• Admissions
• BRANDEIS HOME

Recalling the Jews of Libya

Maurice Roumani ’64

Maurice Roumani traces family roots in Libya back to 1780. But by 1952, under growing Arab pressure, most of Libya’s Jews had fled for the new nation of Israel, while those remaining were denied educational access. In 1967, Libya’s entire Jewish population was forced into a mass exodus.

But in 1960, Roumani had caught a lucky break, learning of Brandeis' Wien Scholarship for international students. Raised in the Sephardic tradition, Roumani knew little of other forms of Judaism, but in Waltham he encountered the more-populous Ashkenazy Jews, who had different prayers, melodies, and even book. Fascinated by the diversity he saw, he went on to earn an M.A. in the field at the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. at the University of London.

Author of the forthcoming "The Jews of Libya," he now teaches at Ben-Gurion University, directs the Elyachar Center for Sephardi Heritage, helps lead Jewish communal groups, and lectures on Judaism all over the world. Currently he is serving as the Schusterman Visiting Professor at the University of Oklahoma.

“There is no way,” Roumani says, “benefactor Lawrence Wien could have anticipated the impact this one scholarship would have not just on my education, but on the generations that would follow.”

Rekindling a burned-out Judaism

Jennifer Gallop ’87

Jennifer Gallop arrived at Brandeis “burned out, from a Jewish perspective — religiously observant, but not interested in further study.” When she saw the Jewish studies course offerings, she decided to enroll in several, though she believed they had nothing to do with her career interests.

Eventually, her double major in psychology and Jewish studies combined with deep involvement in the Waltham Group (Brandeis’ volunteer community-service organization) and an abiding interest in human services and social welfare to lead Gallop to legal work representing non-profit health and social-service organizations.

Looking back, she says, “My legal education commenced with critical study of Jewish texts. There I learned to identify and define problems and, ultimately, to understand how legal decisions are made. These are skills I use daily in support of my clients’ missions to help the most vulnerable members of our society — the sick, the elderly, the disabled and the poor.’’

Enjoying a cultural mentorship

Jacob Olidort ’07

He entered Brandeis as a Russian history major. But Jacob Olidort, a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to New York from Russia, eventually gravitated toward Middle Eastern studies and history.

Strongly influenced by two professors, he says, “There’s no doubt that Alice Kelikian helped shape my direction in history, and Joseph Lumbard guided my focus on the classical tradition of Islam; one great lesson I learned from him is that you can’t accurately discuss Islam without first looking into the classical tradition. This approach really sealed the deal for me to delve deeply into the evolution of Islam.”

So far, the deal has included a Fulbright Fellowship to study marriage law in Abu Dhabi for a year following graduation; a master’s program in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard; and acceptance into Princeton’s Ph.D. program in Near Eastern studies.

“Brandeis has a culture of mentorship, and, in retrospect, that has been critical for my intellectual growth,” he notes.