Great Jewish Books Lecture Series Archive

These lectures, showcasing the breadth and depth of modern Jewish literature, were presented on Zoom and recorded as part of our Great Jewish Books Lecture Series in 2021. The Series was made possible with the generous support of the Salkind Family Foundation in memory of Marilyn Salkind.

Visiting London Yiddishtown with Vivi Lachs

Vivi Lachs discusses and reads from her newly published translation, which opens up the world of London’s Yiddish-speaking East End neighborhood and gives readers access to this little-known center of modern Jewish life.
From the Vilna Ghetto to Nuremberg: Sutzkever's Holocaust Chronicles with Justin Cammy

Professor Cammy discusses his translation of Abraham Sutzkever's memoir, which Sutzkever's two years in the Vilna Ghetto.
Ana María Shua’s Daughter: New Experiments in Argentine Jewish Historical Fiction with Claire Solomon

Professor Claire Solomon considers how acclaimed writer Ana María Shua plays with Argentine Jewish history through a mother-daughter narrative that is also a metaliterary experiment.
Scenes of Encounter: American Jewish Writers from the Former Soviet Union with Sasha Senderovich

Professor Sasha Senderovich considers how contemporary fiction by Russian Jewish immigrant authors in America grapples--frequently in satirical ways--with the legacy of migration of Jews from the former USSR.
The First American Ladino Novella: Shimon Nessim’s Amerika! Amerika! with Devin E. Naar

Devin Naar delves into the history of Ladino fiction, explore reasons why so little is known about the subject, and focus on the first original Ladino novella published in the United States, Amerika! Amerika! by Shimon Nessim.
Esther Azhari Moyal: Writer, Feminist, and Jewish Activist in the Ottoman Arab World, 1892-1913 with Lital Levy

Meet Esther Azhari Moyal, trailblazing intellectual and activist, who made her mark in the Arab Levant as the world entered the 20th century.
Jacob Glatstein and Yiddish Rage with Sunny Yudkoff and Saul Zaritt

In this talk, Professors Sunny Yudkoff and Saul Zaritt discuss the life and poetry of Jacob Glatstein, a central figure in the American Yiddish world.
Family Secrets and the Graphic Novel: Rutu Modan’s The Property and Nora Krug’s Belonging with Tahneer Oksman

In this talk, Tahneer Oksman explores two graphic novels, each of which grapples with questions of how to address the past, including untold--and often unknown--histories.
Magical Thinking: Isaac Bashevis Singer’s novel, The Magician of Lublin with Anita Norich

In this talk, Professor Anita Norich explores the questions posed in Isaac Bashevis Singer's novel The Magician of Lublin about sin, evil, faith, and the choices available to Jews living in the modern world.
Jews, Art, and Inequality: Lee Conell's The Party Upstairs with Josh Lambert

In this talk, Josh Lambert explores Lee Conell's novel The Party Upstairs.
Talking Across Time: A Conversation Between Three Great Jewish Women Poets with Zohar Weiman-Kelman

In this talk, Zohar Weiman-Kelman considers lines connecting three different poets: Emma Lazarus, Anna Margolin, and Irena Klepfisz.

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Great Jewish Books Lecture Series Archive

Visiting London Yiddishtown with Vivi Lachs

From the Vilna Ghetto to Nuremberg: Sutzkever's Holocaust Chronicles with Justin Cammy

Ana María Shua’s Daughter: New Experiments in Argentine Jewish Historical Fiction with Claire Solomon

Scenes of Encounter: American Jewish Writers from the Former Soviet Union with Sasha Senderovich

The First American Ladino Novella: Shimon Nessim’s Amerika! Amerika! with Devin E. Naar

Esther Azhari Moyal: Writer, Feminist, and Jewish Activist in the Ottoman Arab World, 1892-1913 with Lital Levy

Jacob Glatstein and Yiddish Rage with Sunny Yudkoff and Saul Zaritt

Family Secrets and the Graphic Novel: Rutu Modan’s The Property and Nora Krug’s Belonging with Tahneer Oksman

Magical Thinking: Isaac Bashevis Singer’s novel, The Magician of Lublin with Anita Norich

Jews, Art, and Inequality: Lee Conell's The Party Upstairs with Josh Lambert

Talking Across Time: A Conversation Between Three Great Jewish Women Poets with Zohar Weiman-Kelman