The Center for Jewish History Announces May and June 2017 Programs

Highlights include a discussion about the history of Jewish Justices on the Supreme Court, a conversation with Jenna Weissman Joselit and Samuel G. Freedman on the Ten Commandments, a talk on Freud and his use of Yiddish from our NEH Senior Scholar Naomi Seidman and a presentation about the "Jewish Territorialist" movement

MAY

Monday, May 1

10:00 a.m.

Being a Jew in the Soviet Union: Findings from 'A Comprehensive History of the Jews in the Soviet Union'

Presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research & Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at NYU

Conference

This is a 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.

Tickets: Free; reservations required

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/being-a-jew-2017-05-01

Monday, May 1

6:30 p.m.

A Tale of Three Cities: Jewish-Italian Writing and the Long 20th Century

Presented by Center for Jewish History & Jewish Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University

Lecture

Italy is home to the oldest Jewish community in the Diaspora, and the authors of many important works of Italian literature are Jewish. Professor K. E. von Wittelsbach will explore how these writers articulated the self against the background of Italy's turbulent 20th-century history.

Tickets: $10 general; $5 CJH/partner members, Cornell alumni, seniors, students

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/a-tale-of-three-cities-2017-05-01

Monday, May 1

6:30 p.m.

Ruby Namdar, 'The foxes walk upon it': The Destruction and Absence of the Temple in Modern Jerusalem and Jewish Life

Presented by Yeshiva University Museum & The Center for Israel Studies of Yeshiva University

Gallery Talk

In this gallery talk/walk through YUM's exhibition "City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image", novelist Ruby Namdar explores the trauma of the destruction of ancient Jerusalem and its Holy Temple, and what it reveals about modern Jews and Jewish life.

Tickets: $10 general; $5 seniors, students; free YUM members

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/ruby-namdar-2017-05-01

Wednesday, May 3

6:30 p.m.

"Crackpot or Visionary": Israel Zangwill, Isaac Steinberg, and the Jewish Territorialist Movement

Presented by Center for Jewish History & YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Lecture

After leaving the Zionist Movement in 1905, the Jewish Territorialists sought to create settlements for Jews outside both Europe and Palestine. Who were the Territorialists and how do they fit into 20th-century Jewish politics? Dr. Laura Almagor, a Prins Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Jewish History, will share her research.

Tickets: Free; reservations required

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/crackpot-or-visionary-2017-05-03

Thursday, May 4

7:00 p.m.

Annie Gosfield Portrait Concert

Presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research with support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

Concert

This concert will explore the 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).

Tickets: $15 general; $10 YIVO members, students

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/annie-gosfeld-2017-05-04

Sunday, May 7

2:00 p.m.

Eric Goldman, Lens on Israel: A Society through its Cinema

Presented by the Eli Kleinman Fund for Jewish Education of the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest, The Center for Israel Studies of Yeshiva University & Yeshiva University Museum

Lecture

Movies provide an ideal "lens" through which to understand Israel's birth, growth and development as a country. Join film historianEric 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".

Tickets: Free; reservations required

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/eric-goldman-2017-05-07

Monday, May 8

6:30 p.m.

"My Unconscious Speaks Yiddish": Psychoanalysis and Jewish Languages

Presented by Center for Jewish History, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research & Leo Baeck Institute

Lecture

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.

Tickets: Free; reservations required

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/my-unconscious-speaks-yiddish-2017-05-08

Monday, May 8

6:30 p.m.

Jeffrey Saks, But always I regarded myself as one who was born in Jerusalem

Presented by Yeshiva University Museum & The Center for Israel Studies of Yeshiva University

Gallery Talk

In this gallery talk/walk through YUM's exhibition "City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image",Rabbi Jeffrey Saks (ATID Director) 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.

Tickets: $10 general; $5 seniors, students; free YUM members

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/jeffrey-saks-2017-05-08

Wednesday, May 10

7:00 p.m.

Jenna Weissman Joselit and Samuel G. Freedman - In Dialogue on the Decalogue

Presented by Yeshiva University Museum

Conversation

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, 2017), as they explore the impact of the ancient biblical code on American culture.

Tickets: Free; reservations required

Links: http://programs.cjh.org/event/jenna-weissman-joselit-2017-05-10

Thursday, May 11

6:00 p.m.

"Songs of the Nation": Maskilic Readings of Psalms after Moses Mendelssohn

Presented by American Society for Jewish Music & Leo Baeck Institute

Lecture

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 (Jewish Enlightenment) renderings of the music of the Hebrews that reclaim biblical poetry as Jewish musical heritage and challenge traditional notions of exile.

Tickets: Free; reservations required

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/songs-of-the-nation-2017-05-11

Monday, May 15

12:00 p.m.

Is There a Biblical "Law"? Law in the World of the Bible

Presented by Center for Jewish History & Association for Jewish Studies

Lecture

The discovery of the Code of Hammurabi and other cuneiform "law collections" has raised the question: Is there such a thing as "biblical law"? Yael Landman, a doctoral candidate at Yeshiva University and an AJS Dissertation Completion Fellow, will examine this question and explore possible answers. This program is generously supported through a grant from Legacy Heritage Fund.

Tickets: Free; reservations required

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/is-there-a-biblical-law-2017-05-15

Wednesday, May 17

6:30 p.m.

Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: From Brandeis to Kagan

Presented by Center for Jewish History & American Jewish Historical Society

Book Talk

David G. Dalin will introduce his new book "Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: From Brandeis to Kagan" (Brandeis, 2017) 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.

Tickets: $10 general; $5 CJH/partner members, seniors, students

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/jewish-justices-2017-05-17

Wednesday, May 17

7:30 p.m.

A Century Apart: Enso Quartet and Phoenix Chamber Ensemble Performing Schubert, Schumann and Shostakovich

Presented by Center for Jewish History

Concert

The Enso Quartet and Phoenix Chamber Ensemble reunite to perform Schubert's Quartetsatz in C minor, D. 703, 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.

Tickets: $15 general; $10 CJH/partner members, seniors, students

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/a-century-apart-2017-05-17

Sunday, May 21

1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Paper Art Workshop for Shavuot

Presented by Yeshiva University Museum

Holiday Workshop

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.

Tickets: Free with museum admission: $8 adults; $6 seniors, students; free YUM members and YU staff, students and alumni, children under 5. Reservations required.

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/paper-art-workshop-2017-05-21

Monday, May 22

6:30 p.m.

Kurt Tucholsky's Germany? Germany!

Presented by Leo Baeck Institute

Book Talk

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 ("Germany? Germany!: Satirical Writings: The Kurt Tucholsky Reader" Berlinica Publishing LLC, 2017).

Tickets: $10 general; $5 LBI members

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/kurt-tucholsky-2017-05-22

Monday, May 22

6:30 p.m.

Barbara Mann, 1967, and Yehuda Amichai's Vision of Jerusalem

Presented by Yeshiva University Museum & The Center for Israel Studies of Yeshiva University

Gallery Talk

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.

Tickets: $10 general; $5 seniors, students; free YUM members

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/barbara-mann-2017-05-22

Wednesday, May 24

7:00 p.m.

The Yiddish Celluloid Closet and the Isle of Klezbos

Presented by American Jewish Historical Society, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research & American Society for Jewish Music

Music Program in Celebration of Pride Month

Despite the taboo surrounding homosexuality, the topic was explored in the Yiddish film. This program presents Yiddish cinema as you've never seen it before, alongside the Isle of Klezbos all-gal sextet's reinterpretations of movie music from vintage soundtracks, including classics and lesser-known gems.

Tickets: $25 general, $15 AJHS/YIVO/ASJM members, seniors, students; $36 at the door

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/yiddish-celluloid-closet-2017-05-24

JUNE

Sunday, June 4
3:00 p.m.

Music in Our Time: 2017

Presented by American Society for Jewish Music & American Jewish Historical Society

Concert

Featuring a performance of "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.

Tickets: $18 general; $12 ASJM/AJHS/CJH members; $9 seniors, students

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/music-in-our-time-2017-06-04

Wednesday, June 7

6:30 p.m.

Dara Horn, Jerusalem, Imagination and Historical Consciousness
Presented by Yeshiva University Museum & The Center for Israel Studies of Yeshiva University

Gallery Talk

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.

Tickets: $10 general; $5 seniors, students; free YUM members

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/dara-horn-2017-06-07

Tuesday, June 13

7:00 p.m.

A Yiddish Liederabend - An Evening of Yiddish Song

Presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Anne E. Liebowitz Memorial Concert

An elegant as well as nostalgic program devoted to treasures of Yiddish song and the poetry that has inspired this musical expression in all its variety. Presented in the intimate chamber music setting of a traditional classicalLiederabend (song evening) appropriate to the immediacy of this cherished genre.

Tickets: $15 general; $10 YIVO members, students

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/a-yiddish-liederabend-2017-06-13

Thursday, June 22

7:00 p.m.

Jews and the Left Reconsidered

Presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Jacob Kronhill Visiting Professor Lecture

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.

Tickets: Free; reservations required

Link: http://programs.cjh.org/event/jews-and-the-left-reconsidered-2017-06-22

About the Center for Jewish History

The Center for Jewish History in New York City illuminates history, culture, and heritage. The Center provides a collaborative home for five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The partners' archives comprise the world's largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections span 1,000 years, with more than 5 miles of archival documents (in dozens of languages and alphabet systems), more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of artworks, textiles, ritual objects, recordings, films, and photographs. The Center's experts are leaders in unlocking archival material for a wide audience through the latest practices in digitization, library science, and public education. As one of the world's foremost research institutions, the Center offers fellowships, a wide array of exhibitions, symposia, conferences and lectures. The Center is a Smithsonian Affiliate, and is a partner of the Google Cultural Institute. The Center for Jewish History is home to the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, The David Berg Rare Book Room and The Collection Management & Conservation Wing. Public programs create opportunities for diverse audiences to explore the rich historical and cultural material that lives within the Center's walls.