In a press release from Temple Sholom:

    Temple Sholom announced today that congregant Ann Saltzman of Fanwood, Professor Emerita of Psychology and Director of the Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study at Drew University, was honored with the Sister Rose Thering Award on June 20 in Trenton, NJ.  The award has been
presented annually since 2007 by the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education to a person who
has initiated and supported educational and community programs to combat bias, bigotry and intolerance and that bring together people of different faiths for better understanding of each other and of Israel.

Saltzman has worked at the Drew University Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study since its inception 20 years ago.  She started as Associate Director, then became Co-Director and has been the Director for the last five years.

The mission of the Drew University Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study is to commemorate those
who perished in the Holocaust and to celebrate those who survived, to educate upcoming generations to remember for the future and to work toward ongoing research and scholarship.  The center focuses on genocides that foreshadowed the Holocaust, those that followed it and those that continue to erupt today.

“I am honored to have received such a prestigious award,” said Saltzman.  “It is a testament to the important work that we do at Drew.  In addition, I try to infuse the lesson of tolerance into my everyday life and carry on the work started by Sister Rose Thering.”

Sister Rose Thering (1920-2006) was a Roman Catholic nun, teacher and former professor at Seton Hall University who battled anti-Semitism within the Catholic community and around the world.  While at Seton Hall, she developed workshops to promote understanding between Christians and Jews.  Her doctoral dissertation which studied anti-Semitism in Catholic texts, entitled “Faith and Prejudice,” was used by the Vatican to reverse church policy that had previously blamed the Jewish community
at large for the death of Christ.  As a result of Sister Rose Thering’s activism, universities, politicians and the worldwide religious community have opened up to dialogue about interfaith tolerance and understanding.

“The Temple Sholom community is honored to have Ann Saltzman in our midst. We pride ourselves on tikkun olam, repairing the world,” said Temple Sholom President Sandra Nussenfeld.  “Ann’s work to create religious and cultural tolerance is a shining example of what we try to do as a congregation.  Sister Rose Thering was a pioneer in modern day interfaith understanding.  We know that Ann will continue to carry on her in spirit, as we should all strive to do.”

Prior to her current work, Saltzman received a doctorate in Social-Personality Psychology from the City University Graduate Center in NY and served on the psychology faculty at Drew University from 1984- 2012.  She began teaching Holocaust courses in 1990 and served as the faculty coordinator for the minor in Holocaust Studies.  She also co-led study trips on the Holocaust to Germany and Poland.  She has co- authored numerous presentations at both psychology and Holocaust studies conferences and written for various books and journals.  In addition, Saltzman’s scholarly pursuits include the history of psychology, psychology of women and social issues psychology.