CONGRATULATIONS TO JEWAN ATTALLAH FOR WINNING THE 2018 LIBRARY AWARD FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Read More
Spring Events
Join the History Department this spring as we welcome Shanghai refugee Gary Sternberg to Valpo on April 25, 2019, and again as we gather on April 30, 2019, for the students in the Internship and Independent Study Program to present their findings. The public is welcome to attend both of these events.
“The Dealer’s Cards: How Gary Sternberg Has Made the Best of Them”
Pictured: History student, Morgan Peacha, with Gary Sternberg, in March, 2019. On April 4, 2019, The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) published Professor Kevin Ostoyich's newest article, "The Dealer's Cards: How Gary Sternberg Has Made the Best of Them", which tells the story of Shanghai refugee, Gary Sternberg. You can read this story at AICGS.org. Morgan visited with Mr. Sternberg in Henderson, Nevada over Spring Break, after learning Mr. Sternberg's life story in Professor Kevin Ostoyich's The Holocaust course. Morgan is currently helping to create an exhibition display devoted to Mr. Sternberg's life in the Christopher Center as part of the internship/independent study course in the University Archives & Special Collections. Mr. Sternberg will be visiting Valpo from April 24 - April 26, 2019, to share his story with students.
Professor Kevin Ostoyich introduced the Engage, Explore, and Express Workshop to campus in 2016 to introduce students to the process of research. The workshop is intended to help students get involved and ask questions about the world around them. Professor Kevin Ostoyich leading one of four Engage, Express, and Explore Workshops that were held on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. Professor Kevin Ostoyich framed the Engage, Express and Explore Workshops this semester on the life of former Shanghai Jewish Refugee, Gary Sternberg. (A document pertaining to Gary's mother, Auguste Sternberg, can be seen on the screen behind Professor Ostoyich. For more information on the fascinating life of August Sternberg, please read here. Since Academic year 2017-2018, the Engage, Express, and Explore Workshop has become a featured event within Valpo's First Year Core. Professor Kevin Ostoyich incorporated many primary documents pertaining to the life of former Shanghai Jewish refugee and Caesar's Palace blackjack dealer, Gary Sternberg, in the Engage, Explore, and Express Workshop. Ostoyich's article "The Dealer's Cards: How Gary Sternberg Has Made the Best of Them" will be appearing soon on the official website of the…
A Doctor’s Mission: The Life & Work of Ernst Kisch
In 2005, The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This date marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and is meant to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of the Nazi regime. This past week, as part of the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) published Professor Kevin Ostoyich's article, "A Doctor's Mission: The Life and Work of Ernst Kisch".
Case Study of the Internship/Independent Study Course
The Society of American Archivists recently published a peer-reviewed case study written by Rebecca Ostoyich, Archivist at the Valparaiso University Archives and Special Collections, and Professor Kevin Ostoyich with respect to the Internship/Independent Study course that is run by the Department of History in partnership with the University Archives and Special Collections. The case study can be accessed here.
The History Department is proud to share this interview, entitled "Engage Vigorously" which thoughtfully considers the work and journey of our own Dr. Heath Carter. Dr. Carter was recently named Redeemer University College's 2018 Emerging Public Intellectual. In January, Dr. Carter will travel to Ontario, Canada, to deliver the "World and Our Calling" lecture.
On November 9 to November 10, 1938, thousands of Jews were subject to terror and violence by the Nazis. Jewish synagogues and businesses were destroyed, and approximately 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and taken to concentration camps. The name Kristallnacht came from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues were shattered. In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Kristallnacht, Professor Kevin Ostoyich was invited to make a presentation in a joint program between Congregation Shaarey Tivkah and B'Nai Jeshurun Congregation in Beachwood, Ohio. Professor Ostoyich told the story of Ida Abraham, Auguste Sternberg, and Grete Gabler in Mothers: Remembering Three Women on the 80th Anniversary of Kristallnacht. Professor Ostoyich also had an article by the same name recently published by the AICGS, which can be read here. The event was live-streamed and can be viewed at Kristallnacht Commemoration. In addition, Cleveland Jewish News published two articles with respect to the event; please see "Shaarey Tikvah, B'nai Jeshurun to Commemorate Kristallnacht" and "80th Anniversary of Kristallnacht Highlights Women's Stories".
On November 12, 2018, Eva Kor brought her "Message of Survival and Forgiveness" to Valparaiso University. To learn more, please read articles written about her in the Northwest Indiana Times and the Post Tribune.
Congratulations to Professor Heath Carter, who has won the2018 Emerging Public Intellectual Awardand will travel to Redeemer University College in Ontario, Canada,in January to deliver the "World and Our Calling" lecture.
Professor Kevin Ostoyich has a new article published byPennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid Atlantic Studiesof Penn State University Press. Please read: "A Profile of the 'Hit Maker': Recording the Life of Berliner, Shanghailander, and Philadelphian Gunter Hauer"
