"I think students consider me to be intellectually alive, passionate in teaching, very crystal clear with lucid concepts and ideas and challenging with the questions and with thoughts," Kraut said when asked what makes him a good teacher.
The administration at Queens College agrees and on Oct. 20, Kraut, the director of the college's Jewish studies program, was awarded the 2004's President Award for Excellence in Teaching.
As a professor of Jewish studies, and a person who follows the Jewish religion, Kraut feels that understanding the Jewish faith and history is necessary for a better understanding of the world itself.
"I think its critically important because Jews have been around for 3,000 years and Jews have written about and talked about issues that are still at the forefront of modern discussion," he said.
Of course, teaching a course in Jewish history involves the trying and emotional task of educating younger generations about the horror of the Holocaust and anti-semitic persecution in general.
Kraut says that the Jewish people should be looked at as a model of survival and perseverance.
"Jews have lived as a minority in geographic areas and cultures for over 2,000 years and have survived and, in many cases, thrived," he said. "Jews are a model of how minority groups can continue to survive when they are minorities in societies."
Queens College President James Muyskens commended Kraut, and said he should be recognized for how he teaches his students about the Holocaust, said Queens College President James Muyskens
"Teaching the Holocaust requires a special sensitivity in order to present its many-faceted lessons and history in a way that does not cause anger or prejudice, but instead, fosters understanding," Muyskens said.
In addition to serving as an academic professor and director, Kraut is also the director for the Center for Jewish Studies, which serves as a bridge between academic programs and the community.
Kraut describes the center as an "intellectual and cultural resource" that produces 30-40 events each year, including films, lectures and musical performances.
Kraut is currently in the process of organizing an international symposium that will take place on Nov. 21. The program, called "Reflections of Zionism," will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Theodore Herzel, founder of the Zionist movement. Zionism is the name given to the efforts to reestablish a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and resulted in the establishment of Israel.
Kraut joined the Queens College faculty in 1998, after 20 years at the University of Cincinnati, where he won two of the institution's most prestigious awards. At the University of Cincinnati, he pioneered courses in black and Jewish relations. He is also the former book review editor of the scholarly journal "American Jewish History," and has published numerous books on modern and American Jewish history and Judaism.
