The Pope at War: The Continuing Controversy over the Silence of Pope Pius XII during the Shoah – David I. Kertzer
Pope Pius XII’s decision not to speak out against the German attempt to exterminate the Jews of Europe has long generated bitter controversy. The opening of the Vatican archives for his papacy in 2020 permits new insight into the reasons why the pope acted as he did. Focusing on the pope’s actions in October 1943 […]
And God Laughed: Humor in the Bible – Joel Kaminsky (Smith College)
Since the Hebrew Bible is a sacred text for Jews and Christians many readers naturally assume it cannot contain any humor. This talk will explore several biblical narratives that employ humor to make serious theological points. Becoming aware of such biblical humor can enrich our understanding of these stories and of certain theological ideas the […]
Who Really Wrote the Bible: The Story of the Scribes – William Schniedewind (UCLA)
Who wrote the Bible? Its books have no bylines. Tradition long identified Moses as the author of the Pentateuch, with Ezra as editor. Ancient readers also suggested that David wrote the psalms and Solomon wrote Proverbs and Qohelet. Although the Hebrew Bible rarely speaks of its authors, people have been fascinated by the question of […]
Entwined Homelands, Empowered Diasporas: Hispanic Moroccan Jews and Their Globalizing Community (ZOOM LIVE) – Aviad Moreno
The Hispanic Moroccan Jewish diaspora emerged as one of the most mobile and globally dispersed North African groups in the twentieth century, with hubs in Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Spain, Israel, Canada, France, and the US, among others. Migration and diaspora scholars often focus on nostalgia as well as national and cultural ties to a […]
Translating the Jewish Freud: Psychoanalysis in Hebrew and Yiddish – Naomi Seidman (University of Toronto)
The Jewish character of psychoanalysis is still a matter of debate. But what it not disputed is that Sigmund Freud considered the translations of his work into Hebrew and Yiddish a matter of profound significance, writing about how moved he was to hold these renderings in his hand when they were sent to him by […]
Isaac – Movie Screening
Based on a 1961 short story by Antanas Škema, “Isaac” begins in Nazi-occupied Lithuania during World War II, when dozens of Jews were publicly tortured and killed in what became known as the Lietukis Garage massacre. It then jumps forward two decades to follow a director who wants to make a film about the massacre […]