Jewish Studies receives $300K gift

The Baye Foundation is at it again.

This past September, the foundation gifted $300,000 to the Sam and Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies at UWM. “The donation will make a huge difference for the program,” said Joel Berkowitz, the director of the Sam and Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies.

“This additional major gift from the Baye Foundation helps Jewish Studies at UWM move from strength to strength,” he added. “The gift provides significant new funding to help further develop our curriculum, foster the research and teaching activities of our faculty and academic staff, underwrite a wide array of public programs, and support our Jewish Studies majors.”

Nathan and Perl Berkowitz, long-time supporters of Jewish education in Milwaukee, established the Baye Foundation. In 2009, the foundation donated $2 million to UWM to renovate the Greene Memorial Museum on campus and named it the Sam and Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies, after Pearl Berkowitz’s parents. The restored building sits at 3367 N. Downer Ave.

Joel Berkowitz

The Baye Foundation board of trustees consists of Berkowitz family members. They are happy with the way Joel Berkowitz (no relation) and the Stahl Center have helped carry out the Berkowitz’s vision for greater Jewish education in the Milwaukee community. Inspired by this success, the Baye Foundation made the donation.

“It’s important to have the Jewish Studies program at the university because it offers programming that otherwise would not be available to the Milwaukee community,” said Joan Eisenberg, the daughter of Nathan and Perl Berkowitz and director of the Baye Foundation. “It’s served to increase people’s knowledge and appreciation of Jewish studies.”

The funding will be allocated to four funds:

1. The Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz (Programming) Fund, which supports public programming including guest speakers, concerts, film screenings, and workshops.

2. The Stahl Center Distinguished Lecture Fund, which underwrites one public lecture each year given by a leading scholar in any area of Jewish Studies.

3. The Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning Fund, which will help expand and develop the UWM Jewish Studies curriculum as well as support faculty and staff research opportunities.

4. The Student Support Fund, which provides tuition assistance for Jewish Studies majors.

The funds are making an impact: “The gift has already spurred new activity in our program, and will continue to benefit our work for years to come,” Joel Berkowitz said.

The donation is generous, and Eisenberg is excited to see how it can help the Center grow. “I think the success of the Center makes it all worthwhile,” she said.

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science