In 1988, Stuart B. Padnos and Barbara Padnos, along with the Louis and Helen Padnos Foundation, together donated a gift to establish the Louis and Helen Padnos Visiting Professorship in Judaic Studies. This fund has enrichened U-M’s Judaic Studies program by inviting scholars specializing in areas not regularly taught by permanent faculty to expand the breadth of Judaic academic offerings at the university. 

In 2021, Daniel, Jeffrey, and Douglas Padnos, as trustees for the Stuart and Barbara Padnos Foundation, continue the family’s multi-generational commitment to supporting The Frankel Center for Judaic Studies with a gift exceeding $1 million dollars. With this new generous gift addition, the Padnos Visiting Professorship is now expanded to a Faculty Professorship, establishing the The Stuart B. and Barbara Padnos Professorship in Jewish Thought. 

Jeffrey Padnos shared that the brothers, “are delighted to be able to expand upon it to establish this full professorship in Jewish Thought. Stuart and Barbara believed, and we have seen ourselves, that education can help people understand their similarities and differences, and that in most instances, the differences are far less than they thought. It was Stuart’s intention, which we strongly share, that the people chosen for this chair will demonstrate a passion for teaching, for connecting with people, and for contributing to mutual understanding.”

Director Scott Spector shares the center’s excitement for the opportunities that this new professor brings, stating that, “A new professorship in Jewish Thought is meant to provide coverage in some of the multiple and diverse traditions within Jewish life extending from biblical times to the present day. The focus on Jewish Thought opens up inquiries into how Jews have posed fundamental human questions about truth, beauty, and the constitution of the good life. We wish to examine the intellectual and cultural exchanges between Jews and their Muslim and Christian contemporaries. The study of Jewish Thought also attends to tensions between philosophical questioning and doctrines of Judaism. The study of Jewish philosophy provides students with multiple perspectives they can utilize in their own reflections on the possibilities of contemporary Jewish life. By introducing students to responses to questions of fundamental human concern, academic study of philosophy advances the goals of liberal arts education through a distinctive Jewish lens. The Padnos Professor endowment provides the resources to bring the unique insights of a scholar of Jewish thought to the University of Michigan and open up key areas of the humanities to Jewish concerns.”  

The Stuart B. and Barbara Padnos Professorship in Jewish Thought will continue the family’s dedication to supporting the teaching and outreach of Judaic Studies.