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Professor Eric Mazur Awarded Mednick Fellowship
Mazur to explore Portugal & American Jewish History in project funded by VFIC
News Release | April 26, 2017
Virginia Wesleyan’s Eric Mazur, Gloria and David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies and Center for the Study of Religious Freedom Fellow, has been awarded the 2017 Maurice L. Mednick Memorial Fellowship by the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) for his project, “Portugal & American Jewish History.”
Through his research, Mazur seeks to investigate the legacy of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who was instrumental in the 1940 rescue of 30,000 European refugees, including 10,000 Jews. The $2,250 grant will support his travel to various sites throughout Portugal, including Sousa Mendes' family home, as research for the preparation of a book-length manuscript.
Mazur has been on the faculty at Virginia Wesleyan since 2007. He teaches courses on Judaism, religion in American culture and the academic study of religion. His specific interests include religion and American law, religion and popular culture, and Judaism in the American South. He joined the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom in 2014 as the fellow for religion, law and politics.
The Maurice L. Mednick Memorial was created in 1967 in honor of a young Norfolk industrialist who died from accidental causes and whose family and business associates wished to perpetuate his name by establishing a memorial that would emphasize his and the donors’ strong interest in higher education. Administration of the Mednick Memorial Fund is vested in the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges to encourage the professional development of college professors and improve their academic competence through fellowships for research and advanced study.
“Please join me in congratulating to Dr. Mazur on this prestigious award,” said Virginia Wesleyan President Scott Miller. “He joins an impressive group of Virginia Wesleyan faculty members who have earned this designation throughout the years. I am honored to work among such talented individuals who are so strongly committed to excellence in both teaching and scholarship.”