Speaker/Performance Series
Fall 2019
"Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II"
Sunday September 15, 2019, 6:30 p.m.
EMU Student Center Ballroom
First Annual Art and Mary Schuman Lecture
Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune called Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II “revelatory;” and Andy Herrman of NPR Music said it was “a minor miracle.” With “Yiddish Glory,” singer-songwriter Psoy Korolenko (Moscow - New York) and historian Anna Shternshis (University of Toronto) bring to life a nearly vanished musical history in a concert/lecture program. This should be a remarkable evening (and dinner is included!!!) ($36 per person; $10 students with ID).
For tickets, call Celia Murkowski at 734.487.5634 or register on the Yiddish Glory site.
"America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today"
Monday, October 28, 2019, 7 p.m.
EMU Student Center Ballroom
Professor Pamela S. Nadell
Dr. Pamela S. Nadell of American University (Professor and Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women's and Gender History; Director, Jewish Studies Program; and Past President, Association for Jewish Studies) will talk about and sign copies of her new book, America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today (Norton, 2019). Admission is free.
“Seltzertopia: The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary Drink"
Saturday, December 7, 2019, 7:30 p.m.
310A&B EMU Student Center
Third Annual Center for Jewish Studies Hanukkah Celebration
Barry Joseph
Why are people crazed about carbonated water? Is it healthy? How did it become a comedic prop? Why do Jewish people and millennials claim it as a lifestyle choice? Barry Joseph’s multimedia presentation, Seltzertopia, unfolds like a mystery, revealing characters, clues, and locations from across time and space. Mel Brooks, filmmaker, actor, comedian, and composer says, “Of the thousands of books written about seltzer water, this is by far my favorite–especially the part that’s all about me.” Admission is free.
The lecture will be followed by a book signing and desserts. This event is co-sponsored by sponsored by Hillel at Eastern Michigan University. We would also like to offer a special thank you to Harlene and Henry Appelman.
Winter 2020
An Evening with James Beard Award-Winning Author
Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 7 p.m.
EMU Student Center Ballroom
Michael W. Twitty
African-American, Jewish, gay, culinary historian Michael Twitty, author of the 2018 James Beard Foundation Book of the Year, The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South, insists: "America is the only place on earth where I’m possible, and that is the dirty little secret behind these hate groups. They are here to take away the possibilities that America the Ideal represents." Co-sponsored by the EMU Center for Jewish Studies, Hillel at Eastern Michigan University (HCAM), and Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment/The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, Mr. Twitty will talk about his work, sign his book and, perhaps, even provide a culinary demonstration.