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PUBLIC PROGRAMS
The Rimon, or Pomegranate, is a symbol of beauty and depth in Judaism. Our series of Master Classes invites you to explore the bounty and depth of Jewish text and tradition with leading scholars of Judaic Studies from around the globe.
Featured Visiting Scholar
BARBARA KIRSHENBLATT-GIMBLETT
"Changing the Itinerary: Jewish Museums and Heritage Travel in the New Europe"
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 from 4-6:30 P.M.,
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 from 4-7 P.M. and
University of Denver, Multi-purpose Rm#3430
Daniel L. Ritchie Center, 3rd Floor
2201 E. Asbury Ave., Denver
In the sixty years since the Holocaust and the decimation of once large and vibrant Jewish communities in Europe, sites of memory have proliferated. While those related to the Holocaust—memorials, historic sites, museums—continue to be the focus of travel by those interested in what happened to Europe’s Jews, Jewish museums play an important role in communicating the history of Jews before (and to some degree since) the Holocaust. In recent years, particularly with the fall of Communism, several new Jewish museums, some of them very ambitious, have opened or are being planned, while older ones are undergoing renovation and expansion.
A fundamental dilemma for Jewish museums and historic sites is their relationship to contemporary Jewish communities in Europe, on the one hand, and to the overwhelming concern of Jewish tourists from the United States, Israel, and elsewhere with Holocaust sites, on the other—to mention only the enormous popularity and perceived success of March of the Living and Birthright Israel. Even as Holocaust memorials and museums continue to be created—most recently, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Berlin), the new wing of Yad Vashem (Jerusalem), Holocaust Memorial Center (Budapest), Mémorial de la Shoah (Paris), among others—there are efforts not only to remember those who died and how they died, but also to honor their memory by paying attention to how they lived and the civilization they created. The most ambitious recent efforts include the Jewish Museum (Berlin) and the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which is scheduled to open in Warsaw in 2010.
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is University Professor, Professor of Performance Studies, and Affiliated Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. She is currently chairing the Core Exhibition Development Team of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, in Warsaw, Poland. Her books include Destination Culture: Tourism, Museums, and Heritage and Image before My Eyes: A Photographic History of Jewish Life in Poland, 1864-1939, with Lucjan Dobroszycki. Her edited volume, Writing a Modern Jewish History: Essays in Honor of Salo W. Baron, published by Yale University Press in 2006, won a National Jewish Book Award. They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood in Poland before the Holocaust, in collaboration with her father, Mayer Kirshenblatt, will appear in September 2007.
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SYLLABUS AND READINGS
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To obtain a copy of the readings for $10, please call 303.871.3660 or email palarsen@du.edu |
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Upcoming Events
- PUBLIC LECTURES
Monday, April 16, 2007 at 7 p.m. with Stuart Schoffman,
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 7 p.m. with Shaul Magid,
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 7 p.m., with Benjamin Nathans,
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 7 p.m. with Barbara Kirschenblatt-Gimblett
All events are free and open to the public; however, RSVPs are required, as space is limited. Please call 303.871.3660 or email palarsen@du.edu.
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