$100,000 Gift Adds to Legacy of Support

Hillel Feinberg

Hillel Feinberg recently made a $100,000 gift to support the Hillel A. Feinberg Distinguished Chair of Holocaust Studies, extending Feinberg’s legacy of support for the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at UT Dallas.

Feinberg established the professorship in 2007 alongside a contribution from longtime Ackerman Center supporters John H. and Libba Massey. In 2019 additional contributions from Feinberg and others elevated the fund to a distinguished professorship, and Feinberg has continued to augment the endowment with supplementary gifts to provide enhanced support over the years.

He believes the future of the Ackerman Center is bright and is excited to continue contributing to its future.

“I hope the center continues to grow,” Feinberg said. “I hope that more and more students will at least take a course and study the Holocaust. Hopefully, they will become more aware of what is going on in the world.”

Dr. David Patterson, professor of literature and history and a member of the World Union of Jewish Studies and the Association for Jewish Studies, currently holds the Feinberg Distinguished Chair.

“David Patterson is an unbelievable person and professor who is dedicated to his work,” Feinberg said. “He’s very well respected and has had an incredible impact on the Ackerman Center, so continuing to improve the funding of the chair will support his needs.”

Patterson’s students are working on a variety of original research projects, all related to the Holocaust or antisemitism. The additional funding will support research, help students attend conferences, and address other programming needs.

“Thanks to Mr. Feinberg’s gift, I can continue to do research on the Holocaust and antisemitism and disseminate the results near and far,” Patterson said. “Such work is needed now more than ever. This deeply appreciated gift will also enable me to fund my PhD students as they conduct their important research.”

Feinberg’s planned gift was made through an IRA charitable rollover, which is one of the many ways donors can support the University in their estate plans.

“Anyone over 72 or 73 can donate up to $105,000 from their IRA to a qualified charitable entity,” Feinberg said. “It must be a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, so the money can be used in a constructive way to fulfill the required IRA minimum distribution annually. So, I chose to give it to UTD.”

Learn more about IRA charitable rollovers and estate gifts at utdallasgiving.org.