Events

“The Diaphragm Debates: Protestants, Jews, Catholics, and A Changing Culture of Contraception” with Professor Samira Mehta

Co-sponsored by Department of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies On the eve of the 1960 FDA approval of the birth control pill, debates about how American should understand contraception raged. Using fictional depictions of unmarried women seeking diaphragms and…

12/6: Virtual talk by Amy-Jill Levine at Parnassus Books

Parnassus Books presents a conversation with Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi-Brettler, authors of The Bible with and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently. The event is virtual, and will take place on the Parnassus Books…

2020 Contest Winners: “The Best Undergraduate Paper in Jewish Studies” and “The Miriam Halachmi Prize for Excellence in Modern Hebrew”

The Best Undergraduate Paper in Jewish Studies 1st place: Jake Nicastro, “The Changing Southern Jewish Lifestyle in Virginia” (submission from JS 2230W, “American Jews in Southern Life and Literature,” taught by Adam S. Meyer) Honorable mention: Carly Stewart, “Anzia Yezireska and the Hollywood Ending”…

4/13 “Jewish and Israeli Poetry in Time of Crisis” with Mazalit Haim, Assistant Professor Jewish Studies

We had a great turn out at our poetry workshop with Prof. Mazalit Haim and poet Linda Ravenswood. It was well attended by students, faculty and community members who have written some great poems concerning our unique present moment.

2/20 The Netflixization of Israeli and Middle Eastern Cultures – Israel, The Arab World and the Globalization of TV

The Netflixization of Israeli and Middle Eastern Cultures: Israel, the Arab World and the Globalization of Television Have you ever wanted to know more about the Netflix obsession with Israeli secret service, Mossad, as portrayed in current Netflix acclaimed shows like…

Seeing as Believing: A Lunch Talk with Dr. Jeffrey Shandler

***Please note that this event will be held in Alumni Hall 202 on Vanderbilt’s main campus, not Memorial Hall on Peabody Campus. The Program in Jewish Studies is pleased to welcome Jeffrey Shandler of Rutgers University for his talk “Seeing…

Speaking Hebrew Freely: Conversation Outside the Classroom with Professor Haim

Hebrew students: please join Professor Mazalit Haim for a series of monthly talks including Israeli movies and other interactive activities. Kosher vegetarian meals will be provided for current Hebrew students – community members are welcome to attend but meals are…

Jewish Studies Cosponsored Event: A Short History of Anger – the Destruction of Smyrna

Please join us in support of the Department of Theatre, Blair School of Music, and the Department of English for A Short History of Anger– a hybrid work of poetry and theater written by Joy Manesiotis, and directed by Chris…

Jewish Studies sponsors “Sefarad” as part of the Nashville Jewish Film Festival

Jewish Studies is proud to sponsor the film Sefarad as part of the 2019 Nashville Jewish Film Festival. The screening will take place on Thursday, October 17th at 7pm at the Belcourt. More information about the NJFF can be found here….

Jewish Studies Lecture Series: Jonathan Sarna, “That Obnoxious Order: Ulysses S. Grant and the Jews”

The Program in Jewish Studies is pleased to welcome Jonathan Sarna from Brandeis University to speak on “That Obnoxious Order: Ulysses S. Grant and the Jews.” The lecture will take place on Thursday, November 7 at noon in the Central…

Jewish Studies Lecture Series: Jeffrey Shandler, “Seeing As Believing: Watching Videotaped Interviews with Holocaust Survivors.”

The Program in Jewish Studies is pleased to welcome Jeffrey Shandler from Rutgers University to speak on “Seeing As Believing: Watching Videotaped Interviews with Holocaust Survivors.” The lecture will take place on Tuesday, October 29 at noon in the Joe…

JS Lecture Series: Chana Kronfeld, “The Land as Woman: The Afterlife of a Poetic Metaphor in Women’s Modern Hebrew Poetry”

The Program in Jewish Studies is proud to welcome Chana Kronfeld from the University of California, Berkeley to speak on “The Land as Woman: The Afterlife of a Poetic Metaphor in Women’s Modern Hebrew Poetry.” The lecture will take place…

JS Lecture Series: Miriam Frenkel, “India in Medieval Jewish History and Imagination”

The Program in Jewish Studies is pleased to welcome Miriam Frenkel from Hebrew University to speak on “India in Medieval Jewish History and Imagination.” The lecture will take place at noon on Monday, February 25 at the Central Library Poetry Room…

JS Lecture Series: Art is My Weapon

The Program in Jewish Studies is proud to present Art is My Weapon, a performance/lecture from David Shneer of the University of Colorado and singer Jewlia Eisenberg. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 13 at 8pm in the…

JS Lecture Series: Michelle Campos, “Rethinking Jewish-Arab Relations in Palestine and Israel: Lessons from the Archives and the Streets”

The Program in Jewish Studies is pleased to welcome Michelle Campos from the University of Florida speaking on “Rethinking Jewish-Arab Relations in Palestine and Israel: Lessons from the Archives and the Streets.” The event will take place on Thursday, January…

Steven Zipperstein at the JCC Jewish Book Series

JS Lecture Series: Barry Trachtenberg, “The United States and the Holocaust: Race, Refuge, and Remembrance”

The Program in Jewish Studies is pleased to welcome Barry Trachtenberg from Wake Forest University to give a talk titled “The United States and the Holocaust: Race, Refuge, and Remembrance.” The event will be at noon on Thursday, November 8…

Lecture: Jean Silk, “Community Resettlement of Refugees”

Jewish Studies is proud to co-sponsor this lecture from Jean Silk on “Community Resettlement of Refugees.” The lecture will take place on Friday, October 5 at 12pm in Buttrick Hall 102. Bio: Jean Silk is Coordinator of JCARR, the Jewish Community…

JS Lecture Series – Steven Zipperstein, “Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History”

The Program in Jewish Studies is pleased to welcome Steven Zipperstein from Stanford University speaking on “Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History,” also the title of his new book. The event will take place on Thursday, October 11 at…

Jewish Studies sponsors film for 2018 Nashville Jewish Film Festival

Jewish Studies is the proud sponsor of the film Promise at Dawn for the 2018 Nashville Jewish Film Festival. The screening is on Thursday, November 1 at 7pm at the Belcourt Theater. For more information, visit the NJFF website.

Lecture: Till van Rahden, “When, How, and Why Did Jews Become a “Minority”?

Jewish Studies is proud to co-sponsor Till van Rahden speaking on “When, How, and Why Did Jews Become a “Minority”?” This talk will take place on Friday, September 14 at 3pm in Buttrick Hall 212.

Lecture – Susan Bernofsky, “Overseas Conversations: On Translating Jenny Erpenbeck”

Jewish Studies is proud to co-sponsor this lecture from renowned translator Susan Bernofsky titled “Overseas Conversations: On Translating Jenny Erpenbeck.” The lecture will take place on Monday, September 17 at 6pm in Buttrick 102. Talk Description: Translator Susan Bernofsky presents…

JS Lecture Series – Michael A. Meyer, “Jewish Scholarship and Religious Commitment: The Example of Rabbi Leo Baeck”

The Program in Jewish Studies lecture series kicks off the year with Michael A. Meyer from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion speaking on “Jewish Scholarship and Religious Commitment: The Example of Rabbi Leo Baeck.” …

Vanderbilt to Host Antisemitism Roundtable

Vanderbilt Jewish Studies will bring three scholars to Vanderbilt for a roundtable discussion titled “Antisemitism in Contemporary American Politics.” The event, moderated by Jewish Studies director Prof. Allison Schachter, will take place the evening of Thursday, November 8 at 7pm…