Jewish Studies

Upcoming:

• Sep 18
  

  Izmir: Jews in the Ottoman World – A Talk with Prof. Dina Danon

  Time:  7:00pm

  Professor Dina Danon explores the long-overlooked history of the Ottoman Jewish community in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Drawing extensively on a rich body of previously untapped Ladino archival material, she tells a story through the voices of beggars on the street and mercantile elites, shoe-shiners and newspaper editors, rabbis and housewives. Across Europe, Jews were often confronted with the notion that their religious and cultural distinctiveness was somehow incompatible with the modern age. Yet the view from Ottoman Izmir invites a different approach: what happens when Jewish difference is totally unremarkable? What happens when there is no “Jewish Question?” The talk underscore how it was new attitudes to poverty and social class, not Judaism, that most significantly framed this Sephardi community’s encounter with the modern age.

• Oct 22
  

  Leonard Cohen: The Man Who Saw the Angels Fall - A Talk with Prof. Christophe Lebold.

  Time:  7:00pm

  Join us for a compelling talk with Professor Christophe Lebold as he discussed his book, Leaonard Cohen: The Man Who Saw Angels Fall. Blending literary analysis, theology, and cultural theory, Prof. Lebold explores the poetic, spiritual, and philosophical dimensions of Cohen’s life and lyrics, tracing how the legendary singer-songwriter navigated faith, doubt, desire, and redemption. Lebold reveals Cohen as a modern-day mystic whose art continues to resonate across generations.

• Feb 3
  

  “Never Alone” Film Screening

  Time:  7:00pm

  NEVER ALONE tells the gripping story of Jewish refugees seeking safety in Finland during WWII. As Nazi influence grows, the Finnish-Jewish businessman Abraham Stiller (Ville Virtanen, Netflix’s Bordertown) risks everything to protect the refugee community. This powerful film showcases courage, resilience, and the fight for hope amidst overwhelming adversity.