in Chinese culture.

Because of the rich Jewish history in Shanghai, Guang noted that many strong friendships between Chinese and Jewish people still exist today. He stressed that important intellectual, cultural and political contributions by Jewish people will remain an important part of Shanghai culture.

Alexander Orbach, the director of Pitt’s Jewish Studies Program, said that the unique Jewish history in Shanghai is not well known.

“You don’t tend to associate Jews with China,” Orbach said.

He hoped that the lecture would provide education on the topic and said that he was satisfied with the size of the audience.

Guang donated some of his published work to be shared at Pitt and mentioned that the subject of Jews in China has become quite a “hot topic,” making directors such as Stephen Spielberg eager to base a movie on the subject.

Guang’s lecture was one of two given that day, part of an annual series of public lectures sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program that focus on different aspects of the Jewish experience.

Why bother with washed-out beer when you can have Goldwater?

~Meaghan Dorff, Staff Writer

Two Pitt undergraduate students received the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for independent research in science and engineering.

Recipients Tanya Keenan, a sophomore neuroscience major, and Margaret Bennewitz, a junior bioengineering major, both belong to the University Honors College and hail from Pennsylvania.

“Because of the fact that I’m in a field that involves research, I think Pitt has a lot of good opportunities, especially with all the medical buildings in the area,” Bennewitz said. “This has really been something to show that hard work does pay off.”

Established by Congress in 1986, the award goes to sophomores and juniors who exhibit excellence in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

“It’s better to not expect the award, so I was very surprised but very excited,” said Keenan, whose future plans include designing a major in international health and obtaining an M.D./Ph.D.

Bennewitz and Keenan join the ranks of 33 past Goldwater Scholars in Pitt’s history, including 2006 Rhodes Scholar Justin Chalker.

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg commended the two students, as well as the Honors College, in a release from the University.

“The University of Pittsburgh has become a magnet for such hard-working, high-achieving students as Tanya and Margaret, who have the potential to make significant contributions, both to their fields of study and to the greater good,” Nordenberg said.