CJS | The Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies

Please join us for a book talk and discussion with Frances Bartkowski on her debut novel, An Afterlife.

Frances Bartkowski was director of the Rutgers University-Newark Women and Gender Studies Program, the oldest such program at Rutgers, from 1989-2002.  She served as chair of the Department of English, and will assume the Interim Chair of the Arts, Culture and Media Department.  She also works closely with graduate students in the American Studies doctoral program and the English Department master’s program.

This event has been cancelled.

How can we best define the term "anti-Semitism"? How has it been mobilized in history and today? How do Jewish communities make sense of, and contend with, anti-Semitic tropes and stereotypes?  Given world politics, how can we liberate ourselves and each other from fear and hatred?

The CJS and CIS welcome Professor Vicki Spencer from the University of Otago in New Zealand to offer a reflection on the recent violence in Christchurch, NZ.

A Symposium at the Graduate Theological Union

Please join these scholars of Jewish and Islamic texts in conversation about translation, interpretation, study, and practice.

1:30pm: Deena Aranoff (GTU) and Mahan Mirza (University of Notre Dame)

Seduced into Eden

Seen through the prism of midrashic and psychoanalytic thought, the story of Adam and Eve challenges our understanding of desire. Please join us as we explore the dynamics of seduction in the Garden of Eden.

The cultures of Islam and Judaism developed over centuries, giving expression to an enormous span of regional and cultural diversity. Today’s program will explore the common and divergent elements in their aesthetic expression and how continuity, linearity, and non-linearity come into play in the material culture of each tradition. We will explore forms such as geometry, calligraphy, illumination, and monumental inscriptions as well as the aesthetics of worship and liturgy. Speakers include Carol Bier and Francesco Spagnolo

Storytelling and Ceremony in Spiritual Life and Social Transformation

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb

 This talk explores the ways women used midrash to create a new narrative, advancing equity for women in Jewish spaces from the mid-1800’s to the present.

Please join the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies for an alumni gathering, with pizza and special guest Dr. Naomi Seidman. 

6pm: Pizza and Schmooze
6:30pm: Intros and Check-ins
7pm: “Back East: Reflections from Toronto” with Naomi Seidman
 
*Pizza from Sliver as well as kosher wine and beer. There will be limited gluten free pizza.