Center for Jewish Studies
This article originally appeared on Patheos By Shalom Goldman, Duke UniversityJohnny Cash died on September 12, 2003, and as we approach the tenth anniversary of his death, his reputation as an American musical master seems only to grow. His recordings continue to sell briskly, particularly the Bootleg items released by Columbia Records. When I mentioned him to the college freshmen in my classes, who were born in 1994-5, they all knew Cash’s music.… read more about Johnny Cash Is In the Promised Land »
Three of the Rabbi Nathan J. Perilman fellows from the Center for Jewish Studies have been awarded European Studies Research Scholarships for the academic year 2013-2014. Giuseppe Prigiotti (Romance Studies), Rachel Bessner (History), and Annegret Oehme (German), will be participating in a working group on Jews & Muslims: Histories, Diasporas and the Meaning of the ‘European.’ The scholarships are awarded by the Center for European Studies.The scholarship supports graduate and professional students, as well as postdocs… read more about Perilman Fellows Win Research Scholarships »
Learn more about this gripping course that looks at one of the most important question in modern European History, and German studies - how Germans have dealt with the past, and the Second World War through literature, film, and some of the very special collections held here at Duke in the Rubenstein Library.Enroll NOW for this course - German 387 or Jewish Studies/ Literature 369. This course is taught in English, and is open to first-year students. read more about Germany Confronts Nazism and the Holocaust - This Fall »
Internalizing Israeli Violence by Shai Ginsburg on Aug 14, 2013 • 11: 14 UTC No CommentsAs in 2012, the biggest winners of this year’s Jerusalem Film Festival were debuts by two young and promising directors. Tom Shoval’s Youth received The Haggiag Awards for Israeli Cinema for Full Length Film, and Maya Dreifuss’ She Is Coming Home received the Pirchi Family Award for Best Debut. This is both good and bad. Good, because the two films serve as further testimony to the ongoing robustness of the small Israeli film… read more about Internalizing Israeli Violence »
A report by the Times of Israel yesterday said religious opponents were reciting psalms, blowing the ram’s horn, and tearing garments over a new bill that would “significantly increase enlistment among Ultra-Orthodox Israelis” into Israel’s military or in national service. Members of the Israeli parliament voted 64 to 21 in favor of the draft legislation, which must now pass through two more votes on the Knesset floor before becoming law. If passed, it would give the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish population (excepting a… read more about Shalom Goldman on Jews, Israeli Arabs and the IDF »
This article originally appeared on Patheos at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionnow/2013/07/god-speed-race-cars-for-peace-in-the-holy-city/By Shalom Goldman, Duke UniversityIn the US, spectator sports and religious conviction often go hand in hand. Americans are used to players, and teams, who pray and play, invoking Jesus before, during, and after games. This happens on the basketball court, in baseball stadiums, and on football fields. And it is most… read more about God Speed: “Race Cars for Peace” in the Holy City »
The Duke Center for Jewish Studies is pleased to be co-sponsoring the Second International Conference on Israeli Documentary Cinema at the 30th Jerusalem International Film Festival with the help of faculty member Shai Ginsburg.The 30th anniversary of the Jerusalem International Film Festival is also an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable achievements of Israeli documentary cinema. Within this framework, we would like think jointly, academics and filmmakers, of one of the key questions that preoccupy us at the… read more about Duke CJS to Co-Sponsor 2nd International Conference on Israeli Documentary Cinema »
Learn more about our exciting first-year seminar (89S) on Jewish-American Literature, taught by literature scholar Judith Ruderman. The course begins in NYC in the late 19th-century, and through fiction and film explores the immigrant experience. The course then looks at both the suburban experience, and explores attitudes and issues concerning the state of Israel; and finally ends with authors writing about college students - both contemporary, as well as those who were silenced during the Argentinian Dirty War of the… read more about Jewish-American Literature - Learn More This Fall! »
The Duke Center for Jewish Studies, in connection with the Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina (JHFNC) is happy to announce the birth of Down Home: A Virtual Museum on its web site: http://sites.duke.edu/downhome. While hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians saw the exhibit in person at one of its several venues, Raleigh, Charlotte, or Wilmington, mounting our interactive site means that Down Home will live on for many years to come on the internet. All of the images are taken either from the original… read more about Down Home: A Digital Exhibit Goes Live »
Laura Lieber, Assistant Director of the Duke Center for Jewish Studies and Associate Professor of Religion, will be presenting her paper "Balak on the Liturgical Stage" this weekend at the Columbia University Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies at a conference titled "The Past - and Present - of Jewish Storytelling." The event promises a dynamic discussion of narrative, ancient and modern storytelling, in the Jewish tradition; bringing together writers and academics. Other speakers and scholars include Robert… read more about Laura Lieber to present at IIJS »
The final Jewish Studies Seminar of 2012-2013 will meet Tuesday April 30. Our guests will be Louise Hecht, Palacky University, Olmutz, and Dieter Hecht of the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Graz. They will lead a discussion on ”The Haskalah in Bohemia and Moravia: a gendered perspective,” and “Everybody’s Darling: Nobody’s Concern: Jewish [...] read more about Next seminar April 30 with Louise and Dieter Hecht »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is Sunday, April 7, 2013. Our guest speaker is Gail Sherman, Professor of English and Humanities, Reed College. She will lead a discussion on “Paradox, Not Orthodox, Jews: The Jewish-American Fiction of Joanne Greenberg.” paper available JSS – Sherman read more about Next seminar April 7 with Prof. Gail Sherman »
Film / Visual Slaves to Occupation by Shai Ginsburg on Mar 28, 2013 • 1: 40 UTC No CommentsThe Gatekeepers is like a history lesson. It’s subject is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 1967 war. The instructors are the five former heads of the Shin Bet: Israel’s General Security Service (GSS): Avraham Shalom (who headed the Shabak between 1980-1986;) Yaakov Peri (1988-1994;) Carmi Gilon (1995-1996; Ami Ayalon (1996-2000;) Avi Dichter (2000-2005;) and Yuval Diskin (2005-2011.)Through extensive interviews with the five… read more about Slaves to Occupation »
By Shalom Goldman,While the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics eagerly awaited the decision of the Cardinals who were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel, members of the world’s other religions, among them many of the world’s 14 million Jews, were also closely following developments in Rome. But as is often the case, there was no Jewish consensus on this issue, or on any other. As the well-known maxim has it, “one Jew, three opinions.”Behind the differences between Catholic and Jewish approaches to consensus is some difficult… read more about Why Jews Don't Elect a Pope, and What Might Happen if They Did »
Laura Lieber, assistant director of the Duke Center for Jewish Studies, gave a talk Tuesday, March 12, 2013 "Beyond the Holocaust: Invented Mothers, Mothers of Invention: Biblical Women Reimagined" at the Fayetteville Public Library in Fayetteville, AR. The talk highlighted some of the most memorable figures from the Hebrew Bible and the literature of the ancient synagogue.Posted: March 16, 2013To view the original post, please visit: http://www.nwaonline.com/photos/2013/mar/16/189440/ read more about "Beyond the Holocaust: Invented Mothers, Mothers of Invention: Biblical Women Reimagined" »
In this panel discussion at Indiana University's School of Music, Shalom Goldman joins IU's Egyptologist Steve Vinson, Associate Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and the production’s internationally recognized artistic team: Stage Director Candace Evans, Music Director Arthur Fagen, Stage Designer Douglas Fitch, and Costume Designer Linda Pisano. The discussion was an in-depth overview from the artistic team of IU Opera Theater’s upcoming presentation of Philip Glass’ groundbreaking masterpiece “… read more about Shalom Goldman discusses Phillip Glass' "Akhnaten" »
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The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is Sunday, February 24, 2013. Our guest speaker is Marsha Rozenblit, Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Jewish History at the University of Maryland. She will lead a discussion on “Jews and Other Germans: The Case of Moravia, 1848-1938.” paper available JSS – Rozenblit read more about Next seminar Feb. 24 with Prof. Marsha Rozenblit »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies seminar is scheduled for Friday, February 15. This is a joint session with the Triangle Legal History Seminar. Our guest speaker is Dr. Verena Kasper-Marienberg and she will present her paper “Jewish Cases at an Early Modern Supreme Court: A Source for Legal and Gender History.” Dr. Kasper-Marienberg [...] read more about Next seminar February 15 with Dr. Verena Kasper-Marienberg »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is January 27. Our guest will be Dr. Zohar Maor of the Department of History, Bar-Ilan University. He will lead a discussion on “Max Brod: Identity and Hybridity.” paper available JSS – max brod final read more about Next seminar January 27 with Dr. Zohar Maor »
A Bagel with Hagel? Not If You Are an American Jewish “Leader”By Shalom Goldman, Duke UniversityEver since the name of Chuck Hagel was floated by the Obama White House as a possible appointment to the post of Secretary of Defense, conservative Republicans have been telling us that the former Nebraska senator was the worst possible choice for the job. Particularly pointed were the remarks of Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who said that, “Chuck Hagel, if confirmed to be the secretary of… read more about A Bagel with Hagel? Not If You Are an American Jewish “Leader” »
Since its nineteenth century beginnings, archaeology in the Holy Land has been driven by the desire to illuminate, even to verify, Jewish and Christian scripture. At the same time, western expeditions and excavations served to further colonial interests in the exotic Orient. Both of these motivations—the religious and the political—persist although their specific manifestations have shifted over the course of more than a century of research. This course is designed to introduce the student to some of the major… read more about 2013 Holy Land Archaeology Blog »
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Our guest will be Rabbi Professor David Ellenson, President and I. H. and Anna Grancell Professor of Jewish Religious Thought at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. He will lead a discussion on "National Sovereignty, Jewish Identity and the 'Sake of Heaven': The Impact of Residence in Israel on Halakhic Rulings on Conversion" paper available JSS – Ellenson read more about CANCELLED – seminar December 9 with Professor David Ellenson »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is December 2. Our presenter will be Professor Rachel Elior of the Hebrew University of Jersalem. She will lead a discussion on “The Origins of Hasidisim.” paper available JSS – Elior read more about Next seminar Dec. 2 with Professor Rachel Elior »
Fraade and Boyd: There May Never Be a Winner, But We Are All Losing November 21, 2012 by STEVEN BOYD and RACHEL FRAADE for ISLAMiCommentary on NOVEMBER 20, 2012:The two people who came together to write this column are very different. One of us is a male, the other is female. One is from the South, one from the North. One is Jewish, the other is an atheist. One has extremely close ties to Israel, and one has zero immediate ties to any nation in the Middle East. One is a member of… read more about Shalom Goldman's Students Are Finding Middle Ground »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar will be Sunday, November 11. Our guest will be Prof. Shaul Magid, Jay and Jeannie Schottenstein Chair in Jewish Studies at Indiana University. He will lead a discussion on “Liberal Judaism, Christianity, and the Spector of Hasidisim.” paper available JSS – Magid 2012-2013 Schedule November 11, Shaul Magid, [...] read more about Next seminar November 11 with Professor Shaul Magid »
The next meeting of the Jewish Studies Seminar is Sunday, Oct. 28. Our guest is Professor Marsha Rozenblit, University of Maryland. She will present “Jews and Other Germans: The Case of Moravia, 1848-1938.” paper available JSS – Rozenblit 2012-2013 Schedule October 28, Marsha Rozenblit, University of Maryland, Jews and Other Germans: The Case of Moravia, [...] read more about Next seminar Oct. 28 with Prof. Marsha Rozenblit – Cancelled »
What does it mean to have religious lyrics in secular pop music? Scholars of religion have attempted to answer this question in a variety of ways. They have described the rock concert as a religious experience and sing-alongs as part of an age-old ritual of mantra recitation. Indeed, "The Boss" himself, Bruce Springsteen, speaks with a Christian inflection when he welcomes his audiences to the "Church of Rock N' Roll."In mid-August, we had the chance to think about this question in a new way when we listened to… read more about Matisyahu's Modern-Day Mantra »