About Lois Olena
An ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, Lois has a Master of Arts in Jewish Studies from Gratz College in Philadelphia and a D.Min. from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Her doctoral dissertation is entitled, "Pentecostals and the New Anti-Semitism: Walking in the Fruit and Fullness of the Spirit for the Sake of the Jewish People" (available for purchase through ProQuest).
Lois' interest in Jewish Studies began at the end of her undergraduate work many years ago, when she took a course in Jewish-Christian Relations. "I knew I wanted to go on to do graduate work, but it was only after that class that I really felt directed toward Jewish Studies. So many things about my own spiritual heritage became more clear when understanding Christianity in the historical context of first-century Judaism. Also, having become aware of the terrible legacy of Christian anti-Semitism, I felt responsible to help Christians become increasingly mindful not only of their 'Jewish roots,' but also of Jewish-Christian history in order to take active steps in our day to prevent a repeat of anti-Jewish sentiment and behavior."
In 1989 the late Holocaust Historian Dr. Nora Levin asked Lois to assist Gratz College's Holocaust Oral History Archive in their effort to preserve first-hand oral testimonies from the Holocaust era. Over the next ten years, Lois transcribed over 500 survivor, liberator, and witness interviews, one hundred of which are in the oral history collection of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. She has also published Holocaust curricula and poetry and currently teaches courses in Jewish Studies, and Theology at Evangel University. She is married with two children.