Sons of Providence: The Jewish History of Providence College, 1917-1965

This image gallery presents photographs of the Sons of Providence exhibit. The exhibit, which was installed in Harkins Hall during the spring of 2017, chronicled the story of the Jewish men who attended Providence College from its founding through the era of the Second Vatican Council. The exhibit was the culmination of a collaborative research project between Dr. Jennifer Illuzzi (History) and Dr. Arthur Urbano (Theology). The exhibit presented interviews, student publications, archival materials, and historical context, enabling visitors to learn about these alumni and the groundwork for positive interreligious relations between Jews and Christians laid at Providence College at a time when anti-Semitism was high at home and abroad.

In addition to the photographs, posters, and archival materials presented at the physical exhibit, Doctors Illuzzi and Urbano collaborated with the Phillips Memorial Library to create a digital exhibit. The digital exhibit, Sons of Providence, presents much of the narrative and photographic content seen in person, but adds several media elements including a documentary made in collaboration with Film Studies Minor Joseph Aiello '17, an interactive map, and a wealth of photographs and primary documents. During its installation, the digital exhibit was available via two multimedia kiosks, which can be viewed in the images below.