Events

This concert and talk brings to life a twentieth-century world of Jewish responses to the pervasive climate of race prejudice that gave birth to the Scottsboro trials—and injustices to come—through a performance of Yiddish and English poems from the era, newly set to music.

Join us in celebrating the past and present achievements of the GSWS/FQT community during a multi-day symposium, taking place on Penn's campus on Thursday, February 29th and Friday, March 1st. Details to come. Contact gsws-fqt@sas.upenn.edu with questions.

February 27, 2024 at Noon.

How are campus communities handling questions about open expression in the day to day? What has changed since October 7, 2023, and what ongoing principles may be helpful in guiding policy?  Featuring: Sigal Ben-Porath, professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

A conversation with guest speaker Dr. Aldon Morris, the Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University and author of: The Scholar Denied: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Birth of Modern Sociology, and Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations in Africana Studies and Sociology.

According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, Queen Helena of Adiabene traveled from her kingdom in northern Mesopotamia to Jerusalem to worship the Jewish God in the temple. She ended up staying in the city, building a palace in the south and a monumental family tomb to the north. This queen was not forgotten: she appears in early Christian writings and rabbinic literature, she stars in medieval Jewish-Christian polemics, and there is a street named after her in contemporary Jerusalem. But what happened to the tomb she built? A stroll down Salah al-Din Street in Jerusalem leads to a tall iron gate with the words "Tombeau des Rois” (Tomb of the Kings) emblazoned overhead, behind which stands one of the largest ancient monumental tombs and subterranean burial chambers in the region - the very tomb that most archaeologists today assume to have been commissioned by Queen Helena. How did Queen Helena's mausoleum become the Tomb of the Kings? This talk examines the history of this tomb from antiquity to the present day, with a focus on the long nineteenth and early twentieth century, when the tomb became a popular pilgrimage stop, the city's first archaeological excavation, a tourist destination, and a site for diplomatic visits.  

Featuring: Sarit Kattan Gribetz, associate professor in the Theology Department at Fordham University.

Tens of thousands of Jewish students gained admission into American colleges and universities in the twentieth century, but acceptance into college was only the first step for many. Students sought out extracurricular activities to pursue their interests and learn more about the social landscape of what were often elite, white spaces. Jewish sororities offered qualifying young women a chance to see “carefree” collegiate life up close, but also forced them to contend with social antisemitism and other forms of discrimination still present in American life.

The integration of Jews into the university is one of the great success stories of modern American culture and Jewish life. Penn was at the forefront of this success story, with the first Jewish Students’ Association formed here in 1924. But recent events at Penn and at other campuses have led to accusations that the university has been too tolerant of antisemitism and become less welcoming to Jews. This series of free online lectures is an effort to share insights from history, sociology, education studies, and other fields that can help put the present moment into context and provide understanding far deeper than what social media conveys. Featuring: Shira Kohn, The Dalton School

Trauma—as memory, as history, as past, as present—is inseparable from the sound and music of Jewish life. Sounding such trauma, giving voice to pain and tragedy, is possible only upon confronting the aesthetic paradox of how beauty, meaning, and agency intersect with the reality of trauma. Drawing upon Philip Bohlman's decades-long engagement with the performance and study of Jewish music on the cabaret stage, especially with his ensemble, the New Budapest Orpheum Society, the 27th annual Meyerhoff Lecture explores the paths that lead beyond the paradox, even in the moments of greatest trauma. Featuring: Philip V. Bohlman, University of Chicago.

Please join us to celebrate the opening of Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body with refreshments, music, and light fare from Honeysuckle Provisions. 

6 PM: Welcome by John L. Jackson Jr., Provost, University of Pennsylvania, and Emily Zimmerman, Interim Director of Exhibitions and Programs, Arthur Ross Gallery followed by a conversation between Barbara Earl Thomas and Dr. Kemi Adeyemi, Associate Professor of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington.  

Join a panel of three distinguished professionals to discuss challenges and best practices in managing Jewish books in libraries, archives, and collections. We will hear about a white paper being produced through a collaboration between the Association of Jewish Libraries and the National Library of Israel and open a conversation about how dealing with Jewish materials relates to wider conversations about the ethics of collecting and access.  Featuring: Yoel Finkelman, National Library of Israel

For decades, claims about the existence of antisemitic quotas, instituted in the 1950s, dogged Stanford University. A deep dive into the archival record confirmed what many had long suspected: that Stanford took steps to limit the number of Jewish students that it enrolled. But it also surfaced aspects of a more complex story about antisemitism in American culture, even during the heyday of “tri-faith America.”  Featuring: Ari Y. Kelman, Stanford University