Loading view.
Libraries
Printing, Praying, and Performing Jewish Identity in Early Modern Italy: Maḥzor kimḥa d’avishuna with Rabbi Joseph A. Skloot, Ph.D.
In 1540, a group of silk weavers from the city of Bologna, who called themselves “the partners” (ha-shutafim), printed a two-volume compendium of the Jewish liturgy for the yearly worship cycle. This maḥzor (prayer book) included both a commentary on the liturgy by R. Yohanan b. Joseph Treves, entitled Kimha d’avishuna (Flour Milled from Roasted Grain), and a commentary on Tractate Avot of the Mishnah (an oft-quoted anthology of rabbinic wisdom) by R. Obadiah b. Jacob Sforno.
A light catered Kosher lunch will be provided.
Hebrew Books and the Global History of Printing
This talk will consider how the long history of Hebrew printing can transform dominant narratives about the history of the book and the origins of modernity.
Allusions & Illusions: Understanding Prophetic Imagery in Israeli Poetry
Join Rabbi Haim Rechnitzer, Ph.D. as we discuss his newly published Ars-Prophetica: Theology in the Poetry of Twentieth-Century Israeli Poets Avraham Ḥalfi, Shin Shalom, Amir Gilboa, and T. Carmi.
The High Priest’s Garments of Splendor: An Exploration of Biblical Text and Textile
What did the high priest’s ritual dress look like? How did it function in Temple service? Why did the Romans want to keep it under lock and key? Join us as we explore the biblical text in concert with archaeological remains to understand how Israel’s high priestly garments functioned in ancient liturgy and in the formation of community identity.
The Thirst for the Yiddish Word: Publishing Jewish Books in Communist Poland
What stories can a book tell us beyond the words on its pages? In the aftermath of the immense destruction to Polish Jewry wrought by the Holocaust, Jewish cultural activists went to enormous lengths to rebuild. In this talk, Dr. Rachelle Grossman will tell the surprising story of Yiddish books published in postwar Poland.
All Things Large and Small: The Child and the (Children’s) Story in “The Kerchief” and Other Stories for Children by S.Y. Agnon
Rabbi Dr. Wendy Zierler is the Sigmund Falk Professor, Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies. This semester at HUC, Dr. Zierler will be teaching a course on Jewish children’s literature, defining the unique characteristics of the genre and exploring the traditional values it seeks to impart on future generations.
Royal Women at Ugarit: Reconceiving the House of the Father (Hybrid Event)
Join us for a fascinating event in which Christine Thomas will present the findings of her new book, Royal Women at Ugarit: Reconceiving the House of the Father, inviting you to travel to Ugarit in Late Bronze Age Syria to see how royal women were positioned at the center of their political world.
Behind the Laughter: How the Purim Shpiel Came to America
Learn about the origins of the modern Purim play in Eastern European yeshivas of the early nineteenth century and how they developed in American institutions of Jewish learning across the Jewish spectrum, including here at Hebrew Union College. This event is cosponsored by the American Jewish Archives.
The Moral Dilemma Created by a Religious Canon: Reflections on How to Read, How to Teach, How to Live
Engaging with religious canon potentially raises questions that challenge a person’s or community’s ethical values. David Aron explores these questions through the lens of Pirke Avot, one of the central compilations of Jewish ethical teachings of the Rabbinic period.