Potok remembered by U. community

Above all else, he was a hell of a nice guy.

At least, that's how novelist and essayist Hugh Nissenson -- one of the many who gathered to honor Jewish American culturalist and novelist, Chaim Potok, in Houston Hall yesterday afternoon -- says he will remember his late friend.

The event, "Chaim Potok and Jewish American Culture: A Memorial Symposium," featured a panel of speakers including Director of the Jewish Studies Program David Stern and Potok's daughter Rena Potok, a lecturer from the English Department.

Potok, who authored several acclaimed works including The Chosen (1967) and My Name is Asher Lev (1972), received his Ph.D. at Penn and returned to teach as part of the honors program.

In his welcoming speech, Stern called Potok a "popular" professor.

The Jewish Studies Program and the School of Arts and Sciences co-sponsored the memorial event. SAS Dean Samuel Preston remarked in a short greeting speech that the Penn community "takes pride in the role this school has played" in Potok's accomplishments.

While all of the speakers emphasized Potok's achievements, their speeches each offered unique perspectives on Potok's contributions.

Nissenson recalled Potok as an "extraordinary writer and a hell of a nice guy." Nissenson pinpointed the "authentic American voice" of Potok's Jewish narrators as one of the writer's most significant accomplishments.

"Here was something different," Nissenson explained, commenting that Potok's The Chosen is a Jewish novel with a "contemporary vernacular."

The audience responded positively to the event, nodding and quietly agreeing throughout the speeches. Attendee Lillian Segal, who takes classes at Penn through the Senior Associates Program, exclaimed she "loved it all, really."

Segal explained, "It occurred to me just now during the symposium that I really need to put My Name is Asher Lev on the reading list for my class."

Segal, who teaches at a Catholic college outside Philadelphia, said she wants to share the novel with her students because of the important thematic messages it imparts.

Mostly, Segal praised Potok's novels for their ability to "bridge Christian imagery and Jewish suffering" along with the "quality of writing."

Nissenson echoed Segal's praise for Potok's high-caliber writing.

"Chaim had technique -- he was a craftsman, but that wasn't enough for him," he said. "He wanted to be considered an artist."

Aside from the speeches, attendees were given a booklet of the eulogies from Potok's memorial service. The first eulogy begins, "According to the Talmud, if a king dies, any other Israelite can succeed him, but if a scholar dies, we have nobody like him."

As the symposium emphasized, such was the case with Potok.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.