Jewish Journey Lectures with Mike Hollander

Thursdays at 4:00 PM

Click here to access the Zoom Room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86437128725

2. ”Russia: St. Petersburg and Moscow - The Pale and Beyond” Many Ashkenazi Jews say that their parents/grandparents/great grandparents came from ‘Russia,’ however most likely they didn’t! Jews - by and large - were not allowed to live in what is today the Russian Federation (including St.Petersburg and Moscow) until 1860. From that period until the Russian Revolution in 1917, this area was an anvil of Jewish creativity. In addition, major events here - including the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881, the Russian Revolution, the Great Patriotic War (WWII), the Cold War, and Glasnost - had tremendous impact on the Jewish population in this part of the world. They also had a profound impact on North American Jewry. This journey will visit these cities and examine how these events have and continue to impact Jewish identity in these places, as well as in North America and Israel.

3. “The Golden Age of Jewish Life in Sepharad/Spain - Guide for the Perplexed” For centuries, the Jewish community of Spain was one the world’s most significant. It’s creative achievements in the arts, sciences, literature, medicine, diplomacy, etc. were unprecedented for a Diaspora community, largely because of the interaction and integration of the Jewish community in Muslim Spain. All this ended during the same year that Columbus set sail to discover America. What is the legacy of this important community? We will visit some of the more important Jewish centers, including Córdoba, birthplace of Maimonides, Granada, home of the beautiful AlHambra Palace, where Ferdinand and Isabel issued their expulsion order, as well as the beautiful synagogues of Toledo. The presentation will also touch upon the complexity of minority/majority relations, the tension between integration and assimilation, and celebrating the rich legacy of Sephardic Jewry.