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Students produce photographic book of Jewish history

With the help of the Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy at Penn State Berks, students from Penn State Berks documented and preserved some of the community’s Jewish history through a book of photographs. Their effort has resulted in a printed book entitled Jewish Reading and Berks County.  

Jewish Reading and Berks, a photographic history of Berks County’s Jewish community, was published by Arcadia Publishing for the “Images in America Series.” The book was produced by 12 students in Dr. Laurie Grobman's spring 2011 upper-level interdisciplinary course, "Jewish Representation in History, Literature, Art, and Photography." The students gathered more than 200 images and high quality photographs, researched and wrote captions for each photo, and helped to design the layout of the book. The project was supported by the Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy at Penn State Berks (the Lab). It was edited by Grobman, professor of English and Women's Studies and Coordinator of The Lab, and Jessica Didow, Program Assistant for The Lab.

This project is a form of public scholarship, connecting students' coursework and community work through partnerships between colleges/universities and community organizations.

The book will be available for sale beginning October 17, 2011, at the publisher’s web site: http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9780738576008/Jewish-Reading-and-Berks-County. Sales information can also be obtained by contacting Suzanne Almgren, Sales and Marketing Specialist at Arcadia Publishing, at 843-853-2070, x203, or via e-mail at SAlmgren@arcadiapublishing.com. Proceeds will benefit Jewish Federation of Reading and the Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy at Penn State Berks.

For more information about Jewish Reading and Berks, contact Grobman at LEG8@psu.edu.