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As Marquis Scholar Sarah Bassin ’04 (Overland Park, Kan.) takes one step closer to enrolling in rabbinical school, she continues in her quest to study Judaism.
Under the guidance of Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History, and Stephen Lammers, Helen HP Manson Professor of the English Bible, Bassin is conducting both an intensive research project into modern Jewish thought and a yearlong honors thesis that critiques Reform Judaism.
Bassin, a history and religion major, also participated in research on Just War theory and Jewish traditions similar to it with Lammers last fall through Lafayette’s EXCEL Scholars program, in which students assist faculty with research while earning a stipend. The program has helped make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
She was the inaugural recipient of Lafayette’s Ludwig and Beatrice B. Muhlfelder Scholarship, presented to a student whose academic program includes a focus on Holocaust studies. In addition, she was a Goldman Fellow last summer with the American Jewish Committee in Chicago, where she worked to improve interfaith relations. She teaches fifth-grade students at Bani Abraham, an Easton-area synagogue, and leads Lafayette’s Jewish community as president of Hillel Society.
The current research projects build upon Bassin’s past Lafayette experiences and are confirming her decision to become a rabbi. Her independent study takes a deeper look into American Jewish history and thought, and provides a background for her honors thesis, Weiner explains.
“Sarah is one of the most well-organized and mature students I’ve ever had,” Weiner says. “She has a character and value system well beyond her age. I expect her to be a leader in the Jewish community.”
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Bassin has been reading literature dealing with modern Jewish thought and philosophies, focusing on reconstructionism, the most recent movement in Judaism. Currently, she is reading a piece by 20th century rabbi Aryeh Kapplan that suggests Judaism should be an evolving religious civilization rather than just a religion.
Bassin says that working with Weiner on the independent study has been rewarding.
“He has been one of three major mentors here at Lafayette,” she says. “He takes a lot of interest in his studies. He’s really making sure I’m doing what I should be doing for my career path.”
Bassin says that Weiner is the main reason she came to Lafayette. During her college search, she called a number of them to see if they had a Jewish student organization. She says Weiner is the only professor to take the initiative to actually call her and extend an offer to visit. “It was a lot of personal attention and the care I was looking for.”
Weiner has come to know Bassin well over her four years at Lafayette.
“She’s a colleague and a friend as much as she is a student,” he says. “It’s been a joy to see a student like Sarah develop into a mature adult. She has already made a mark for herself out in the world.”
Lammers, her adviser for the honors thesis, is coeditor of On Moral Medicine, an award-winning book in medical ethics, and Theological Voices in Medical Ethics. He is a past recipient of the Carl R. and Ingeborg Beidleman Research Award, which recognizes excellence in applied research or scholarship.
“Sarah is working on something important to her as a future rabbi in the Reform tradition in Judaism, the matter of interfaith marriage,” he says.
Reform Judaism opposes interfaith marriages, though a synagogue will reach out to the couple after the wedding, Bassin explains. Her critique of the religion will use the Jewish tradition to argue for the acceptance of interfaith marriages, not just tolerance of them. She believes that interfaith marriages should be an accepted part of the Jewish faith.
Lammers says that the honors thesis has allowed Bassin to learn a great deal of history about Reform Judaism as well as shed some light on alternative approaches to viewing interfaith marriages.
“Sarah and I have worked together before,” Lammers says. “She is a very responsible person. More than that, she really works at thinking her way through a matter.”
Sarah credits some of this to Lammers.
“Professor Lammers and I really challenge each other,” she explains. “That is something I really enjoy about our relationship.”
Bassin also conducted an intensive research project on liberation theology guided by Richard Sharpless, professor of history.
Through the projects, internships, and independent studies, Bassin continues to prepare herself for rabbinical school. She is pleased with her experience at Lafayette.
“I was looking for a small college,” she says. “I can’t imagine a large-school experience. I feel like my professors are my friends here. I don’t think that a lot of students can say that at other institutions.”
Weiner suggests that Lafayette is a good academic environment for students like Bassin because it allows them to do graduate-level work early in their collegiate career. “That’s one of the ways we are at our best.”
Bassin worked as a social action intern at Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in Washington, D.C., and took a class on modern Jewish literature through the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She is educational co-chair of Questioning Established Sexual Taboos. She is also a member of the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society.
She is a graduate of Shawnee Mission South High School.
Honors thesis projects and independent study courses are among several major opportunities at Lafayette that make the College a national leader in undergraduate research. Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two students were accepted to present their work at the annual conference this month.
Chosen from among Lafayette’s most promising applicants, Marquis Scholars receive special financial aid and distinctive educational experiences and benefits, including a three-week, Lafayette-funded study-abroad course during January’s interim session between regular semesters. Marquis Scholars also participate in cultural activities in major cities and on campus, and mentoring programs with Lafayette faculty.