Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer
Gene Hoffman is 96 years old, but the Gratz College donor, graduate and student was taking classes in 2020 when the pandemic moved everything online. For someone who first started school around the time of the Great Depression, one might think the adjustment to Zoom-only schooling would be tough. Hoffman said the opposite.
“I rather enjoyed it!” he said. “It was easy! And it was very enjoyable. I would look forward to it.”
Hoffman may be close to reaching the status of centenarian, but that doesn’t mean that he is done learning. While he isn’t currently enrolled at Gratz, he is auditing classes in the Jewish studies program. The reason why is simple, he said.
“Education, for me, is the highlight of my life,” he said.
And at Gratz, which was not the first school to award Hoffman an advanced degree, the New Jerseyan who has since moved to Florida said that he found a gem of Jewish learning.
“The first time I saw it, I said, ‘I will do the best I can for this place.’ It’s too good for people not to know about it,” he said.
That has inspired Hoffman to continue to attend classes and donate to Gratz even as his pursuit of degrees has ended. Hoffman said that the instruction at the school is top notch and that the diverse offerings of Jewish courses provided him with a wealth of knowledge in topics from Jewish culture to Holocaust studies. He has experience at all sorts of universities: Seton Hall, Princeton, University of Connecticut and Jewish institutions other than Gratz.
Gratz President Zev Eleff said that the college has benefited from Hoffman’s donations, of course, but also his presence and perspective.
“Gene has a record of not just giving but participation in adult Jewish learning. Unassuming in his participation, he epitomizes not just what Gratz thinks, but what we all think about adult education: it’s a journey; it’s a quest for knowledge and wisdom,” Eleff said. “His enrolling sets the bar high for both scholarly humility and for our shared aspirations for the impact of high-level Jewish learning.”
Hoffman said the value of a school for Jews and by Jews is heightened in times like this. He said that, right now, students need to be learning about the modern context of Israel as well as the biblical and historical context.
“I get worried for Israel. Where is this all going, and where is this going to lead to? And how many years is it going to take Israel to rebuild the Gaza Strip when the smoke clears?” he asked. “The Gaza Strip has been there forever. When the Jews left Egypt, they went through the Gaza Strip as a part of the exodus. I don’t think too many people know that,” he said.
Hoffman said that, since he graduated high school, he has obtained a number of degrees, including master’s degrees and Ph.D.s. In addition to Gratz, he attended other Jewish institutions, but none offered the same aura as the college in the Philadelphia area that he considers a home away from home. In fact, he recommends that others he knows join him in his efforts.
“I was very happy with my master’s degree, so I decided to try and get other people involved. The instructors are incredible, the courses were great — I can’t speak highly enough about Gratz,” Hoffman said.
For Hoffman to endorse Gratz with this much vigor is a sign that the college’s offerings appeal to students of all ages and backgrounds. Hoffman is clearly atypical when it comes to the student body — it’s probably safe to say that he was the only member of his class to enlist for service in the Korean War.
Hoffman graduated high school in 1946, but that never dissuaded him from this pursuit.
“So, there’s a little time in between,” he joked.
Hoffman said that, in many ways, the world is remarkably different, but in some ways, it is the same. For one, the antisemitism he saw as a kid is still prevalent, and only worsening. Hoffman said that Jews have to be brave in the face of hate. He said his first fistfight was over an antisemitic comment in grade school, and his last one was over an antisemitic comment in the service. He emphasized that neither was a big deal. In fact, he ended up being promoted in the Army later on.
“Maybe I wasn’t such a bad guy after all,” he said.
Through all of his accomplishments, one of Hoffman’s proudest moments was stepping onto campus to graduate. His kids attended, and Hoffman said that it was a happy moment.
There is endless value to continued education and there is no age cap on admitted students. Hoffman, for one, credits Gratz for igniting his appreciation for his own people.
“It really aroused my curiosity about Judaism,” he said. “The more you learn, the more you understand.”
