Nazareth College names new Konar Center Director Beth Lilach
Nazareth College welcomes Beth Lilach as the incoming executive director of the Konar Center for Tolerance and Jewish Studies. She comes to Nazareth with many years of experience working in various educational and leadership roles in Jewish studies.
Lilach previous worked at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in Toronto and the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center on Long Island. She has been engaged with social justice, feminist, and genocide pedagogy for over thirty years.
The Konar Center offers coursework, study abroad, visiting scholar, and other initiatives and opportunities for Nazareth students and the broader community. In addition to creating relevant community partnerships, the Konar Center partners with many other Nazareth centers dedicated to interfaith understanding including: the Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue and the Center for Spirituality.
Lilach's priorities for her first year at the Konar Center are: to provide opportunities for Nazareth students, faculty, and staff to learn about Jewish diversity, ethics and spirituality; to present Jewish perspectives during interfaith and multicultural dialogues on and off campus; and to expand changemaking initiatives that will benefit both the Nazareth and Rochester communities.
She holds a bachelor's degree in feminist studies from the University of California-Santa Cruz and a master's in Holocaust history and Genocide studies from Clark University.
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
