Berlin, preceded Ambassador Timken with opening remarks. A reception in the colorful Hall of Seals brought the festive event to a close.

“Tens of thousands of Russian Jews have chosen to settle in Germany in recent years, and Touro College Berlin is uniquely situated to serve the needs of this growing population,” said Dr. Lander. “We are extremely proud of our graduates, and of Touro College Berlin, which is a significant academic and cultural institution for Germany as it allows for the continued exchange of experience, perceptions and viewpoints between our two nations.”

The graduates, who received American baccalaureate degrees in the College’s program in Business Management and Administration, began their studies when the school opened in October 2003. Touro was the first U.S. college with Jewish roots to open a branch in Germany, and its launch was celebrated as an affirmation of the rebirth of Jewish life in Germany. Currently there are over 100 students enrolled. In addition to business courses, the College offers liberal arts courses and a special track in Jewish Studies that includes classes in Hebrew, Jewish history and philosophy. Students from Touro College Berlin can transfer after two semesters to Touro College in New York for a semester of study.

Touro College Berlin is located in a historic mansion, Haus am Rupenhorn, overlooking the River Havel. The mansion was built and owned by a Jewish family prior to World War II. Today the facility is surrounded by gardens and trees in an elegant residential area close to the waterside, about half an hour from the busy western city center.

• College Hosts Lecture: “How German Jewry Turned Bourgeois: Religion, Culture, and Social Mobility in the Age of Emancipation” - In October, as part of an ongoing lecture series, the College hosted a lecture by Professor Dr. Simone Lässig, the newly appointed director of the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, Braunschweig, and professor of modern history at Braunschweig University. From 2002 to 2006 Dr. Lässig was a research fellow at the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C. She has published in the fields of Jewish History (18th to 20th centuries) and social and cultural history, among others, and is co-editor of the periodical Geschichte und Gesellschaft. The lecture was followed by a discussion. The event was moderated by Dr. Andreas Nachama.

• College Hosts Lecture: Dreams in the Babylonian Talmud - Also in October, the College hosted a well-received public lecture by Dr. Simcha Fishbane, executive assistant to Dr. Bernard Lander. Entitled “ ‘Every Dream Becomes Valid Only by its Interpretation’: Dreams, Dream Interpretations and Dream Interpreters in the Babylonian Talmud,” the event attracted approximately 100 individuals from the school and local community. Dr. Fishbane is co-editor of the forthcoming “Jewish Studies in Violence: A Collection of Essays,” with Roberta Rosenberg Farber, adjunct professor in sociology at Lander College for Women. The book is expected to be published in 2006 by University Press of America. He is also the editor of “Deviancy in Early Rabbinic Literature: a Collection of Socio-Anthropological Essays,” expected to be published by Brill next year.