holidays and closures
The Center is closed Monday, December 25 for Christmas.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
lecture
A Very Jewish Christmas
Sing along to our favorite Jewishly-inflected holiday songs, and hear from special guest Jody Rosen, author of White Christmas: The Story of an American Song, who will discuss the unique phenomenon that is Jewish contributions to Christmas music. Afterwards we’ll celebrate with a reception with Chinese food.
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lecture
lecture
Jewish Life in Croatia 1945-1952
Naida-Mihal Brandl, PhD is a Lecturer at the University of Zagreb and the 2017 Fred and Ellen Lewis JDC Archives Fellow. She will discuss the rebuilding of Croatia’s Jewish community and its renewing contacts with international Jewish organizations.
Presented by:
lecture
concert
The Annual Chanukah Concert
With Zalmen Mlotek, Artistic Director, National Yiddish Theater-Folksbiene; Yiddish folk and theater songs, with singers and piano and klezmer clarinet. Plus a Chanukah sing-along and special story for the holiday.
Presented by:
concert
panel discussion
Overcoming Extremism: An Interfaith Salon Conversation
Two emerging young leaders with first-hand experience facing extremism come together for an open dialogue on how decent people of all backgrounds can build bridges of understanding.
Richard Sassoon is an Iraqi-American of Jewish heritage who graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and studied at the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Richard has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa, lived in Morocco while studying at al-Akhawayn University, and assisted Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan.
Ahmed Omar is the Deputy Director of MALA. He is a Somalilander American of Muslim heritage, a refugee genocide survivor, and has grappled with radicalism in his own family. Ahmed is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago.
Come for an evening of thoughtful exchange on challenges and opportunities. By engaging in informed and inclusive dialogue the discussion aims to help ensure a world that transcends discrimination on the basis of religion, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation. or national origin.
As history has proven time and time again unchecked prejudice can ultimately lead to hateful actions, such as scapegoating, social exclusion (“otherization”), discrimination, expropriation, expulsion, and genocide. Never begins with now. By engaging with history through informed and inclusive dialogue we can all be advocates for individuals and communities that experience discrimination on the basis of religion, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or national origin.
Presented by:
panel discussion
celebration
Not Just for Kids...
Celebrate Hanukkah with an afternoon of activities for all ages and interests – history buffs, artists (at any level), and music lovers.
History!
Exciting gallery hunts in the special exhibitions The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, and 1917: How One Year Changed the World.
Guided tours of our special exhibitions, including a tour of The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, with verbal description for the blind, at 12:30 pm.
Art!
Drop-in craft zone for all ages; create a metal badge in the style of ancient gelt.
90-minute paper art technique workshop with artist Marna Chester, at 1:00 pm.
These multi-sensory activities are also suitable for individuals who are blind or who have low vision.
Music!
Join cellist Elad Kabilio and an ensemble of musicians from MusicTalks for stories and songs inspired by the Festival of Lights, across different cultures and musical styles, from Klezmer and Ladino to classical opera and jazz, at 3:00 pm.
Candle Lighting!
A spirited candle lighting – and Hanukkah treats for all!
Programming for the blind and low vision community is made possible by a grant from The Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation, Inc.
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celebration
lecture
The Transnational Roots of the Jewish State: What Can Malaria Eradication Teach Us about the History of Israel?
Focusing on malaria eradication in mandatory Palestine, this lecture will examine the global and transnational dynamics that influenced Jewish state-formation. Malaria was a major problem, which threatened to undermine Zionist goals, such as immigration and settlement, given the high morbidity rates that made early settlements barely able to sustain themselves. The lecture will look at the dynamics of scientific knowledge that was implemented in Palestine as well as the logic that dominated the organization of antimalarial activities to show how these were imported to the country from various other places including the United States, Panama and India.
Speaker Omri Tubi is a PhD candidate in the Sociology Department at Northwestern University and the recipient of the 2017 Martin and Rhoda Safer/JDC Archives Fellowship. He is using the fellowship toward his research on the relationship between public health campaigns and state-formation in Mandatory Palestine
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lecture
film and discussion
From Brooklyn to Beirut
Jews have lived in what is today Lebanon since Biblical times. As internal and regional tensions tore Lebanon apart, Lebanese Jews began to emigrate and settle abroad in countries such as France, Israel, Brazil, and the United States. In their new homes, Lebanese Jews, like other Lebanese emigrants, have formed vibrant communities where Lebanese traditions and values are maintained; Arabic language, music, and cinema are used and celebrated; and memories of Lebanon are constantly recalled and shared.
Presented by:
film and discussion
concert
A Yiddish Liederabend – An Evening of Yiddish Song
6:30pm Pre-Concert Lecture
7:30pm Concert
Description: Hear an elegant, nostalgic program devoted to treasures of Yiddish song and the poetry that inspired this musical expression in all its variety of style. Neil W. Levin delivers the pre-concert lecture at 6:30pm on the development of the Yiddish lieder tradition and its literary basis.
Presented by:
concert
book talk
Myopia: A Memoir
Phyllis Skoy’s first novel, What Survives, takes place in Turkey. Mark Aronson is an American Jew who is a professor of art history in Istanbul. He meets the protagonist of the novel, Adalet, and a relationship grows between them. Adalet is a young Turkish Muslim. Mark's father’s side of the family is Sephardic which is why Mark is so at home in Turkey. He is raised in the Sephardic culture even though he grows up in New York City and his mother is Ashkenazi. At this time, Istanbul is a flourishing international city with inhabitants from all over the world.
What Survives is one of a three-part series. This book takes place in the recent present. The book Ms. Skoy is currently writing focuses on the coming of the Republic of Turkey and the character of Fatma, from the first book. In the third novel, Ms. Skoy hopes to write about the terrible events in Turkey and the Erdogan government through the same characters as appear in her first novel.
In her recently published memoir, Myopia, we learn about the life of the novelist.
PHYLLIS M. SKOY lives with her husband and Australian cattle dog in Placitas, New Mexico where she settled after living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for many years. She currently maintains a small private practice in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in Albuquerque.
Presented by:
book talk
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
By a Thread - a Daughter's Search for her Mother's Hidden Identity
Speaker: Marisa Fox
New York journalist Marisa Fox knew her mother as Tamar Fromer Fox, a self-proclaimed freedom fighter and hero of the Israeli War of Independence. But Tamar's Polish roots were more elusive, as she avoided any conversation of how she escaped the fate that claimed her own mother and large family who were murdered at Auschwitz. Nearly 20 years after Tamar died, Marisa discovers her mother had a hidden identity and goes in search of it. Her quest takes her to her mother's Polish hometown-Sonowiec, where she finds records bearing a name and family members she had never heard before, addresses that take her through doorways she never thought she'd cross, and eventually to an obscure alpine village in the Czech Republic where her mother and thousands of other Polish Jewish girls were imprisoned for up to 4 1/2 years in Nazi forced women's labor camps. Though Tamar always denied she was a Holocaust survivor, Marisa finds evidence to the contrary and ponders the nature of identity. After a 7-year investigation from Manhattan to Melbourne, Toronto, Tel Aviv, Detroit, Haifa, Berlin, and Malmo, Sweden, finding survivors and relatives who knew her mother, Fox has directed a documentary about her search called "By a Thread." Connecting the dots between her mother's alias and her true genealogical roots and secret past, Fox asks: Is identity something that's genetically determined or are we creatures of self-invention and reinvention?
Marisa Fox is a veteran journalist who has worked in print, broadcast and digital journalism. She has written for Haaretz, the New York Times, and other publications with profiles and features about current events, culture, women's issue, immigration and the Holocaust. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BS and MS in Journalism and BA in French Language and Literature.
Presented by:
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
book launch
The Ruined House by Ruby Namdar
featuring Ruby Namdar and Liel Leibowitz
Book talk to launch and celebrate the new English translation of Ruby Namdar’s award winning The Ruined House from Hebrew.
Presented by:
book launch
concert
Turmoil of the Heart: Lyricism and Drama in Music by Schubert and Brahms
Phoenix Chamber Ensemble performs Schubert’s “Violin and Piano Duo Sonata,” Opus 162, D. 574, Brahms’ “Viola Sonata,” Opus 120, and Brahms’ “ Piano Quartet ,” Opus 25. Featuring Annaliesa Place on violin, Dov Scheindlin on viola, Andrew Janss on cello and Vassa Shevel and Inessa Zaretsky on piano.
This program is made possible by the generous support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
Presented by:
concert
lecture
Pariahs and Prophets: How Outsiders Help Insiders Think About the World
Historian Jeremy Adelman (Princeton) will consider the intellectual impact of scholars rescued from political danger on their host institutions and countries in a public lecture on Monday evening to kick off an academic workshop the following day at the New School for Social Research.
Presented by:
lecture
curator's tour
The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back
Join historian Steven Fine (Yeshiva University) on a walking tour through Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, exploring the image and legacy of the Arch of Titus from Imperial Rome to modern-day Israel.
Presented by:
curator's tour
staged reading
The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe
The American Sephardi Federation proudly presents The Jew of Malta, by Christopher Marlowe, performed in a staged-reading version, adapted by and starring David Serero as Barabas and featuring Sephardi songs sung by the baritone opera star. Other cast members include: Ron Barba (Ferneze), Christopher Romero Wilson (Ithamore), Andreas Pliatsikas (Calymath), Nathan Louis Oesterle (Jew/Merchant/Friar Jacomo), and Shawn Chang (Piano).
Presented by:
staged reading
concert
Cantata Profana performs Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde
6:00pm Pre-Concert Lecture, Sponsored by the Jewish Music Forum
7:00pm Concert, Presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
Gustav Mahler: Jewish Identity and Nineteenth-Century Musical Culture
In this pre-concert lecture, historian Daniel Jütte (NYU) will discuss Mahler as a Jewish composer by examining the time and place in which he lived. Lecture is free; RSVP to info@jewishmusicforum.org.
Enjoy Gustav Mahler’s epic song symphony, Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) in Arnold Schoenberg and Rainer Riehn’s chamber orchestra arrangement. YIVO joins forces with the young, “intrepid” (New Yorker) vocal and instrumental chamber ensemble Cantata Profana for a concert to remember.
Presented by:
concert
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Friday, November 24 for Thanksgiving.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 for Thanksgiving.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center will close at 2pm on Wednesday, November 22. It will remain closed Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 for Thanksgiving.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
course
Introduction to Gershom Scholem
In this course, we'll examine Gershom Scholem's systematic conception of Jewish politics, touching on three core strands: Kabbalah, Messianism, history. We'll treat each in turn, and consider how in combination the three form the ground on which Scholem's broader intellectual project is organized. Continues every Tuesday through December 12.
Presented by:
course
curator's tour
The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back
Join Jacob Wisse, director of Yeshiva University Museum on a walking tour through Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, exploring the image and legacy of the Arch of Titus from Imperial Rome to modern-day Israel.
Presented by:
curator's tour
the arch of titus and the rome lab
The Knight and His Jewish Readers
Michela Andreatta (University of Rochester), Serena Di Nepi (University of Rome La Sapienza) and Jane Tylus (New York University) will discuss Ariosto’s masterpiece Orlando Furioso in the context of an early modern Jewish quest to define minority status amidst a dramatic transformation of mentality, political equilibria, and power structures.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
book launch
Bad Rabbi and Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press
Discover the underground history of downwardly mobile Jews, mined from the Yiddish press to expose the seamy underbelly of pre-WWII New York and Warsaw, the two major centers of Yiddish culture in the late 19th – early 20th centuries.
Presented by:
book launch
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
Sleuthing in Yiddish: The Yiddish Forward as a Source for Family History Information
In this presentation, Samuel Norich, vice-president of the Forward Association, will provide an overview of the role of the Yiddish Forward has played for American Jews for the past 120 years.
He will examine the features and innovations that made it the most widely read Jewish publication in the world for the first six decades of the 20th century, and now make it a resource for
historians and others delving into the Jewish communities of America and Europe of those times.
Samuel Norich has distinguished himself as an analyst of American Jewry's communal structures. He is the author of "What Will Bind Us Now? a report on the institutional ties between Israel
and American Jewry." He has served at president of the World Jewish Congress, as executive director of YIVO (1980-1992), and as chief executive of the Forward Association.
Born in Displaced Persons camp in Germany in 1947, the son of Polish Jews, Mr. Norich emigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1957, and was educated at Columbia, Hebrew University in
Jerusalem, and University of Wisconsin.
Presented by:
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
the arch of titus and the rome lab
Giuseppe Valadier’s Restoration of the Arch of Titus
Marina Caffiero (University of Rome La Sapienza) will discuss the restoration of the Arch of Titus; as Stendhal put it, of the original arch, “only a copy remains.” Restored by Raffaele Stern and Giuseppe Valadier under the post-Napoleonic restoration rule of Pope Pius VII, the Arch of Titus is one of the earliest examples of preservation of antiquity in the Eternal city. Loaded with symbolism for both Jews and Christians, the Flavian monument returned to public sight during a papacy that reshaped anew Jewish-Catholic relations in public spaces.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
discussion and book signing
From Daniel Pearl to Steven Sotloff: Jews and Political Kidnapping
The Algemeiner Editor's Club and the American Sephardi Federation cordially invite you to join us for a discussion and exclusive book signing with Jere Van Dyk, former CBS journalist and captive of the Taliban. The conversation -- which will be moderated by Algemeiner Editor-in-Chief Dovid Efune -- is titled From Daniel Pearl to Steven Sotloff: Jews and Political Kidnapping.
Van Dyk is one of the most celebrated journalists covering the Middle East, and his new book THE TRADE: My Journey Into the Labyrinth of Political Kidnapping adds to his list of already impressive credentials. His unheralded knowledge positions him as an authority to discuss breaking news in relation to Middle Eastern geopolitics as well as his own experience being held hostage by jihadists and the ever-evolving business of political kidnapping.
The discussion will be followed by a Q & A session and a book signing. VIP entry to the event includes access to an exclusive reception preceding the talk and a signed copy of the book.
Presented by:
discussion and book signing
the arch of titus and the rome lab
Roman Travelers in Eretz Israel
In the middle of the night on July 9, 1746, two Jews of the Roman ghetto, Amadio Abbina and Sabato Isacco Ambron, left the city, The description of their adventures and the places they visited during their long pilgrimage to the Holy Land have reached us for the first time in 2012 in manuscripts published by Paola Abbina and Asher Salah. By providing a biographical sketch of these two intrepid Jewish friends, this lecture by Asher Salah (Bezalel Academy) aims at understanding the reasons why they undertook such a perilous journey.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
the arch of titus and the rome lab
The City of Rome as Storehouse of Jewish Artifacts
Ra’anan Boustan (Princeton University) will speak on the paradoxical image of Rome as a repository for “Jewish” artifacts and strategies by which Roman Jews and Roman Christians utilized these artifacts to make claims on the ancient past.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
ruth gay seminar in jewish studies
The Virtual Archive: Imagining I.N. Steinberg’s Jewish Refuge in the Kimberley
This presentation reviews an exciting collaborative project that constructs a virtual world to image and imagine I. N. Steinberg’s plans for a Jewish refugee settlement in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. This virtual world takes shape by mobilizing thousands of digitized documents from the Steinberg collection at the YIVO archives in an innovative and informative way. I.N. Steinberg was the charismatic leader of the Freeland League who lived in Australia from 1939-1943 and who sought a refuge for the persecuted Jews of Europe against the backdrop of World War II and the Holocaust. The presentation will feature a Unity gaming demo that illustrates how the archival documents are used to texture the architectural models in the virtual world. This five-year digital art and humanities project is funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Melissa Shiff is Research Associate at the Sensorium Research Centre for Digital Art and Technology at York University in Toronto. She is a digital media artist whose current work utilizes virtual reality to engage with Jewish cultural memory. Melissa Shiff’s highly acclaimed projects have been exhibited internationally at such institutions as The Jewish Museum New York, The Jewish Museum in Prague, The Contemporary Jewish Museum San Francisco, and The Israeli Center for Digital Art. She is the artistic director of “The Imaginary Jewish Homelands of I.N. Steinberg.”
Louis Kaplan is Professor of History and Theory of Photography and New Media at the University of Toronto and he is affiliated faculty at its Centre for Jewish Studies. He is the author of numerous books including most recently Photography and Humour (Reaktion Books/University of Chicago Press, 2016). Professor Kaplan was a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Jewish History during the 2013-2014 academic year. He serves as the chief historian and theorist on “The Imaginary Jewish Homelands of I.N. Steinberg.”
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ruth gay seminar in jewish studies
the arch of titus and the rome lab
Dressing the Sacred Text: Mappòt, Me’ilim and Parochyot in the Synagogues of Rome
The blessing of the women who dress the sacred text is the idea at the heart of the Rome Lab, the philological trace of a tradition that ties Roman Jews to Antiquity. Eight women are said to have worked in the Temple of Solomon to weave the parochet, the curtain that shielded the sacred Ark. The connection between the dressing of the text and the women who made the fabric is sealed in the Roman liturgy. Alessandra Di Castro (Jewish Museum of Rome), Serena Di Nepi (University of Rome La Sapienza) and Rav Amedeo Spagnoletto (Collegio Rabbinico Italiano) will discuss this tradition that challenges historical methods and Jewish law.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
the arch of titus and the rome lab
Traditions of Roman Jews: Life and Religion
A captivating story-teller and profound connoisseur of Talmudic literature and Roman Jewish lore, Rav Amedeo Spagnoletto (Collegio Rabbinico Italiano) will guide listeners through the community narratives and century-old customs of the oldest community in the Western hemisphere.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
the arch of titus and the rome lab
To be a Scribe in Italy: A Century Old Legacy
Working as a sofer (scribe) and restorer for more than thirty years, Rav Amedeo Spagnoletto recently appointed chief rabbi of Florence, has become a keeper of the Italian tradition handed down for centuries. In his presentation Rav Spagnoletto will discuss the history, art, and halakhic norms that converge in the making of handwritten Hebrew text.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
lecture & multi-media presentation
No Friends but the Kurds: A Story of Surviving Saddam
At a time when the freedom of the Kurdish people is imperiled, the American Sephardi Federation is hosting a two-part program.
First, researchers from the Diarna Geo-Musuem of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life will present a virtual guided tour of Jewish historical sites in Iraqi-Kurdistan, ranging from synagogues and communal caves to the purported shrines of Biblical prophets and the tomb of the first woman rabbi.
Afterward, ASF Board Member Jamil Ezra, a native of Baghdad, will share his inspiring story of fleeing 1970s Baathist Iraq with the help of the Kurdish fighters known as Peshmurga, who included a young Masoud Barzani. Now President of the Kurdish Regional Government, Barzani personally drove Jamil to freedom.
The Diarna virtual guided journey to Jewish-Iraqi Kurdistan is the product of nine years of research and multiple research expeditions.
Just before the rise of ISIS, a team of researchers from Diarna journeyed to Iraqi-Kurdistan to document the last remnants of Jewish life, more than fifty years after the community disbanded. Warmly greeted by Kurds who fondly remembered their Jewish neighbors and Peshmurga who invited them for tea at a checkpoint, the Diarna researchers discovered hidden Jewish history in caves and behind crumbling walls. Learn about fascinating sites in Amediye, Akre, al-Qoosh, Betanur, Kirkuk, and elsewhere.
More recently, as detailed in Newsweek’s March 3, 2017 cover story, a Diarna researcher survived an ISIS chemical attack at Sinjar as work continues to discover and document the area's rich Jewish history.
Presented by:
lecture & multi-media presentation
conference
Jews In and After the 1917 Russian Revolution
Attend a 2-day conference to explore the 1917 Russian Revolution, Jewish life in the Soviet Union, and the Revolution’s lasting impact today.
Presented by:
conference
conference
Jews In and After the 1917 Russian Revolution
Attend a 2-day conference to explore the 1917 Russian Revolution, Jewish life in the Soviet Union, and the Revolution’s lasting impact today.
Presented by:
conference
the arch of titus and the rome lab
Rome and the Jews at the Times of the Ghetto
Lecture by Serena Di Nepi (University of Rome La Sapienza). The Roman ghetto was established by a Papal decree in 1555 on the backdrop of major geo-political upheaval. Whatever the Pope’s goal and motivations actually were, the ghetto represented an alternative to the Iberian expulsion and a way to keep Jews within the Christian society.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
the arch of titus and the rome lab
Rome in Talmudic Imagination
The story of Yavneh and Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai is among many literary strategies used in the Jewish texts to illustrate the encounter between Judaism and Rome. Amram Tropper (Ben Gurion University), Ron Naiweld (French National Centre for Scientific Research), and Shai Secunda (Bard College) will explore how the rabbinical elite’s views of the Romans played out in the formation of modern Judaism.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
book talk
Before Brooklyn: Jewish Communities in Egypt
Book talk launching and celebrating Najat Abdulhuq’s Jewish and Greek Communities in Egypt: Entrepreneurship and Business before Nasser, followed by a response from Joyce Zonana (CUNY BMCC), author of Dream Homes: From Cairo to Katrina, an Exile's Journey.
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book talk
discussion
9 Out of 400 at 20: Meir Gal and Ortal Ben Dayan in Conversation
Join Meir (Miro) Gal and Ortal Ben Dayan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Meir Gal’s widely acclaimed “9 Out of 400: the West and the Rest.” Gal, an NYC based artist and SVA faculty, has created the groundbreaking artwork in 1997, resolutely helping a renewed struggle to radically change the politics of education in the Israeli school system. Gal’s work inspired many Mizrahi artists and activists to continue the work of previous generations in the long struggle to change the politics of historiography, memory, and self-representation. In 1997, in a text that accompanies the artwork, Gal wrote that “The book shown in the photograph is the official textbook of the history of the Jewish people in recent generations that was used by high school students (including myself) in the 1970’s. The nine pages I’m holding are the only pages in the book that discuss non-European Jewish history”. Thirteen years later, Tel Aviv based Ortal Ben Dayan created the memorable “6 Out of 511 Mizrahi Artists according to Zalmona: a Tribute to Meir Gal”. This action is only one chapter in Ben Dayan's ongoing critical work as a public intellectual, artist, and designer. Gal and Ben Dayan will discuss their histories, issues concerning the labeling of political art, is there indeed a genre of “Mizrahi art”, and identities in shifting transatlantic and diasporic contexts.
Presented by:
discussion
conference
The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back
This international conference, featuring scholars from Israel, Italy, Sweden and the United States, explores the historical context and cultural significance of the Arch of Titus from Imperial Rome to modern-day Israel. Complements YUM’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back.
Presented by:
conference
panel discussion
The “Pew Jew” Study: American and German-Jewry in Comparison
Samuel Norich, (Forward) moderates a discussion withSteven Cohen (Hebrew Union College) and Robin Judd (Ohio State University) about the parallels and contrasts between the situations of German Jews a century ago and American Jews today.
Part of the series: German-Jewish History in the Now: The Contemporary Relevance of German-Jewish History
Made possible by Abraham Lowenthal, in memory of his parents, Rabbi Eric I. Lowenthal and Mrs. Suzanne S. Lowenthal. With additional support from Robert Rifkind and Elliot Sander.
Presented by:
panel discussion
the arch of titus and the rome lab
The Temple in Renaissance Imagination
Giuseppe Veltri, University of Hamburg. Which Temple did they long for and why?
Together with Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, Centro Primo Levi and the Jewish Museum of Rome present the Rome Lab, a learning space dedicated to Roman Jews, to the formative centuries of Western Judaism and the 22-centuries-long relationship between Rome and Jerusalem.
Through January 2018, the general public, students, and scholars are welcome to join and participate in the conversation. Additional info at www.primolevicenter.org.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
a library social hour
No Shushing Allowed
Please join us for our October library social hour. You will have the opportunity to speak with the librarians and archivists who make the materials housed at Center for Jewish History accessible, and to welcome our new group of incoming fellows. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know fellow researchers as well as staff, learn about how others use the collections, and talk about books, archives, and research in general. Light refreshments will be served.
Presented by:
a library social hour
panel discussion
The Frankfurt School Knew Trump Was Coming
In a post-election essay, the critic Alex Ross suggested that we may beexperiencing the American catastrophe anticipated by the Frankfurt School. Jack Jacobs (CUNY), Jonathon Catlin (Princeton), and Liliane Weissberg (Penn) discuss how the Frankfurt School’s analysis of antisemitism illuminates contemporary racism. Co-presented with Deutsches Haus at NYU.
Part of the series: German-Jewish History in the Now: The Contemporary Relevance of German-Jewish History
Made possible by Abraham Lowenthal, in memory of his parents, Rabbi Eric I. Lowenthal and Mrs. Suzanne S. Lowenthal. With additional support from Robert Rifkind and Elliot Sander.
Presented by:
panel discussion
the arch of titus and the rome lab
“Io so’ jodìo romano”: Notes on the Jewish-Roman Dialect
Daniel Leisawitz, Muhlenberg College. What language did the Jews of Rome speak before Judeo-Roman?
Together with Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, Centro Primo Levi and the Jewish Museum of Rome present the Rome Lab, a learning space dedicated to Roman Jews, to the formative centuries of Western Judaism and the 22-centuries-long relationship between Rome and Jerusalem.
Through January 2018, the general public, students, and scholars are welcome to join and participate in the conversation. Additional info at www.primolevicenter.org.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
panel discussion
Counterfactual History—What if the Weimar Republic Had Survived?
Historian Michael Brenner (University of Munich/American University) joins Gavriel Rosenfeld (Fairfield University), to discuss what factors and what actors contributed to the collapse of a fragile pluralism in the 1930s, and what that means for our own democracy. Co-presented with the German Academy in New York.
Part of the series: German-Jewish History in the Now: The Contemporary Relevance of German-Jewish History
Made possible by Abraham Lowenthal, in memory of his parents, Rabbi Eric I. Lowenthal and Mrs. Suzanne S. Lowenthal. With additional support from Robert Rifkind and Elliot Sander.
Presented by:
panel discussion
lecture & multi-media presentation
Jewish Heritage of Malta: An evening exploring a beautiful island's connection to Jewish history and culture
Evidence of Jewish history dates back to Roman times (4th-5th century) as seen at the St. Paul’s Catacomb site at Rabat, Malta, where several Jewish catacombs can be found alongside Christian burials.
The contemporary Maltese Jewish community is composed of immigrants from Gibraltar, England, North Africa, Portugal, and Turkey, arriving over the course of French and British rule starting in 1798. During the early 20th century, the island’s Jews did not have a rabbi of their own and rabbis would often be flown in from Sicily to perform ceremonies. During World War II, Malta was the only European country not requiring visas for Jews fleeing German rule. Numerous Maltese Jews, moreover, fought Germany in the British Army during the war. Today, a small but active community of under 200 Jews live on Malta with their own synagogue and rabbis.
Featuring guest speaker Dr. John Baldacchino (Director, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Institute), the program will present multimedia presentations showing Jewish heritage sites in Malta today.
Presented by:
lecture & multi-media presentation
celebration
120th Anniversary of the Founding of the Jewish Labor Bund
A celebration of the 120th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish Labor Bund, the socialist movement which has figured so prominently in the history of Eastern European and World Jewry.
Presented by:
celebration
the arch of titus and the rome lab
Frivolous, Ironic and Erotic Like the Bible: The Poetry of Immanuel da Roma
Ann Brener, Library of Congress, Isabelle Levy, Columbia University. Did Yosef Caro really ban from Jewish life Immanuel Romano’s poetry?
Together with Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, Centro Primo Levi and the Jewish Museum of Rome present the Rome Lab, a learning space dedicated to Roman Jews, to the formative centuries of Western Judaism and the 22-centuries-long relationship between Rome and Jerusalem.
Through January 2018, the general public, students, and scholars are welcome to join and participate in the conversation. Additional info at www.primolevicenter.org.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
panel discussion
Why Moses Mendelssohn Matters
How compatible are faith and reason, religious and civic loyalty, religiouscommitment and cosmopolitanism? Abraham Socher (Oberlin/Jewish Review of Books), David Sorkin (Yale), and Leora Batnitzky (Princeton) discuss how the great German-Jewish philosopher’s answers to these questions resonate today. Co-presented with the Jewish Review of Books.
Part of the series: German-Jewish History in the Now: The Contemporary Relevance of German-Jewish History
Made possible by Abraham Lowenthal, in memory of his parents, Rabbi Eric I. Lowenthal and Mrs. Suzanne S. Lowenthal. With additional support from Robert Rifkind and Elliot Sander.
Presented by:
panel discussion
film
Luigi Magni, In the Name of the Pope King
1973 (103 minutes)
Presented by:
film
lecture
Rescuing Endangered Jews: The Unit for Aliyah, Absorption & Special Operations
Meet Arielle Di Porto, who grew-up in a Moroccan-Sephardi home, made Aliyah at age 17, and has dedicated her life to ensuring the safety of every Jew. For several decades she has worked tirelessly to facilitate the Aliyah of Jews who choose to make Israel their home -- whether by choice or circumstance. Di Porto’s strong sense of love for the Jewish people and State of Israel and drive to rescue endangered Jews characterizes a career in which she participated in some of most critical and sensitive emigration missions in Jewish history, including special operations to ex-filtrate Jewish refugees from Cuba, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and other hot spots.
Today, she serves as the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Director of the Aliyah Division of the Unit for Aliyah, Absorption & Special Operations, responsible for Aliyah from around the world, including the United States, as well as directly charged with Aliyah from France and clandestine Aliyah efforts from countries in the Middle East.
The American Sephardi Federation is proud to partner with the Jewish Agency for Israel to provide a rare look behind the headlines at the vital, life-saving work of Arielle Di Porto and her colleagues on behalf of the Jewish people and State of Israel.
Presented by:
lecture
lecture
Mystic, Teacher, Troublemaker: Shimon Engel and the Challenges of Hasidic Yeshiva Education in Interwar Poland
Max Weinreich Fellowship Lecture in Polish Jewish Studies
Prior to the interwar period, yeshivas were virtually unknown among Polish Hasidim, who preferred a less formal educational paradigm centered on a shtibl (a small house of study). Following the First World War and an increase in secularization, however, the shtiblekh emptied out and Hasidic yeshivas were designed as an emergency measure to retain the young people within the Hasidic fold. Paradoxically, this educational revolution depended to a great extent on people like Shimon Engel Horowic of ?elechów (1876-1943) – elite scholars educated in traditional shtiblekh, who often looked on modern yeshivas with suspicion, if not outright enmity.
This talk will explore Engel’s idea of Hasidic education as an alternative solution to the interwar crisis that befell the Hasidic communities. This controversial idea an idea that put his life on a collision trajectory with the modernizing endeavors of Hasidic leaders in Poland and eventually ended his career when his conflict with the administration of the famous Yeshivat khakhme lublin resulted in violent riots.
Speaker: Wojciech Tworek is a postdoctoral fellow at the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto.
Presented by:
lecture
panel discussion
Germans, Jews, and Sex
A century before landmark victories on same-sex marriage in the U.S. andGermany, Magnus Legendary author and sex-therapistRuth Westheimer joins historiansRobert Beachy (Yonsei International University) and Atina Grossmann (Cooper Union) to discuss the legacy of German-Jewish reformers in advancing the scientific study of sexuality and advancing gay rights. Co-presented with the Goethe-Institut New York.
Part of the series: German-Jewish History in the Now: The Contemporary Relevance of German-Jewish History
Made possible by Abraham Lowenthal, in memory of his parents, Rabbi Eric I. Lowenthal and Mrs. Suzanne S. Lowenthal. With additional support from Robert Rifkind and Elliot Sander.
Presented by:
panel discussion
the arch of titus and the rome lab
A Tale of Two Cities: Rome and Jerusalem
Paula Fredriksen, Boston University. Everyone knows that Rome destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70. But did you know how much Rome contributed to building it?
Together with Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, Centro Primo Levi and the Jewish Museum of Rome present the Rome Lab, a learning space dedicated to Roman Jews, to the formative centuries of Western Judaism and the 22-centuries-long relationship between Rome and Jerusalem.
Through January 2018, the general public, students, and scholars are welcome to join and participate in the conversation. Additional info at www.primolevicenter.org.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
film and discussion
Germans & Jews—Jewish Life in Contemporary German and the Legacy of the Holocaust
The 2016 film Germans & Jews explores the country’s transformation from silence about the Holocaust to facing it head on. Post-film discussion with Steven Sokol (American Council on Germany), Rabbi Sonja Keren Pilz (Hebrew Union College), and attorney Steve Zehden (Noerr LLP). Co-presented with the American Council on Germany.
Part of the series: German-Jewish History in the Now: The Contemporary Relevance of German-Jewish History
Made possible by Abraham Lowenthal, in memory of his parents, Rabbi Eric I. Lowenthal and Mrs. Suzanne S. Lowenthal. With additional support from Robert Rifkind and Elliot Sander.
Presented by:
film and discussion
book talk
Jewish New York, 1917
A panel discussion with Deborah Dash Moore andRonit Stahl in conjunction with 1917: How One Year Changed the World exploring New York Jewry’s myriad responses to WWI from the viewpoints of military and social urban history, launching two new landmark books in the field of American Jewish History: Deborah Dash Moore’s Jewish New York and Ronit Stahl’s Enlisting Faith.
Presented by:
book talk
curator's tour
The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back
Join the curator on a walking tour through Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, exploring the image and legacy of the Arch of Titus from Imperial Rome to modern-day Israel.
Presented by:
curator's tour
film
Claudio Della Seta, Una Giornata Particolare
In memory of the victims of the deportation of the Jewish Community of Rome, October 16th, 1943 (2016).
Presented by:
film
lecture
German-Jewish History in the Twenty-First Century
New York Times columnist Roger Cohen synthesizes the themes of LBI’s fall series into a broader narrative about the disruptions and discontents of modernity, the fragility of democracy, and the twin crises of conflict and migration.
Part of the series: German-Jewish History in the Now: The Contemporary Relevance of German-Jewish History
Made possible by Abraham Lowenthal, in memory of his parents, Rabbi Eric I. Lowenthal and Mrs. Suzanne S. Lowenthal. With additional support from Robert Rifkind and Elliot Sander.
Presented by:
lecture
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Thursday, October 12 Shemini Atzeret.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center will close at 2pm on Wednesday, October 11 Erev Shemini Atzeret.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
book launch
The Book Smugglers
The Book Smugglers tells the story of the courageous Jews of the “Paper Brigade,” who risked their lives to rescue thousands of rare books and manuscripts—first from the Nazis and then from the Soviets—by hiding them on their bodies, burying them in bunkers in the Vilna Ghetto, and smuggling them across borders. This new book by David Fishman has been dubbed “Monuments Men for book lovers.” It is the epic chronicle of a little-known chapter from the darkest days of Jewish history.
The event will feature remarks by David Fishman, a musical program featuring songs by Shmerke Kaczerginski, a leader of the "Paper Brigade," performed by Josh Waletzky, and commentary on the book by Aaron Lansky, Founder and President of the Yiddish Book Center, and YIVO’s Executive Director Jonathan Brent, who will also reveal how the work to rescue Jewish culture and heritage from oblivion continues to this very day with the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Collections Project .
A free reception will follow the program. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing by the author.
Presented by:
book launch
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Friday, October 6 for Sukkot.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Thursday, October 5 for Sukkot.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center will close at 2pm on Wednesday, October 4 for Erev Sukkot.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
concert and lecture
Henech Kon: Beyond the Dybbuk
Featuring Diana Matut (scholar),Re'ut Ben-Ze'ev (soprano) and Zalmen Mlotek (piano) exploring the legacy of composer Henech Kon, best known as the composer of The Dybbuk’s film score and songs such as Shpil zhe mir a lidele in Yidish.
Presented by:
concert and lecture
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Saturday, September 30 for Yom Kippur.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center will close at 2:00pm on Friday, September 29 for Erev Yom Kippur.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
a library social hour
CANCELLED: No Shushing Allowed
Please join us instead for our next library social hour in October.
Presented by:
a library social hour
concert
Romantic Overtures: Music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms for Piano 4 Hands and Strings
Phoenix Chamber Ensemble performs Mozart’s “Piano Trio K.520 in B-flat
Major”; Mendelssohn’s "Hebriden" and "Ruy Blas" overtures arranged for 1
piano 4 hands, violin and cello; Schumann’s “G-minor Piano Trio,” Op.110
and Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances arranged for 1 piano 4 hands, violin and
cello.”
This program is made possible by the generous support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
Presented by:
concert
curator's tour
The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back
Join historian Steven Fine (Yeshiva University) on a walking tour through YUM’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, as he explores the image and legacy of the Arch of Titus from Imperial Rome to modern-day Israel.
Presented by:
curator's tour
commemoration
Nusakh Vilne
Join YIVO for their annual event commemorating the Jewish community of Vilna through poetry, music, and presentation. A reception will follow the presentations.
Presented by:
commemoration
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Friday, September 22 for Rosh Hashana.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Thursday, September 21 for Rosh Hashana.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center will close at 2:00pm on Wednesday, September 20 for Erev Rosh Hashana.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
lecture
Singing for the Bride and Groom in Early Modern Ashkenaz
Diana Matut will reveal the nature of singing during Jewish weddings in Ashkenaz and will answer questions such as: who was allowed to sing what to whom and when? And which repertoire did female singers perform and how?
Presented by:
lecture
film
Acts and Intermissions: Emma Goldman in America
A cinematic collage featuring rare archival footage of NYC from the 1910s, Abigail Child’s new documentary circles around the life of Emma Goldman and her relationship to the history of protest between then and now.
Presented by:
film
panel discussion
“Our Crowd”—German-Jewish Banking Families in America
In 1967, Stephen Birmingham published his best-selling social history of New York’s elite German-Jewish banking families. Historians Susie Pak (St. John’s) and Rebecca Kobrin (Columbia) join journalist Daniel Schulman ( Mother Jones) to evaluate the legend and the reality of “Our Crowd.”
Presented by:
panel discussion
the arch of titus and the rome lab
Singing Sacred Text
Rav Alberto Funaro. Yes, these are the High Holidays’ melodies of the oldest Jewish community in the Western world. Would you like to sing them too?
Together with Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back, Centro Primo Levi and the Jewish Museum of Rome present the Rome Lab, a learning space dedicated to Roman Jews, to the formative centuries of Western Judaism and the 22-centuries-long relationship between Rome and Jerusalem.
Through January 2018, the general public, students, and scholars are welcome to join and participate in the conversation. Additional info at www.primolevicenter.org.
Presented by:
the arch of titus and the rome lab
lecture
A Traveler Undisguised: “Mendele Moykher Sforim” as a Modern Jewish Intellectual
Professor Dan Miron presents a lecture on the essence of Abramovitsh’s historical achievement, one which enabled him to redefine the courses of both Hebrew and Yiddish Literature, and on the question of the continued relevance of his legacy in today’s world.
Presented by:
lecture
lecture
Political Prophecy versus Liberation Theology: Ethical and Mystical Dimensions
Join us for a talk by Professor Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth College) examining the development of "prophecy" as a central category in Protestant and Jewish biblical scholarship over the past 200 years. Christian and Jewish theology have been at sharp odds in their understanding of prophetic speech and the prophets’ own religious experience. From the mid-19th century well into the 1920s, for example, most Protestant biblical scholars defined the prophets as "ecstatics," whereas Jewish theologians viewed the prophets as teachers of universal ethical behavior. How have these views changed as biblical scholars responded to the upheaval of the world wars and political challenges like the Civil Rights Movement? Professor Heschel will pay particular attention to the thought of Abraham Heschel and will ask what role prophets might play in religious and political circumstances in the present.
Presented by:
lecture
film
Rare Archival Footage from JDC’s Work with Refugees and Stateless Persons
A unique opportunity to view rare archival films from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Archives, showcasing JDC’s assistance to refugees in Europe, North Africa and Yemen in the 20th century. A panel discussion will follow the film viewing.
Presented by:
film
course
Proust in Time: Swann’s Way
Mondays, September 11, 18, 25, October 2
In this course centered on Swann’s Way, the first installment of In Search of Lost Time, students will consider how Proust's novel
illuminates concerns both intimate and vast in light of the historical,
cultural, and personal context in which it was written.
Presented by:
course
celebration
Iraq’s Last Jews
Celebrating and honoring the founding supporters of the Iraqi Jewish Voices Project, Robert Shasha and Dennis Shasha. The project, led by the journalist and author Tamar Morad, tells the story of the last Jews of Iraq and their integration into Israel and throughout the world through dramatic current and historical photography, film, and personal narrative. The project is affiliated with Sephardi Voices USA, which means to collect interviews of Jews of Middle Eastern and North African origin to raise awareness around their destiny that is an important piece of Jewish and world history.
Presented by:
celebration
workshop
Paper-Art Workshop for Rosh Hashanah
Explore unconventional ways to create two- and three-dimensional greeting cards for Rosh Hashanah and other occasions with returning guest artist Marna Chester. A selection of historic cards from YUM’s collection will be on display for inspiration. This multi-sensory activity is suitable for adults and children, including individuals who are blind or who have low vision.
Presented by:
workshop
exhibit opening
For Her Own Good: An Interactive Art Installation by Ofri Cnaani
Artist Performance for Opening Night of “1917: How One Year Changed the World”. For Her Own Good is a mixed media installation exploring the multivalence of Emma Goldman’s performances, voices, and silences. A poetic commentary on the public speeches and closed hearings of “the most dangerous woman alive,” the installation weaves archival footage from various speeches and hearings. On view through November 1.
Presented by:
exhibit opening
exhibit opening
Becoming “German-Jewish” in America
German-Jewish immigrants built some of the United States’ signature Jewish institutions based on their traditions, education, and cultural ideals. Historian Tobias Brinkmann (Penn State) comments on an exhibition that shows how diverse groups of German-speaking immigrants forged an identity in the New World.
Presented by:
exhibit opening
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Monday, September 4 in honor of Labor Day.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Sunday, September 3 and Monday, September 4 in honor of Labor Day.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
the american sephardi music festival
Itamar Borochov – Jazz between Middle Eastern traditions
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
the american sephardi music festival
David Serero – A Sephardi on Opera!
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
the american sephardi music festival
Sarah Aroeste - Ladino Music Transformed from Yesterday to Today
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
the american sephardi music festival
Gerard Edery – Treasures of World Song
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
the american sephardi music festival
Nashaz – Arabic Jazz Ensemble
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
the american sephardi music festival
Adam Maalouf and the Future Tribe - Where the Ancient meets the Modern
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
the american sephardi music festival
Steven Chera – A Sephardi on Jazz!
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
the american sephardi music festival
Gerard Edery – Three Religions, Three Faiths
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
the american sephardi music festival
Francoise Atlan – An intimate evening of Andalusia and Sephardi music
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
celebration
Sephardi Tu B’av
Presented by:
celebration
lecture
Hebrew: A Holy Language
Although the Bible itself says very little about it, Jewish and Christian traditions commonly regard Hebrew as the language of creation, the language of primitive humanity and, ultimately, the language of God. Is there any evidence to support such views? Scholars today understand Hebrew to be a North-West Semitic language closely related to Moabite and Phoenician. It entered the record of history late in the day. Nevertheless, the notion of Hebrew as a holy language cannot be completely rejected.
In this lecture, Jan Joosten, Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford, will argue that, although Hebrew did not start out as a holy tongue, over time it really did become one. Join us to learn the story of this fascinating development from one of the world's leading authorities on the Hebrew language and the Bible. Professor Juoosten's talk will be followed by a discussion with Gary Rendsburg, Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History at Rutgers University.
This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition 500 Years of Treasures from Oxford. The exhibition gallery will be open for viewing before and after the program. For more information on the exhibition, please visit cjh.org/oxford.
Presented by:
lecture
concert
Summer Yiddish Song Celebration
A concert in celebration of the rich breadth of music with Yiddish lyrics including Yiddish Theater Songs, Yiddish Folk Songs, and Yiddish Art Songs. Singers include Eléonore Biezunski, Miryem-Khaye Seigel, and Eliza Bagg. Program details TBA.
Presented by:
concert
lecture
News and Journalism in the Age of Trump
Traditional news is facing disruption from all sides. Digital media are unraveling the advertising-based business model, an environment of political hyper-partisanship is undermining the idea of objectivity in reporting and the emergence of alternative sources of information, from so-called "fake news" to commercial and institutional propaganda, is challenging even the very notion of truth.
Join Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Gerard Baker for a review and discussion of these far-reaching developments and their implications for political and civil discourse in a modern democratic society.
This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition 500 Years of Treasures from Oxford. The exhibition gallery will be open for viewing before and after the program. For more information on the exhibition, please visit cjh.org/oxford.
Presented by:
lecture
course
Accusing Women
Dr. Yitzhak Lewis of the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research will lead this four-week seminar that explores literary tropes of accusation, from Genesis to Borges, and considers their relation to representations of women in Western culture.
Presented by:
course
lecture
Oxford's Aleppo Connection: Edward Pococke (1604-1691) from Humanism to Enlightenment via Hebrew and Arabic Learning
Speaker: Lenn Goodman (Vanderbilt University).
Aleppo has figured much in the news of late, but the city is ancient. Long home to one of the finest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, in early modern times it became an important center of trade – and learning. Edward Pococke (1604-1691), traveled there as chaplain to a British trade mission, aiming to perfect his Arabic. There he collected Arabic and Hebrew manuscripts, laying foundations for Oxford’s Bodleian collection in these areas. The holdings at Corpus Christi, Pococke’s old college, now on display here in New York, attest to the tradition of seeking firsthand knowledge of such texts at Oxford going back to the 13th century.
It was such work, often aided by Jewish and Muslim texts and learned informants of non-Christian backgrounds, that made possible the King James Bible (1611), spearheaded by John Rainolds, the President of Corpus. On returning from Syria Pococke became the first tenant of the chair in Arabic founded by Archbishop Laud. Besides translating Arabic books of history and poetry and commenting on books of the Hebrew prophets, Pococke introduced in England the work of the great Jewish philosopher, physician and jurist Moses Maimonides, overseeing the forging of special fonts to make possible his Porta Mosis, the Gateway to Moses (Maimonides). And he translated into Latin Ibn Tufayl’s 12th century Arabic philosophical novel Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, the story of a man growing up without parents or language – a thought experiment designed to show what a human mind could achieve without the benefit (or interference) of tradition. Translated into many languages, the book influenced Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and helped inspire the transition from Renaissance humanism, with its devotion to Greek, Latin, and Hebrew texts, to the Enlightenment ideal of independent thinking.
Lenn Goodman of Vanderbilt University is a widely known philosopher and a scholar of Jewish and Islamic philosophical classics. Like Pococke, he has translated both Maimonides and Ibn Tufayl.
This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition 500 Years of Treasures from Oxford. For more information on the exhibition, please visit cjh.org/oxford.
Presented by:
lecture
film and discussion
The Muses of Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer, the famous Yiddish writer and Nobel Prize winner wrote with a 'harem' of dozens of translators behind him. Beyond simple translation, these women were a vital source of his creativity. The inspiration he drew from them came in many forms, often mixing romance with professional aspirations. Today nine remain to tell his story. Intimate, poignant interviews and exclusive archival footage combine to portray the unknown story of an author who charmed and enchanted his audiences, just like he charmed and enchanted his translators. A film about both the very art of translation and one of the great figures of twentieth century literature. Director Asaf Galay will join for a discussion and Q&A after the screening.
Presented by:
film and discussion
concert
A Musical Journey through Jerusalem
Join us for a musical journey through Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image. In the company of beautiful paintings, artifacts, models, prints and photographs of the Holy City from the 17th to 21st centuries, you’ll hear Jerusalem brought to life through a rich array of musical selections inspired by the city and its communities. Hosted by cellist Elad Kabilio of MusicTalks, and accompanied by clarinetist Avigail Malachi-Baev and vocalist Inbar Goldman, this intimate, interactive concert features music ranging from Ladino and Klezmer to Opera and Israeli song.
Presented by:
concert
concert/lecture
Annual Mordkhe Schaechter Memorial Program: Uriel Weinreich as a Bridge in Jewish Culture Between Eastern Europe and America
This Program is in Yiddish.
Musical Program:
Inna Barmash (co-founder of the Klez Dispensers, Princeton's first klezmer band; solo album, "Yiddish Lullabies and Love Songs"; toured with Ljova and the Kontraband)
“The Echoes of My Grandparents”
Arele (Arun) Viswanath (Grandson of Mordkhe and Charne Schaechter; Yiddish activist)
Presented by:
concert/lecture
course
Tolerance, Culture, and Violence in Medieval Spain
Join Dr. Rachel Stein of the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research for this four-week seminar about the culture and politics of Islamic Spain and the encounters among Jews, Christians, and Muslims that characterized this dynamic period.
Presented by:
course
holidays and closures
Happy Independence Day! The Center is closed.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
ruth gay seminar in jewish studies
The Writers, Artists, Singers and Musicians of the National Hungarian Jewish Cultural Association (OMIKE), 1939-1944
Presenter: Frederick Bondy, Editor
Moderator: Alex Weiser, YIVO Programs Manager
Historical Introduction: Professor Istvan Deak
Respondent: Professor Randolph Braham
In response to anti-Semitic laws passed in 1938 in Hungary, barring Jewish artists from practising their professions, Budapest's Jewish community leaders organized an artistic group under the aegis of OMIKE Országos Magyar Izraelita Közmueveloedési Egyesület (Hungarian Jewish Education Association) to provide employment opportunities for Jewish actors, musicians, singers, composers, writers and artists. Carrying out its activities primarily in Goldmark Hall in Budapest, OMIKE organized at least one thousand performances by Jewish performers which took place between 1939 and 1944. These included plays, concerts, cabaret, ballet, operas, and operettas. The cultured Budapest Jewish community deeply appreciated these performances especially in view of the oppressive conditions of which prevailed in Hungary the time. There were also art and sculpture exhibitions held throughout this period.
Frederick Bondy’s expanded English edition is based on the original 1943 Hungarian language book written by Jeno Lévai. This new book by Bondy includes the history of the OMIKE and provides an overview of the numerous contributions of musicans and artists to Jewish cultural life during the Holocaust period in Hungary. Amply illustrated with photographs, the new additional chapters added by Frederick Bondy to the original 1943 book includes recollections and interviews by inpidual artists who share the circumstances which led them to join the OMIKE.
Presented by:
ruth gay seminar in jewish studies
panel discussion
Freedom of Speech vs. Defending Israel
Presented by:
panel discussion
concert
A Musical Journey through Jerusalem
Join us for a musical journey through Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image. In the company of beautiful paintings, artifacts, models, prints and photographs of the Holy City from the 17th to 21st centuries, you’ll hear Jerusalem brought to life through a rich array of musical selections inspired by the city and its communities. Hosted by cellist Elad Kabilio of MusicTalks, and accompanied by clarinetist Avigail Malachi-Baev and vocalist Inbar Goldman, this intimate, interactive concert features music ranging from Ladino and Klezmer to Opera and Israeli song.
Presented by:
concert
lecture
Jews and the Left Reconsidered
Jack Jacobs, editor of Jews and Leftist Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2017) and Jacob Kronhill Visiting Professor at YIVO, will grapple with questions of Jewish participation in different left-wing movements, and will consider potential implications of recent political events on future relations between Jews and the left.
Presented by:
lecture
exhibit opening
George Salter: A Legacy of Book Design
A presentation by Thomas Hansen, Professor Emeritus of German at Wellesley College
Curator's tour of the exhibit available after the program
"Salter's designs reveal a graphic artist par excellence who devised some of the best solutions ever posed by the genre of the book jacket. Salter had the fortunate ability to reduce the illustrated paper cover to its essential elements. He could visually evoke – either by typography, calligraphy, or pictorial imagery – the atmosphere of a volume's contents. In short, by placing the highest design standard at the service of the publishing trade, he achieved the marriage of commerce and art."
– Dr. Thomas Hansen
George Salter (1897-1967) was one of the most prolific and influential book designers of the 20th century whose distinguished career included works for all the major publishing houses in both the United States and Germany. His legacy of design still reverberates in current design of both book jackets and contemporary advertising. Thomas Hansen, author of Classic Book Jackets: The Design Legacy of George Salter (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2005) will give a lecture on Salter’s work and subsequent influence on publishing and commercial art.
Presented by:
exhibit opening
lecture
Liberty and Facts: Isaiah Berlin in the Age of Trump
Recognized as one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century, Isaiah Berlin was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas. As a prominent Corpus Christi College alumnus, essayist, conversationalist, raconteur and lecturer, he is most known for his iconic lecture “Two Concepts of Liberty,” which was the inaugural lecture delivered by Berlin before the University of Oxford on October 31, 1958. It was subsequently published as a 57-page pamphlet by Oxford at the Clarendon Press. He is also remembered for his work on liberal theory and pluralism. Roger Cohen, noted journalist and The New York Times columnist, will speak on the importance of Berlin’s work and ideas, especially in a time of growing intolerance.
This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition 500 Years of Treasures from Oxford. For more information on the exhibition, please visit cjh.org/oxford.
Presented by:
lecture
lecture
Oxford and the Printing of Judeo-Arabic
Speaker: Brad Sabin Hill, former Fellow in Hebrew Bibliography, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
Oxford is famed for the ancient books and manuscripts in its libraries, which also hold some of the greatest Hebrew collections in the world. Less known is the role of Oxford in the study and dissemination of texts in other Jewish languages, such as Yiddish, Judeo-Spanish, Judeo-Persian, and Judeo-Provencal. Most extraordinary is the case of the printing at Oxford, in the mid-17th century, of the first Judeo-Arabic book.
This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition 500 Years of Treasures from Oxford. For more information on the exhibition, please visit cjh.org/oxford.
Presented by:
lecture
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
Galician Portraits: The Story of Jews, Gentiles, and Emperors
Speaker: Dr. Andrew Zalewski
The talk Galician Portraits brings to life the Jewish community of Galicia. The speaker's personal genealogical discoveries are intertwined within a larger historical context. The story of Galician Jews is the story of many contrasts: poverty mixes with opportunities, separateness with acculturation, where the sounds of Yiddish and Hebrew fill the heders, while German and Polish are spoken in the public schools. Based on research for Dr. Zalewski's recently published book, his talk is illustrated with many pictures, newly discovered historical documents and old maps of Galicia.
Andrew Zalewski was born in Poland and immigrated to the United States. Several generations of his Jewish and Christian ancestors traced their roots to this former province of the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dr. Zalewski is a physician and former Professor of Medicine at Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Immediately before this program: "Gesher Galicia: Latest News, Projects, and Tips" from 1:00- 1:45. Meeting of Gesher Galicia members and friends from the New York area. Please join us for an overview of new genealogy-focused projects and online tools available through Gesher Galicia.
Presented by:
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
gallery talk
Dara Horn, Jerusalem, Imagination and Historical Consciousness
In this gallery talk/walk through YUM’s exhibition City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image, novelist Dara Horn explores Jerusalem's role in the work and imagination of modern Jewish writers.
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gallery talk
course
Hannah Arendt: The Origins of Totalitarianism
Join Dr. Samantha Hill of the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research and the Bard Arendt Center for this four-week course which explores Hannah Arendt's groundbreaking study of totalitarian states alongside questions of anti-Semitism, imperialism, and social alienation.
Presented by:
course
concert
Music in Our Time: 2017
Featuring a performance of his Fantasies for Piano, played by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Yedhudi Wyner, this annual concert also showcases music of Benjie Ellen Schiller, Josh Fishbein, Ronn Yedidia, and Jonathan Leshnoff, performed by artists from Mannes College The New School of Music.
Presented by:
concert
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Thursday, June 1 for Shavuot.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Wednesday, May 31 for Shavuot.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center will close at 2:00pm on Tuesday, May 30 for Erev Shavuot.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Monday, May 29 in honor of Memorial Day.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
the american sephardi music festival
The Yiddish Celluloid Closet and the Isle of Klezbos
Despite the taboo surrounding homosexuality, the topic was explored in the Yiddish picture. This program presents Yiddish cinema as you’ve never seen it before, plus the Isle of Klezbos all-gal sextet’s reinterpretations of movie music from vintage soundtracks, including classics and lesser-known gems.
Presented by:
the american sephardi music festival
book talk
Kurt Tucholsky’s Germany? Germany!
Tucholsky was a brilliant satirist, poet, storyteller, lyricist, pacifist, and democrat; a fighter, ladies' man, reporter, and early opponent of the Nazis. Former New York Times reporter Ralph Blumenthal discusses a new edition of Tucholsky’s writings in English translation, for which he wrote the foreword.
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book talk
gallery talk
Barbara Mann, 1967, and Yehuda Amichai’s Vision of Jerusalem
In this gallery talk/walk through YUM’s exhibition City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image, Barbara Mann (Jewish Theological Seminary) explores the city of Jerusalem as envisioned and represented in the poetry of Yehuda Amichai.
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gallery talk
workshop
Paper Art Workshop for Shavuot
Drawing on the tradition of making paper decorations for Shavuot, this workshop will explore unconventional ways to think about paper in both 2D and 3D. Our guest paper artist, Marna Chester, will inspire us to curl, fold, pinch, crumple, roll, poke, tear and cut paper, to explore shapes and create dramatic effects.
Presented by:
workshop
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
Jews and the Rise of Immigration Restrictions in the 1920s
Speaker: Dr. Libby Garland
In 1921 and 1924, Congress passed legislation intended to reduce the influx of immigrants to the U.S. These new laws allocated only small quotas for southern and eastern Europe, and banned all immigration from Asia. Their purpose was to limit the number of foreigners considered inferior and a threat to the nation. Jews, heavily represented in early 20th century immigration, were among the prime targets of the laws. In this talk Dr. Garland discusses the response of Jews both in the U.S. and abroad to these new restrictions, including the attempts of many Jewish migrants to try to get to the U.S. in violation of the law.
Dr. Garland is Associate Professor of History at Kingsborough College of the City University of New York. She is the author of After They Closed the Gates: Jewish Illegal Immigration to the United States, 1921-1965 (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2014).
Presented by:
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
celebration
Mexico and Moral Courage: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Jerusalem's Reunification & Honoring Ambassador Andrés Roemer's Stand for Jerusalem at UNESCO
In honor of this year's Yom Yerushalayim, the 50th Anniversary of the liberation and reunification of the Jewish People’s eternal capital, the American Sephardi Federation is awarding the International Sephardic Leadership Award to former Mexican Ambassador Andrés Roemer. When confronted by the recent UNESCO resolution that sought to erase Jerusalem, Israel’s Jewish and Christian history, Ambassador Roemer knowingly risked his position to voice and vote his conscience, leaving the voting hall instead of following the instructions he had received. While the resolution still passed, Ambassador Roemer did not forget Jerusalem and his moral courage convinced several countries, including his own, to seek to reverse the resolution’s ill–considered position against historical truth and the possibility of peace. Featuring remarks by Professor Ephraim Isaac and a special performance by David Serero!
Kosher hors d'oeuvres by Mexikosher NYC and refreshments to be served.
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celebration
book talk
Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: From Brandeis to Kagan
David G. Dalin will introduce his new book Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: From Brandeis to Kagan on the lives and careers of the eight Jewish Justices in U.S. history. Pamela Nadell (American University; President, Association for Jewish Studies) will join him for a conversation about their legacies.
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book talk
concert
A Century Apart: Enso Quartet and Phoenix Chamber Ensemble Performing Schubert, Schumann and Shostakovich
The Enso Quartet and Phoenix Chamber Ensemble reunite to perform Schubert’s “String Trio in B-flat Major, D.471 ‘Allegro’,” Schumann’s “Quintet Op. 44 in E flat major” and Shostakovich’s “Quintet Op. 57 in G minor.” This program is made possible by the generous support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
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concert
lecture
Is There a Biblical “Law”? Law in the World of the Bible
The Pentateuch contains many passages that have long been thought of as “law” – from the time of the rabbis, who debated their intricate legal details, through modern-day America, where the Ten Commandments still stand on display outside some courthouses. However, the discovery of the Code of Hammurabi and other documents from the ancient Near Eastern world, in which the Bible emerged, has thrown into question whether or not one ought to consider these texts “law” at all. After all, the so-called law codes from the ancient Near East are never cited in legal cases, and are sometimes even contradicted by trial records. But if the law codes did not prescribe law, what was their purpose? And should the “law” of the Bible be understood similarly to the law codes of the ancient Near East? This talk will look at the reasons for questioning the legal nature of biblical “law”; the alternate approaches to interpreting relevant texts; and the ramifications of different understandings. Yael Landman, a doctoral candidate at Yeshiva University and an AJS Dissertation Completion Fellow, will examine these questions and explore possible answers. This program is generously supported through a grant from Legacy Heritage Fund.
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lecture
lecture
“Songs of the Nation”: Maskilic Readings of Psalms after Moses Mendelssohn
Dr. Yael Sela-Teichler discusses the 1791 edition of Moses Mendelssohn’s German translation of Psalms, The Book of the Songs of Israel, exploring maskilic renderings of the music of the Hebrews that reclaim biblical poetry as Jewish musical heritage and challenge traditional notions of exile.
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lecture
conversation
Jenna Weissman Joselit and Samuel G. Freedman - In Dialogue on the Decalogue
Join New York Times columnist Samuel G. Freedman and historian Jenna Weissman Joselit, author of the brand new book, Set in Stone: America's Embrace of the Ten Commandments (Oxford University Press), as they explore the impact of the ancient biblical code on American culture.
Presented by:
conversation
lecture
“My Unconscious Speaks Yiddish”: Psychoanalysis and Jewish Languages
Join us for a talk by NEH Senior Scholar Naomi Seidman exploring the role played by Yiddish and other Jewish languages in Freud’s writing, from the Yiddish of his parents "behind" his Viennese German to the translations and adaptations of his work in Eastern Europe. In the years since Jacques Lacan first called for "a return to Freud," a vast literature has arisen around the question of the translation of Freud's German into English and of the Nazi-era diaspora of psychoanalysts from Central Europe to England and the United States. But Freud's writing was in some sense already the product of translation and diaspora, from the Yiddish of his parents to his own Viennese German and from Eastern to Central Europe. This is not only a matter of the prehistory of psychoanalysis: Eastern Europe developed its own form of psychoanalysis, and psychoanalysts fled to Jerusalem as well as New York and London. In these contexts, Freud's work circulated in Hebrew and Yiddish among other languages. In this talk, we will explore the Eastern European dimension of psychoanalysis, discussing the Jewish languages "behind" Freud's German and in the translational "afterlife" of his writings.
Naomi Seidman is the Koret Professor of Jewish Culture at the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, and the 2016-2017 NEH Senior Fellow at the Center for Jewish History in New York. Her most recent book is titled The Marriage Plot, or, How Jews Fell in Love with Love, and with Literature, and another book on Bais Yaakov and Orthodox girls' education in interwar Poland is forthcoming from Littman Library. Her present research explores the question of the relationship between psychoanalysis and Jewish languages.
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lecture
gallery talk
Jeffrey Saks, “But always I regarded myself as one who was born in Jerusalem”
In this gallery talk/walk through YUM’s exhibition City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image, Rabbi Jeffrey Saks (ATID) explores the special place the Holy City has held in the writing of Hebrew literature’s greatest author, S.Y. Agnon, and the vision of the city in modern Hebrew literature.
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gallery talk
reading group
16th Street Book Club Meeting
Presented by:
reading group
lecture
Eric Goldman, Lens on Israel: A Society through its Cinema
Movies provide an ideal “lens” through which to understand Israel’s birth, growth and development as a country. Join film historian Eric Goldman as he explores the changing nature of Israeli society as reflected through its cinema. The program will be preceded by a viewing of YUM’s exhibition City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image.
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lecture
concert
Annie Gosfield Portrait Concert
This concert will explore music of composer Annie Gosfield that takes its inspiration from Jewish culture, history, and the New York immigrant experience. A longtime resident of NYC’s East Village, Gosfield has been hailed “a star of the downtown scene,” (New Yorker), and her music has been described as “imaginative” and “exuberant” (New York Times).
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concert
lecture
“Crackpot or Visionary”: Israel Zangwill, Isaac Steinberg, and the Jewish Territorialist Movement
After leaving the Zionist Movement in 1905 following the so-called Uganda Controversy, the Jewish Territorialists sought to create settlements for Jews outside both Europe and Palestine. They explored possibilities from Angola to Australia and Tasmania, and from Madagascar to French and British Guiana and Suriname. At the head of the movement stood several prominent Jewish figures. Their biographies shed light on the multi-faceted nature of Jewish politics both before and after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948: for several decades, Zionism was not the only flavor on the menu for those looking to create a Jewish political future. Anglo-Jewish writer Israel Zangwill (1864-1926), author of classics such as Children of the Ghetto and The Melting Pot, was the first leader of the movement. He was followed as of the late 1930s by Russian émigré politician Isaac N. Steinberg (1888-1957), who had briefly served as Commissar of Justice under Lenin in 1917. There hardly could have been two more different men than the English gentleman Zangwill and the Russian socialist-revolutionary Steinberg, but both did share an almost literary-inspired idealism, infused with Jewish traditional and universalist elements.
In this talk, Dr. Laura Almagor, a Prins Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Jewish History, will touch upon the colorful life stories of the central Territorialist leaders, as a gateway to exploring the history of the Territorialist movement and its many—nowadays seemingly fantastical—pursuits.
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lecture
conference
Being a Jew in the Soviet Union: Findings from ‘A Comprehensive History of the Jews in the Soviet Union’
Join us for this unique opportunity to hear from renowned scholars working on "A Comprehensive History of the Jews in the Soviet Union" as they share their findings with the public in this day-long conference. With deep gratitude to Eugene Shvidler whose generosity is making possible the research and preparation of this NYU study.
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conference
lecture
A Tale of Three Cities: Jewish-Italian Writing and the Long 20th Century
Italy is home to the oldest Jewish community in the Diaspora, and the authors of many important works of Italian literature are Jewish. Yet, with the exception of Primo Levi, few of these writers are known to readers in the English-speaking world. This talk by Cornell University Professor K.E. von Wittelsbach will explore the work of Italian-Jewish writers and how it relates to modern Italian and world literature. What are some of the key themes of their work? How have these writers articulated the self against the background of the historical events that have shaped the past 120 years in the traditional centers of Jewish life in Italy—Rome, Turin and Trieste?
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lecture
gallery talk
Ruby Namdar, 'The foxes walk upon it': The Destruction and Absence of the Temple in Modern Jerusalem and Jewish Life
In this gallery talk/walk through YUM’s exhibition City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image, novelist Ruby Namdar the trauma of the destruction of ancient Jerusalem and its Holy Temple, and what it reveals about modern Jews and Jewish life.
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gallery talk
workshop
Children's Day
A morning of activity and cultural immersion for children of all ages; join us for sing-alongs, storytelling, and a Yiddish puppet show! Activities will take place from 11am until 1pm throughout the Center for Jewish History.
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workshop
panel discussion
Growing up Jewish
Scholars Sam Kassow, Miriam Udel, Naomi Seidman, and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett will discuss the lives of Jewish children before WWII. Talks will include general overviews as well as discussions of Socialist Literature for Jewish Children in the US and USSR, and Max Weinreich’s work on psychology and Jewish adolescence.
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panel discussion
dramatic reading
Women and Resistance: Women, Theater and the Holocaust
The evening will launch the third edition of Remember the Women Institute’s Women, Theatre, and the Holocaust Resource Handbook, Rochelle G. Saidel and Karen Shulman, eds. Performances include:
- We Will Not Be Silent, excerpt from a play about Sophie Scholl, by David Meyers, directed by Aliza Shane
- At the Train Station in Munich by Cynthia L. Cooper, directed by Ludovica Villar-Hauser
- In Her Words: Stories of Survival and Resistance by Virginia D’Albert-Lake, Geneviève de Gaulle Anthonioz, Gemma La Guardia Gluck, and Isabella Leitner; adapted and directed by Dr. Meghan Brodie; performed by Ursinus College students Mya Flood, Indira Joell, Maddie Kuklentz, and Allison Rohr
- Terezin Caberet, Ilse Weber’s songs and letters, performed by Jenny Lee Mitchell, accompanied by Maria Dessena, Untitled Theater Company #61 and Mad Jenny Theatre
Panel discussion and reception to follow
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dramatic reading
concert
When We Remembered Zion: The New Budapest Orpheum Society Commemorates Yom HaShoah
Lecture 6:30 pm
Concert 7 pm
The Grammy-nominated New Budapest Orpheum Society bears witness to those murdered, those who resisted, and those who must not be forgotten. Under the direction of Philip V. Bohlman and Ilya Levinson, the ensemble consists of singers, violin, piano, accordion, bass, and percussion. This concert features repertories of Jewish song from the Holocaust, gathered from the cabarets, camps, ghettos, theater, and films.
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concert
gallery talk
Liel Leibovitz, Inbound Exile: Jerusalem as Viewed from Tel Aviv
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gallery talk
reading and discussion
Walking Backwards: A Special Evening with Lee Sharkey
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reading and discussion
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Tuesday, April 18 for Passover.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Monday, April 17 for Passover.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Sunday, April 16 for Erev Passover.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
curator's tour
Uncommon Threads: Clothing & Textiles from the Yeshiva University Museum Collection
Join curator Bonni-Dara Michaels for a tour of YUM’s Uncommon Threads exhibition featuring garments, textiles and jewelry spanning three centuries. Highlights include a gold bracelet that belonged to the wife of the Hatam Sofer, a 19th-century Ottoman velvet bridal dress, an Adele Simpson evening dress trimmed with fox fur, a 1753 Ashkenazic wimpel, and an early 19th century Alsatian Passover Seder show towel.
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curator's tour
film and discussion
Streit's Matzo and the American Dream
Q&A featuring Director Neil A. Friedman
In the heart of New York’s rapidly gentrifying Lower East Side stand four tenement buildings that housed the Streit’s matzo factory since 1925. Streit’s Matzo and the American Dream is a story of tradition, of resistance and resilience, and a celebration of a family whose commitment to their heritage and to their employees is inspiring proof that the family that bakes together, stays together.
Presented by:
film and discussion
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Wednesday, April 12 for Passover.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Tuesday, April 11 for Passover.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center will close at 2:00pm on Monday, April 10 for Erev Passover.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
course
God or Nature: Spinoza’s Ethics
This four-week course explores Spinoza’s controversial and groundbreaking Ethics, closelyexaminingSpinoza’s thought in historical context, his influence on subsequent thinkers, and the significance of his Sephardic background.
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course
reading group
16th Street Book Club Meeting
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reading group
workshop
Passover Workshop for All Ages
Inspired by the historical garments – in particular, the 19th-century “show” towel – on display in YUM’s Uncommon Threads exhibition, this family-friendly workshop invites people of all ages to create a personalized hand towel to beautify the experience of washing at the Passover seder. Using various design tools, participants will create objects for the holiday that are both functional and decorative.
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workshop
film
The 20th Annual New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival
The history, traditions, and rich mosaic culture of Greater Sephardic communities are celebrated as an integral part of the Jewish experience throughout this week-long series of events. The NYSJFF features première screenings, intriguing stories, poignant documentaries, filmmaker Q&As, and the Pomegranate Awards ceremony. Join us for a very special anniversary year.
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film
symposium
Jewish Culture and the Legacy of the Classical World
Join Dan Bahat, Steven Fine and Lawrence Schiffman for presentations and a lively discussion about Jewish culture and the legacy of the classical world.
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symposium
book talk
Max Liebermann: Modern Art and Modern Germany
Through a close reading of key paintings and by a discussion of his many cultural networks across Germany and throughout Europe, this new study by Marion Deshmukh illuminates the painter Max Liebermann’s importance as a pioneer of German modernism.
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book talk
family history today: genealogy programs at the center
Genealogy Basics for Reference Librarians
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family history today: genealogy programs at the center
lecture
Between Yosef Salamsa and Martin Luther King: The Ethiopian Jewish Struggle in Comparative Perspective
Join us for a talk by Efrat Yerday on the contemporary parallel struggles of Ethiopian Jews in Israel/Palestine and Black Lives Matter in the US and on the struggles of black people against racism from a transnational perspective.
In recent years, Ethiopian Jewish activists have begun to gradually perceive their struggle in universal terms, adopting global anti-racist strategies on the one hand, but often without giving up their precarious privilege as Jews. More specifically, they have drawn from the Black Lives Matter movement, invoking practices and language that transcend the local so as to garner universal legitimation. African American leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are quoted frequently in demonstrations and on social media by Ethiopian activists; the clashes in Baltimore, Fergusson and Missouri are linked to the clashes in Rabin square in Tel Aviv.
Efrat Yerday is a writer, scholar, editor, and activist. In 2010–2011 she served as the spokesperson for the Israeli Association for Ethiopian Jews and published opinion pieces on racism in general and institutionalized racism in particular. Over the years she has also published reviews of nonfiction dealing with Ethiopian history and the absorption of Ethiopians in Israel. In 2010 she established the Young Ethiopian Students blog, inviting critical thinking and challenging the establishment and academic narrative of the immigration and absorption of Ethiopian Jews. Yerday teaches at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev and writes regularly for Hamakom hakhi kham begehinom (The Hottest Place in Hell) and for other media outlets.
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lecture
concert
Re’ut Ben-Ze’ev, mezzo soprano, and the Diener Ensemble
Re’ut Ben-Ze’ev, mezzo soprano, and the Beatrice Diener Ensemble-in-Residence at Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University perform the work of Jewish composers with music by Martin Boykan, Edward Jacobs and the world premiere of Concertino No. 1 for Guitar and Chamber Ensemble by YU faculty composer David Glaser.
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concert
book talk
Stranger in a Strange Land—Searching for Gershom Scholem and Jerusalem
Acclaimed author George Prochnik presents his Bildungsroman on Gershom Scholem, one of the 20th century’s most important humanist thinkers. Prochnik traces the lifeline of Scholem, and weaves it with an intimate story of his own youth, marriage, and spiritual quest in Jerusalem.
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book talk
lecture
Your New House: Wedding Songs, Gender, and Memory in an Indian Jewish Community
Bene Israel Indian Jewish weddings are enlivened through song. Women sing in Marathi to prepare for the wedding and men sing in Hebrew during the ceremony. This talk is about gender and emotion in the memories of Indian Jewish wedding songs.
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lecture
lecture
The Evolution of the Joseph Traditions and the Emergence of Ancient Israel
Cornell Professor Lauren Monroe offers new perspective on the evolution of the seminal biblical narrative of Joseph by asking how the story of Joseph’s family relates to the emergence of Ancient Israel in Canaan in the wake of the Late Bronze Age.
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lecture
book talk
How They Lived: The Everyday Lives of Hungarian Jews 1867 – 1940, with Andras Koerner and Victor Karady
Following the Holocaust, which saw approximately two-thirds of Hungary’s Jewish population killed, most survivors—if they could bring about to speak about their former lives—initially talked about the most memorable events: the horrors they had gone through. Compared to that, the details of their previous, by and large peaceful lives seemed insignificant. András Koerner has dedicated his research to reconstructing how the Hungarian Jews lived before that cataclysm, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He tried in his work to bring this destroyed world to life again—even if only in our thoughts.
András Koerner is the author of several books about the lifestyles of Hungarian Jews, most of them available in both English and Hungarian. At this event at the Center for Jewish History he will discuss his new book with Victor Karady.
Victor Karady, a French-Hungarian historical sociologist of European Jewry, is a former research director with the French National Research Centre (CNRS). He is an external member of the Hungarian Academy of Science and emeritus professor at the Central European University in Budapest. His important works on Hungarian Jews focus on social and educational mobility, as well as on identity changes. Thus they are particularly relevant to the subject of Koerner’s work.
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book talk
curator's tour
PLEASE NOTE: Artist's Talk and Curator's Tour with Fabric Artist Ita Aber will be rescheduled due to the inclement weather.
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curator's tour
a library social hour
PLEASE NOTE: No Shushing Allowed will be rescheduled due to the expected inclement weather.
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a library social hour
book talk
PLEASE NOTE: How They Lived: The Everyday Lives of Hungarian Jews 1867 – 1940 has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 16 due to the expected inclement weather.
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book talk
symposium
Echoes and Reflections: Leaders in Holocaust Education
Program: 12pm-4pm
Primary Source Pop-Up Exhibit: 4pm-5pm
Echoes and Reflections is a comprehensive Holocaust education program that delivers professional development and a rich array of resources for middle and high school teachers. The program prepares educators to teach about the Holocaust in a way that stimulates engagement and critical thinking, providing opportunities for students to see the relevance of this complex history, and utilizes the rich primary sources here at Center for Jewish History. Of special interest to middle and high school teachers, but also to librarians, archivists, and scholars who teach with primary sources.
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symposium
book talk
Oedipus in Brooklyn and Other Stories by Blume Lempel
Blume Lempel (1907-1999) was a courageous storyteller whose narrative imagination moved fluidly between past and present, Old World and New, dream and reality. Ellen Cassedy and Yermiyahu Ahron Taub discuss Lempel’s life and work, her legacy, and their newly translated collection of her stories.
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book talk
gallery talk
out of the whirlwind: Hugh Mesibov and the legacy of the Book of Job
In 1972, the American artist Hugh Mesibov painted an ambitious 45-foot-wide mural based on the biblical Book of Job for Temple Beth El in Spring Valley, New York. The painting was recently donated to Yeshiva University Museum, where it is installed in a special exhibition. In this gallery talk, Mordechai Cohen (Yeshiva University) explores the character of the Book of Job and its legacy within the Jewish imagination.
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gallery talk
conference
Festival of Contemporary Russian Jewish American Culture
This all-day festival to launch the special issue of the journal East European Jewish Affairs will feature opening remarks by guest editor Anna Katsnelson (Columbia University), and include panels on current issues in the field of Russian Jewish American cultural production, writers and visual arts.
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conference
concert
Svetlana and the Delancey Five in Concert
Svetlana is a vocalist, songwriter, and arranger based in NYC. With sold-out shows at legendary venues, she has earned accolades from jazz musicians, audiences and press alike with her poised and charming stage presence, enchanting vocals and strong musicianship.
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concert
concert
Mostly Schubert
Phoenix Chamber Ensemble and friends present Schubert Violin Sonata in A minor, Prokofiev Flute Sonata Op.94, and the beloved Schubert E-flat Piano Trio.
Cyrus Beroukhim - violin, Tanya Witek -flute, Arash Amini -cello, Vassa Shevel and Inessa Zaretsky – piano.
This program is made possible by the generous support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
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concert
a library social hour
No Shushing Allowed
Presented by:
a library social hour
film screening and book discussion
We'll always have Casablanca
Presented by:
film screening and book discussion
lecture
Town Fools, Beggars, and other Outcasts: Bringing the Margins to the Center in East European Jewish History
Presented by:
lecture
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Monday, February 20th for President's Day.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
curator's tour
Uncommon Threads: Clothing & Textiles from the Yeshiva University Museum Collection
Presented by:
curator's tour
panel discussion
Investing in Archivists
Please join us for a wonderful evening of discourse, where we will address the significant financial challenges and opportunities facing archivists today. The panelists will discuss the various ways in which they have been successful in securing funding for professional development, hiring, promotions, and advocating for salary increase for the professional staff at their respective repositories.
Panelists:
Bob Clark, Director of Archives, Rockefeller Archive Center
Julie I. May, Managing Director of Library & Archives, Brooklyn Historical Society
Kathleen Leary, Education Coordinator, Jerome Robbins Dance pision
Moderated by:
Steven G. Fullwood, Associate Curator, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books pision and Manager of the BNY Mellon Pre-Professional Development Program, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
The Center for Jewish History is proud to host the Archivist Round Table of Metropolitan New York’s discussion regarding the significant financial challenges facing archivists and archives today. Emphasizing a shared commitment to professionalism in the field, this forum will allow archivists from around the city to learn from each others’ experiences. Such conversations ensure the stability and continual improvement of the profession’s standards – a goal that is core the Center’s mission.
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panel discussion
book talk
Singing God's Words: The Performance of Biblical Chant in Contemporary Judaism
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book talk
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
Jewish Families Yesterday, Today--and Tomorrow?
Speaker: Jonathan Boyarin, PhD
What do we mean when we talk about Jewish families? The family has been considered key to transmitting Jewish identity, But what we call "the Jewish family" has varied greatly through the times and places where Jews have found themselves. This talk will consider some big questions: How did Jewish family patterns compare to those of their non-Jewish neighbors? What is at stake for us in the present when we recall or reconstruct families from the past? How will changing forms of the family affect the very idea of Jewish identity--and what will our descendants think of us?
Jonathan Boyarin is Professor of Modern Jewish Studies in the Dept. of Anthropology at Cornell University. His work centers on Jewish communities and on the dynamics of Jewish culture, memory and identity. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books.
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jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
photo series
Bubby: Kosher Love Advice in Unkosher Times
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photo series
exhibit opening
Zionismus -- The Jewish Roots of Zionism
A refuge from antisemitism and the cruelty of the mob! Relief from grinding poverty. Freedom from the caprices of despots! A place for Jewish religion and culture to flourish!
The dream that Theodor Herzl gave voice to at the end of the 19th century was largely a response to discrimination against Jews and Jewish poverty in Eastern Europe. Yet Herzl himself, and many of his early confederates, emanated from assimilated milieus in cities like Vienna and Berlin, where Jews enjoyed unprecedented rights and prosperity in this period. Indeed, many of the men and women who laid the foundations of the Zionist movement shared an allegiance to Kaiser and fatherland, or Bildung and Kultur, that was often as strong as their attachment to Judaism. Until World War I, German was the lingua franca of the Zionist movement, and German-speaking Europe was the base of its substantial organizational capacity.
The exhibition Zionismus calls on books, periodicals, correspondence, and photographs from the collections of the Leo Baeck Institute (LBI) to trace the transformation of Zionism from a utopian dream to matter of survival for German-speaking Jews. After traveling around the US as a poster exhibition, Zionismus will return to the LBI, where the original objects will be placed on display for the first time.
Professor David Engel will be speaking at this exhibition opening. Engel is Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies; Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Professor of Holocaust Studies; Chair, Hebrew & Judaic Studies at New York University. His books include Between Liberation and Flight: Holocaust Survivors in Poland and the Struggle for Leadership, 1944-1946; Facing a Holocaust: The Polish Government-in-Exile and the Jews, 1943-1945; and In the Shadow of Auschwitz: The Polish Government-in-Exile and the Jews, 1939-1942. His research focuses on Modern Jewish political history, history of the Jews in Eastern Europe and the Holocaust.
This exhibit made possible by support from the German Information Center, USA.
Presented by:
exhibit opening
staged reading
Money, Love, and Shame
Presented by:
staged reading
exhibition opening featuring video screening and live poetry performance
Black Panther Got Loose from the Bronx Zoo: An Exhibition by Ido Michaeli
Based on an article published in the New York Times in 1902, Ido Michaeli’s work Black Panther Got Loose from the Bronx Zoo, a hand-woven tapestry and video piece, tell the true story of a panther, who escaped from the Bronx Zoo and, after struggling with the police, dove into the Bronx River and swam to his freedom.
Opening night will feature poetry performances in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. Poetry will comment on Michaeli’s work, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther movement in the US and/or the 45th anniversary of the Mizrahi Black Panther movement, and celebrating the circulation of Black Panther imagery across movements globally. The exhibition will be up through April 2017.
Featuring:
Mariam Bazeed
Michael Brown Jr.
Miri Gabriel
Shlomi Hatuka
Boni Joi
Velina Manolova
Maryam Parhizkar
Jayson P. Smith
Sami Shalom Chetrit
Candace Williams
Presented by:
exhibition opening featuring video screening and live poetry performance
curator's tour
out of the whirlwind: Hugh Mesibov’s Book of Job
Presented by:
curator's tour
reading group
16th Street Book Club Meeting
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reading group
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
Jewish Cemeteries - Preserving a Critical Genealogical Resource
Speakers: Lewis Polishook, Director of the NY State Division of Cemeteries, and Jamie Cotel, Executive Director of the Community Alliance for Jewish-Affiliated Cemeteries (CAJAC)
Cemeteries and gravestones are an important resource for genealogical research. Our speakers will discuss the sometimes complicated issues surrounding cemetery regulation, oversight and maintenance, from both a governmental and community perspective. The discussion will include preservation and management of gravestones and burial society plots.
The NY State Division of cemeteries works with cemetery officials on a wide range of issues including the sale of lots, service fees, and acquisition of lands. There are some 1800 cemeteries and crematories under its jurisdiction.
CAJAC strives to create permanent solutions for ensuring cemeteries' long-term sustainability, through a collaboration of volunteers, community leaders and local agencies.
Presented by:
jewish genealogical society monthly meeting
music and discussion
The Viennese Café in New York Exile
Join us for an evening exploring the history of Jewish Austrian émigrés who transplanted the music of Viennese cafes to New York City. Esther Wratschko (Prins Foundation Fellow at the Center for Jewish History) will share her discoveries in the archives.
This presentation, including musical performance and historical background, will introduce you to the Viennese cabaret performers and musicians who fled the terrors of the Nazi regime to make a living in New York by opening cafés serving lavish pastry and Viennese melange (coffee with steamed milk). The cafés served as both a social platform for German-speaking immigrants and a stage for the former stars of the Viennese musical cabaret. Well-known performers like Hermann Leopoldi and Fritz Spielmann performed their typical Wienerlied there, charming the hearts of the nostalgic émigrés and Americans alike. If you´re wondering what a Viennese melange is made of and what a Wienerlied sounds like, you will learn it all during this entertaining evening, cream-filled and with a sour cherry on top!
Presented by:
music and discussion
panel discussion
The History and Future of the Strashun Library
Presented by:
panel discussion
storytelling and slam poetry
What Does Jewish Look Like To You? An Evening of Monologues Highlighting Jewish Racial & Ethnic Diversity Featuring Vanessa Hidary and Kaleidoscope
Through extensively crafted, deeply personal storytelling and Spoken Word, Kaleidoscope explores the ever-popular question "What does Jewish look like?" Boldly perse, distinctly Jewish, Kaleidoscope includes performers of Jamaican, Ethiopian, Moroccan, Yemenite, Libyan and African-American Jewish backgrounds. Directed by Vanessa Hidary. Followed by Q&A with the director and performers.
Featuring:
Ma Nishtana
Leemore Malka
Morr Mazal Barton
Kendell Pinkney
Yoshi Silverstein
Simi Toledano
Presented by:
storytelling and slam poetry
a library social hour
No Shushing Allowed
Presented by:
a library social hour
curator's tour
Uncommon Threads: Clothing & Textiles from the Yeshiva University Museum Collection
Presented by:
curator's tour
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Monday, January 16th for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
lecture
No Man's Land: Jewish Refugees on the Borders of East-Central Europe in 1938
Presented by:
lecture
film and discussion
There Are Jews Here: World Premiere Screening Featuring Filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein
Presented by:
film and discussion
curator's tour
Odessa: Babel, Ladyzhensky, and the Soul of a City
Presented by:
curator's tour
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Monday, January 2 for New Year's Day.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
holidays and closures
The Center is closed Sunday, January 1 for New Year's Day.
Presented by:
holidays and closures
