Alba to succeed Rutland
A PROMINENT academic with special interest in the Holocaust and contemporary Jewish history, Dr Avril Alba, will take over from Professor Suzanne Rutland in the Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies at the University of Sydney from the second semester of this year.
A PROMINENT academic with special interest in the Holocaust and contemporary Jewish history, Dr Avril Alba, will take over from Professor Suzanne Rutland in the Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies at the University of Sydney from the second semester of this year.
Rutland, who has an accomplished career in the field of Jewish education, retired from her posts at the university effective at the end of semester one.
“I feel deeply honoured to be following in Suzanne’s footsteps,” Alba told The AJN. “She has worked so hard to build the Department [of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies] and Jewish studies in general at the University of Sydney.”
Alba, who is the Roth lecturer in Holocaust Studies and Jewish Civilisation, teaches and researches in the areas of the Holocaust and modern Jewish history with a focus on Jewish and Holocaust museums. From 2002-2011 she was the education director at the Sydney Jewish Museum, before joining the university.
Prior to 2002, she studied and worked at Harvard University for several years, completing a masters degree at Harvard Divinity School, and then working at Harvard Hillel, which she described as “an enormously rich and rewarding experience”.
“I have been very privileged, both in the content of my work and the people I have worked with,” she said of her career to this point.
Alba’s aspirations for the new role include continuing to strengthen the department, as well as making people aware of the importance of tertiary Jewish education.
“On an individual level, I wish to continue to grow and refine my own knowledge and skills as a scholar and teacher,” Alba said.
“On a broader level, I seek to build upon the firm foundations Suzanne has built, both in terms of the scholarly reputation of the department both within the university as well as internationally, and also with an awareness of the vital work that tertiary Jewish studies does in terms of strengthening our own community.
“Only a literate Jewish community can build upon and pass on knowledge of our history, culture and traditions as well as participate in contemporary debates, both on local and international levels.”
In regards to the often volatile environment on campus, Alba said the role of academics is to ensure that a full and scholarly account of the Middle East conflict is presented.
“This entails being involved in creating rigorous academic courses where students can engage with the full gamut of opinion and knowledge in this area, and through contributing to campus debates as they occur.”
PHOEBE ROTH
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