Preserving Our History http://www.cjh.org/ en-us 2006 Center for Jewish History all rights reserved http://www.cjh.org/images/cjh_rss.jpg http://www.cjh.org/ March 21, 2010: Speaker: Steve Luxenberg Steve's mother told everyone she was an only child, sometimes within minutes of meeting them. When Steve heard that his mother had been hiding the existence of a sister, he was bewildered. Through personal letters and photographs, official records and archival documents, as well as dozens of interviews, Steve revisits his mother's world in the 1930s and 1940s in search of how and why the secret was born. He pieces together the story of his mother?s motivations, his aunt's unknown life, and the times in which they lived. His search takes him to imperial Russia and Depression-era Detroit, through the Holocaust in Ukraine and the Philippine war zone, and back to the places where his Aunt languished in anonymity. Steve Luxenberg, an associate editor of The Washington Post, has worked for more than 30 years as a newspaper editor and reporter. Steve's journalistic career began at The Baltimore Sun, where he worked for 11 years. He joined The Post in 1985 as deputy editor of the newspaper's investigative/special projects staff, headed by assistant managing editor Bob Woodward. In 1991, he succeeded Woodward as head of the investigative staff. Post reporters working with Steve have won several major reporting awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes for explanatory journalism. From 1996 to 2006, Steve was the editor of The Post's Sunday Outlook section, which publishes original reporting and provocative commentary on a broad spectrum of political, historical and cultural issues. In his current role as a Post associate editor focusing on special projects, Steve has directed coverage of in-depth stories on the causes and consequences of the financial crisis that unfolded in the fall of 2008. He grew up in Detroit, where Annie's Ghosts primarily takes place. He is married and has two grown children. A book-signing will follow the presentation. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1659 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1659 Programs March 23, 2010: Presenter: Glenn Dynner, Professor of Judaic Studies, Sarah Lawrence College Moderator and Respondent: Moshe Rosman, Professor of Jewish History, Bar Ilan University, Horace Goldsmith Visiting Professor of Jewish Studies, Yale UniversityBy the end of the 18th century, Jews comprised the vast majority of tavernkeepers in Poland-Lithuania, leasing taverns and distilleries from the nobility. According to most historians, Polish Jews were driven out of the liquor trade over the course of the next century. Yet 19th century archival sources, including an invaluable collection of personal petitions (kvitlakh) sent to R. Eliyahu Guttmacher, housed in the YIVO Archives, provide evidence of the continued existence of Polish Jewish liquor traders, both open and surreptitious. The involvement of Jews in this sector of the Polish economy during this later period points to the fact that traces of the feudal economic system survived amidst a period of rapid industrialization and modernization. While Jewish tavernkeeping was vigorously opposed by powerful groups in Polish society, one crucial group continued to provide them with cover: the very local Christians they were accused of victimizing. This talk analyzes the robust but technically illegal Polish Jewish liquor trade during the nineteenth century. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1657 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1657 Programs March 24, 2010: Zachary Levine, Dr. Sophie Bookhalter Fellow at CJH, 2009; Ph.D. Candidate at NYU presenting. Dr. Paul Hanebrink, Associate Professor of History, Rutgers University, responding Dr. Nancy Sinkoff, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies, Rutgers University, conducting http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1653 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1653 Programs March 25, 2010: Daniel Schwartz (George Washington University) http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1633 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1633 Programs April 1, 2010: Dr. Natan Meir, Portland State University. How do we reconstruct the history of those who were unable to write their own stories? This lecture explores the lives and experiences of Jews at the margins of society-including poor orphans and widows and the physically and mentally disabled-in 19th- and early 20th-century Eastern Europe. This "history from the margins" attempts to move us towards a richer and fuller portrait of East European Jewish society than ever before. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1667 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1667 Programs April 8, 2010: Very few of Germany's nearly 3,000 synagogues survived the Holocaust. The loss of these houses of worship – from highly ornate to extremely simple – signified a loss of hundreds of years of Jewish communal life and culture. Alexander Dettmar is an artist laboring against forgetting. He  is determined that no one forget what was once such a vibrant aspect of their history. These gorgeous paintings have succeeded on every level. They are beautiful, thoughtful, and important. They have captured the attention of museum goers throughout Germany. For the first time, they will be shown outside of Germany. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1668 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1668 Programs April 11, 2010: Narrated by Joan Allen, this is the first documentary feature about Hannah Senesh, the World War II-era poet and diarist who became a paratrooper, resistance fighter and modern-day Joan of Arc. Blessed is the Match retraces the perilous mission of Hannah and 31 other Jewish-Palestinian parachutists and looks back on the life of a uniquely talented and complex girl who came of age in a world descending into madness. 2008, 85 minutes http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1669 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1669 Programs April 13, 2010: Agnieszka Oleszak, University College, London.Beys Ya'akov was a network of religious schools for girls in prewar Poland first established by Sarah Schenirer in 1917. In 1919, Beys Ya'akov was taken over by Agudas Israel, which proved to be a turning point in the school’s development. Its rapid growth made it a popular and successful educational institution among Orthodox Jews in Central and Eastern Europe. This presentation aims to reconstruct the early history of Beys Ya'akov and to illustrate the process of legitimizing the idea of institutionalized religious education for Jewish girls. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1670 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1670 Programs April 14, 2010: http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1671 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1671 Programs April 15, 2010: Yael Zerubavel, Rutgers University.The Bible contributed to the shaping of Israeli national identity and culture during its formative years and the early decades following the foundation of the state. Biblical images, symbols and themes were reinterpreted, secularized, and transformed in Israeli official iconography, literature, art, and popular culture. Although the Bible has been politicized and its role debated within Israeli culture since the 1970s, recent cultural developments indicate a new surge of secular interest in it. The discussion of the changing attitudes toward the Bible provides a distinct lens to understanding major trends within contemporary Israeli culture. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1672 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1672 Programs April 19, 2010: Rachel Gordan, Dr. Sophie Bookhalter Fellow at CJH, 2009; Ph.D. Candidate at Harvard presentingDr. Tisa Wenger, Assistant Professor of American Religious History, Yale University, responding http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1660 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1660 Programs April 20, 2010: Featuring Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service, and others. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1652 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1652 Programs April 21, 2010: Panelists: Vivian Liska, David N. Myers, Galili Shahar. Moderator: David B. Ruderman.Event taking place at the University of Pennsylvania will be broadcast live and interactively at CJH. Visit www.primolevicenter.org for more information. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1673 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1673 Programs April 27, 2010: In the annals of the Jewish and Italian communities in America there is little mention, if any, of Italian Jews. Since the late 1990s, however, many memoirs have been written, and a story that does not quite fit any categorization has begun to emerge. Jews who were forced to this country by the Fascist persecutions continued their work in fields ranging from mathematics and biology, to architecture, psychiatry, economics, and Islamic studies. Their impact on society goes well beyond the four Nobel prizes they collected in the years after WWII. Not always coalescing as a community, Italian Jews nevertheless continue to share the humanistic heritage of their country of origin, and to contribute to societal values and ideas that go beyond ethnic and religious particularism. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1674 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1674 Programs April 27, 2010: Riki Ophir.Some of Halpern's most fascinating poems are written to and about his wife, at times as a fictional dialog with her, at times as if taken from her diary. However, these poems tell not merely of the speaker's love to his Royzele, but are always committed to aesthetic judgment. Modeled on the ballade, the Yiddish folk song or the conventions of Yiddish dialogue, these poems challenge preconceived poetic forms in a way that calls into question our conception of romantic love, poetry, and the concrete world outside. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1677 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1677 Programs April 28, 2010: In the annals of the Jewish and Italian communities in America there is little mention, if any, of Italian Jews. Since the late 1990s, however, many memoirs have been written, and a story that does not quite fit any categorization has begun to emerge. Jews who were forced to this country by the Fascist persecutions continued their work in fields ranging from mathematics and biology, to architecture, psychiatry, economics, and Islamic studies. Their impact on society goes well beyond the four Nobel prizes they collected in the years after WWII. Not always coalescing as a community, Italian Jews nevertheless continue to share the humanistic heritage of their country of origin, and to contribute to societal values and ideas that go beyond ethnic and religious particularism. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1675 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1675 Programs April 28, 2010: ASF is pleased to join with The Catalan Center at NYU for the first of two lectures on the Jews of Catalonia. We welcome Sylvia Planas, Director of the Institut d'Estudis Nahmànides and the Museum of Jewish History of Girona. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1678 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1678 Programs April 29, 2010: In the annals of the Jewish and Italian communities in America there is little mention, if any, of Italian Jews. Since the late 1990s, however, many memoirs have been written, and a story that does not quite fit any categorization has begun to emerge. Jews who were forced to this country by the Fascist persecutions continued their work in fields ranging from mathematics and biology, to architecture, psychiatry, economics, and Islamic studies. Their impact on society goes well beyond the four Nobel prizes they collected in the years after WWII. Not always coalescing as a community, Italian Jews nevertheless continue to share the humanistic heritage of their country of origin, and to contribute to societal values and ideas that go beyond ethnic and religious particularism. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1676 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1676 Programs May 2, 2010: Enjoy and explore puppetry traditions with performances and workshops, featuring the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre (performances at 11 and 1:30) and Headless Horse Dance. Make your own puppets and get a chance to participate in the performance! http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1679 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1679 Programs May 2, 2010: The third annual program in memory of Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter. Prof. Eugene Orenstein of McGill University will speak on the topic, "Ber Borokhov: A Revolutionary of Yiddish Philology." Prof. Joshua (Shikl) Fishman will speak about Dr. Schaechter; music will be by Yuri Vedenyapin. Program entirely in Yiddish. Refreshments included. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1680 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1680 Programs May 4, 2010: Rebecca Cutler, Morris and Alma Schapiro Fellow at CJH 2009, presentingDr. Atina Grossmann, Professor of History, Cooper Union, responding http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1661 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1661 Programs May 4, 2010: The second of two lectures with The Catalan Center at NYU. Manuel Forcano, Professor of Semitic Studies and Vice President of the Catalan Council for the Arts (CONCA). http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1687 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1687 Programs May 6, 2010: Join composers David Glaser and Frances White and the Parthenia ensemble in a discussion of new works for viols from the past 500 years, moderated by Harold Rosenbaum, conductor of the New York Virtuoso Singers, followed by a half-hour performance, reception and informal Q&A. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1686 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1686 Programs May 9, 2010: With author Fradle Freidenreich. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1685 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1685 Programs May 12, 2010: Phoenix Chamber Ensemble will perform Prokofiev's symphonic composition "Peter and the Wolf," arranged by the composer for piano solo and narrator. We are also presenting a world premier of mini-operas by Inessa Zaretsky based on the stories by an absurdist early Soviet-era writer, Daniil Kharms.This program is made possible through the generous support of Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Blavatnik http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1684 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1684 Programs May 13, 2010: Hanna Pressman, New York University.How does Yiddish both enable and complicate the remembrance of things past? Surveying Hebrew autobiographical writing of the mid- to-late 20th century, this talk highlights various authors' contrasting motivations for weaving mame-loshn into their confessional tales. Like the religious discourse dominating these works, Yiddish is a key component to the writers' challenge to the normative model advocated by secular Hebrew culture. The literary self-portraits discussed in this talk, viewed through the critical lenses of language and gender, offer a fascinating alternative vision of modern Israeli selfhood. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1683 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1683 Programs May 23, 2010: An extraordinary program of music by 20th- and 21st- century composers whose works are in the forefront of artistic contributions to Jewish music and culture. Featured on the program will be the world premiere of Biblical Chants: Variations and Improvisations on "Song of the Sea" by Dick Hyman, the world famous jazz pianist and composer; Ellen Gould, actress and playwright; and Ken Peplowski, internationally renowned clarinetist. All three will be performing this work which was commissioned by the American Society for Jewish Music. Works by noted Jewish composers Dan Asia, Gerald Cohen, Lori Leitman and Leo Kraft will be performed by chamber groups and soloists on flute, clarinet, cello, guitar, piano and voice. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1682 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1682 Programs May 24, 2010: When WW II erupted, Max Weinreich was caught in western Europe. He was faced with a terrible choice: return home to YIVO's heart in an uncertain Vilna or come to its periphery in far off New York City. His personal conflict mirrored the contest between YIVO’s European and American branches over where the institute's center should lie and, implicitly, that of secular Yiddish culture and Ashkenazic Jewry as a whole. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1681 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1681 Programs June 2, 2010: Rebecca Kobrin, Assistant Professor of History at Columbia University.Between 1919 and 1939, Jewish émigrés in the United States sent millions of dollars to rebuild their former homes scattered throughout Polish Lithuania. This talk focuses on the role Jewish émigrés and their philanthropy played in reshaping political, social, and economic life in Brisk and Vilna, the two historic intellectual centers of Lithuanian Jewry. While the stated goal of Jewish émigré generosity was to relieve economic distress, it often caused a reshaping of Jews' understanding of their place in the new nation-states of Eastern Europe during this era of political and economic upheaval. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1662 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1662 Programs June 15, 2010: This biennial conference, organized by the Academic Council of the American Jewish Historical Society, will examine the notion of American Jewish "exceptionalism," or uniqueness, which has shaped conceptions of American Jewish history from its beginning. More than 40 papers will be given by a range of prominent academics from around the U.S., Canada, and Israel. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1663 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1663 Programs June 16, 2010: This biennial conference, organized by the Academic Council of the American Jewish Historical Society, will examine the notion of American Jewish "exceptionalism," or uniqueness, which has shaped conceptions of American Jewish history from its beginning. More than 40 papers will be given by a range of prominent academics from around the U.S., Canada, and Israel. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1664 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1664 Programs June 17, 2010: This biennial conference, organized by the Academic Council of the American Jewish Historical Society, will examine the notion of American Jewish "exceptionalism," or uniqueness, which has shaped conceptions of American Jewish history from its beginning. More than 40 papers will be given by a range of prominent academics from around the U.S., Canada, and Israel. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1665 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1665 Programs June 30, 2010: Presented in conjunction with a program with the Metropolitan Museum of Art on July 1, 2010. For information please call 212-294-8330. http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1666 http://www.cjh.org/programs/calendar.php?eventID=1666 Programs