Travel Grants

When Leah Golberstein’s son was a student at IC, she came to South Hill often and “fell in love with Ithaca College.” Rafi Golberstein graduated in 2006, but Leah is continuing her relationship with Ithaca by establishing the Golberstein Jewish Studies Travel Endowment.

Leah's visits to Rafi always seemed to include spending time with his professors. As she soon discovered, when Rafi’s teachers learned that one of his parents would be on campus, they made themselves available to meet. A former faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Leah could see that “the level of involvement Ithaca faculty have with their students is exceptional. No student is just a number.”Through Rafi’s involvement as a resident assistant, Hillel board member, and student trustee on the IC Board of Trustees, as well as his activities with student government and the Park School, Leah was aware of the opportunities her son was given to develop and mature, both in and out of the classroom.

“Mostly, I fell in love with Ithaca College,” she says, “and the level of dedication to teaching.” During Rafi’s tenure as a student trustee, Leah met President Peggy R. Williams, and she was extremely impressed by the strong role model President Williams is for women of all ages. She was also inspired by the dedication of Craig Evans ’84, associate vice president for institutional advancement, and Park School dean Dianne Lynch. “With such capable and dedicated administrators and teachers, I wanted to know how I could help them in their endeavors.”Following Rafi’s graduation from the Park School, Leah found that she wanted to continue to support the College and, more specifically, the Jewish studies program. Last October she established the Golberstein Jewish Studies Travel Endowment.

This award grants $1,250 to Ithaca College students minoring in Jewish studies who want to broaden their understanding of the history and survival of the Jewish people through formal study involving travel. Students are encouraged to travel to communities they have never before visited that have historical significance for Jews. Among the topics of study are Inquisition studies in Spain or Portugal; Central and Eastern European Jewish studies at Charles University in Prague, the summer Vilnius Yiddish Institute at Vilnius University in Lithuania, or the Lorenzo de’Medici Institute in Florence; and the history of the Jews in Greece in Thessaloníki or Crete. “Travel enables students to challenge themselves and their personal world in a powerful way.

When it is combined with study, it can revolutionize a student’s life,” Leah says. “I wanted to make that opportunity available for Ithaca College students.”The establishment of the Golberstein Jewish Studies Travel Endowment is one of many educational enhancements included in the $115 million Campaign for Ithaca College: Making a World of Difference. For more information about the campaign, visit www.ithaca.edu/campaign.