Professor of History Julie Liss is headed to Hebrew Union College in the next year after being awarded the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Fellowship to continue her work at The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.
In particular, she will focus on Jewish philanthropists and social activists who supported the work of anthropologist Franz Boas, who many credit as being the innovator of modern anthropology.
“I am interested in the scope of the activities of these philanthropists and activists; their objectives, and their interlocking networks in New York City from the late-19th century to the mid-20th centuries,” says Liss, who’ll travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to continue her work. “Much of their work focused on social welfare, civil rights, and other civic activism.”
For up to four weeks, Liss will sift through letters, lectures and other writings to better understand what motivated these philanthropists and social activists.
“I did initial work in the archives in February, during my sabbatical, but the papers were so rich that I realized I needed to return,” Liss says.
She will hone in on documents written during the Progressive era, including the years of the New Deal, and she will stop at the anti-fascist movements of the 1940s.