Jewish department expands at USYD

FORMER education director at the Sydney Jewish Museum Avril Alba has become the newest recruit in the expanded Jewish studies department at the University of Sydney (USYD).

Alba joins Professor Suzanne Rutland and Holocaust historian Konrad Kwiet in the faculty.

Kwiet, a former undergraduate professor, scaled back his teaching to accept a role at the Sydney Jewish Museum three days a week.

He will remain at USYD as a research professor, but Alba, who has worked as the project curator and education director at the Sydney Jewish Museum, will now teach undergraduate students.

She will also continue to work on a joint project between the USYD’s Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies and the Sydney Jewish Museum.

“We are doing ongoing research to refurbish the permanent Holocaust exhibition at the museum,” Alba said.

She said the new role at USYD is very exciting.

“This is a really vibrant and exciting environment.

“I’m teaching modern Jewish history, Jewish civilisation and co-teaching a masters in Holocaust studies.”

She said that half of the students aren’t Jewish, which makes the courses even more interesting.

“The first year subjects are just an introduction in Jewish history, but in the second and third years they are doing very advanced work.”

Professor Rutland said she is excited to have Alba join the team.

“We now have a very strong relationship with the Sydney Jewish Museum because Conrad is working at the museum and Avril will spend a lot of time there,” Rutland said.

“The department has become almost an academic arm of the museum.”

She said the Jewish studies department is thriving at USYD.

“We now have 100 students in our undergraduate Holocaust program that we run with the Department of History.

“We have PHD students, 10-20 people at our grad seminars and in the last five or six years we’ve had more than 20 Australian educators go to Yad Vashem through our Gandel Foundation.”

JOSHUA LEVI

Avril Alba has joined the University of Sydney’s Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies as a lecturer.