Events
Upcoming Events
October 1, 2024
Dr. Björn Siegel
LaRose Student Commons 200, 2:30–3:30 pm
“Making the Invisible Visible: German-Jewish Migration from Nazi Germany to Latin America”
Campus-Wide Lecture with Reception to follow
Approximately 100,000 German-speaking Jews fled Nazi Germany to Latin America and had to adapt to a new life on a new continent. Unlike emigration to the USA and Palestine/Israel, this specific immigration is often overlooked, but can provide important information for understanding the challenges faced by German-Jewish refugees after fleeing Nazi Germany. The lecture will analyze the different emigration routes and entry points to Latin America and will examine the different contexts of urban centers such as Buenos Aires (Argentina), Montevideo (Uruguay) and São Paulo (Brazil). In addition, by using the online exhibition „Nothing. Just leave!” published by the Institute for the History of German Jews (Hamburg, Germany), the lecture also raises questions about the long-term consequences of flight and forced migration, as well as the challenges of presenting this specific aspect of Jewish history through the medium of online exhibitions.
This event is organized by International and Global Studies and Latin American Studies in co-operation with Jewish Studies, the Department of History and Geography, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, El Centro, FFE Grant, Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Peace and Conflict Studies.
October 7-8, 2024
October Seventh: Art exhibit from ANU Museum of the Jewish People
Available for viewing from Monday, October 7 at 11am through Tuesday, October 8 at 8pm in the McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion.
Recent Events
November 7, 2023
Shay Rabineau (Binghamton University)
Walking the Land: Hiking, Environment and National Identity in Israel
LaRose Student Commons 200, 5:30 p.m.
This public lecture will focus on one of the most extensive and well-developed trail systems in the world, which emerged in Palestine and Israel since the early 20th century. Based on the speaker’s recently published book, “Walking the Land: A History of Israeli Hiking Trails,” this presentation will illuminate the importance of Israel’s hiking trails and the development of a thriving recreational culture among locals and visitors alike to the country’s history, national identity, and conservation efforts in a variety of ways. Using a seemingly superficial topic – hiking trails – this lecture will also explore their profound impact on Zionist thought, Israeli society, and Palestinian national aspirations.
Dr. Shay Rabineau is Associate Professor of Israel Studies and Associate Director of the Center for Israel Studies at Binghamton University. He is the author of Walking the Land: A History of Israeli Hiking Trails (Indiana University Press, 2023). His research and teaching lies at the intersection of history, politics, and environment in Israel and the West Bank. He recently became the first person since 1934 to circle the Dead Sea on foot, and is writing a book on the history of the Dead Sea and its current environmental crisis.
Sponsored by the Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences; Jewish Studies; and International and Global Studies.
November 3, 2022
Prof. Rebecca Epstein-Levi (Vanderbilt University)
Textual Intercourse: Present-Day Problems, Rabbinic Sources, and Relational Ethics
Isabella Cannon Room, Center for the Arts, 4:30 pm
You might have heard someone claim that “the Talmud is sex-positive!” or something similar. But is it? Is this even a category that makes sense to apply to these texts? And if it isn’t, what on earth is a queer Jew who wants to make strong ethical claims from Jewish sources to do? In this lecture, Rebecca Epstein-Levi—drawing from her forthcoming book, When We Collide: Sex, Social Risk, and Jewish Ethics (March 2023, Indiana University Press)—discussed the difficulties involved in drawing present-day sexual ethics from rabbinic sources, especially those whose basic subject matter seems most clearly to be about sex. She offered some alternative approaches to reading rabbinic texts with an eye towards present-day ethics, and demonstrated one such approach using sexually transmitted infections as a case study.
Sponsored by the Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences; Jewish Studies; Religious Studies; Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies; the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society; the Gender & LGBTQIA Center; Spirit and Pride; and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.
April 8, 2022
Prof. Geoffrey Claussen and Prof. Louis Newman
Modern Musar: Contested Virtues in Jewish Thought
12:00 pm
This event, hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, celebrates the publication of Modern Musar: Contested Virtues in Jewish Thought by Dr. Geoffrey Claussen, Chair of Elon’s Department of Religious Studies and Lori and Eric Sklut Scholar in Jewish Studies. Dr. Louis Newman, Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of Academic Advising at Stanford University and John M. and Elizabeth W. Musser Professor of Religious Studies, Emeritus, at Carleton College, engaged Dr. Claussen in a conversation about his new book, modern Jewish ethics, and the diversity of Jewish intellectual traditions.
November 4, 2021
Prof. Shaul Magid (Dartmouth College)
The Struggle for Home and Homeland: American Jews and Zionism from the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform to Judith Butler
Rex G. and Ina Mae Powell Lecture
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 6 p.m.
The history of Zionism in America is a long and complex story of two competing and contrasting trajectories: Jewish nationalism on the one hand and Jewish Americanism on the other. Dartmouth College Professor Shaul Magid will traced some of the main points of contention between these two trajectories, beginning with the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform that rejects Zionism outright and then moving to the Zionism of Louis Brandeis, the critical Zionism of Hannah Arendt, and the new diasporism of Judith Butler.
March 3, 2020
David Makovsky, “Lessons of Leadership for Israel and America”
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 5:30 pm
David Makovsky drew lessons from leaders of Israel discussed in his new book, co-authored with Ambassador Dennis Ross, Be Strong and of Good Courage: How Israel’s Most Important Leaders Shaped Its Destiny. The book tells the story of four Israeli leaders who made historic decisions, three in pursuit of peace, and then applies their example to the next difficult decision that needs to be taken by Israeli leadership: to separate from the Palestinians and preserve Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state. What are the qualities of a leader who will be able to make this decision and how do politics in Israel and the US contribute to making the choice?
Sponsored by Elon Hillel, Jewish Studies, International and Global Studies, Political Science and Policy Studies, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.
February 13, 2020
Agnes and Robert Heller, “Bittersweet Memories of Survival”
McKinnon Hall, Moseley Center, at 5:30 pm
Local Holocaust survivors Agnes and Robert Heller shared their personal story of survival in German-occupied Hungary during World War II. Agnes and Robert Heller were both born in Budapest, Hungary. Agnes Heller hid at the home of the Halmi family. Robert Heller also survived in hiding before moving to a house protected by the Swedish embassy and being helped by Raoul Wallenberg. Both Hellers emerged from the Holocaust with a strong will to survive, and to build a new and successful life in the United States. While times were bitter, the end is sweet.
The event is co-sponsored by Elon Hillel, Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, The Department of History and Geography, The Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, and Chabad Elon. This special event recognizes International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an international memorial day on January 27, that marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp.
September 19, 2019
Prof. Amanda Mbuvi (High Point University)
“Seeing Ourselves in Books: What a Jewish Transracial Adoption Story Illustrates about Family and Identity”
Isabella Cannon Room (Center for the Arts), 7:30 pm
In the children’s book “Rebecca’s Journey Home,” an American family’s experience adopting a baby from Vietnam and navigating issues of race, religion and nationality illuminates each of those modes of identity, as well as Jewish identity’s distinctive relationship to them. Although the book’s portrayal of Jewish identity remains within the confines of American racial logic, it also points to the potential of Jewish tradition as a basis for reimagining belonging that goes beyond the limitations of that approach to communal identity, so that any body can be seen, without qualification, as a Jewish body. Sponsored by the Religious Studies Department, Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, Jewish Studies, Asian Studies, African & African-American Studies, the CREDE, Elon Hillel, and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.
September 16, 2019
Prof. Mary T. Boatwright (Duke University)
“The Jewish Revolts against Rome: Exceptional, or To Be Expected?”
Yeager Recital Hall (Center for the Arts), 5:30 pm
Dr. Boatwright discussed her recent work on the topic of Jewish revolts against the Roman Empire (1st-2nd centuries CE), engaging such topics as Roman and Jewish identity, imperial policy regarding cultural assimilation, and religious diversity in the Roman world. Sponsored by the Classical Studies program, Political Science & Policy Studies, and Religious Studies, with support from World Languages & Cultures, History & Geography, Peace & Conflict Studies, Jewish Studies, and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society.
May 1-2, 2019
Holocaust Remembrance Day
- Reading of the Names, the steps of the Moseley Center, Wednesday, May 1, 10 am- 4 pm. Community members read the names of those murdered in the Holocaust, helping ensure that their memories are never forgotten. This annual tradition emphasizes the depth of loss, and will be occurring in communities around the world on this day.
- Ceremony of Remembrance, Numen Lumen Pavilion, Thursday May 2, 9:50-10:20 am. We gathered to commemorate the lives of those who died as a result of the racial purity measures in German-controlled Europe during World War II and to remind the public of the terrible deeds that can be carried out when bigotry, hatred, and indifference are regarded as normal.
- Remembrance Reading – Play Reading and a Discussion, Numen Lumen Pavilion, Sacred Space, Thursday, May 2, 2:30-3:30 pm. Elon joined with other colleges and community organizations across the United States in simultaneous staged readings as part of the National Jewish Theater Foundation’s Holocaust Theater International Initiative Remembrance Readings. Organized by Kim Shively, Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, and Sara Wasserman ‘19.
February 13, 2019
Hank Brodt
“My Holocaust Memories”
LaRose Theatre, 5:30 pm
Born in 1925 and now a resident of High Point, N.C., Brodt was a prisoner in five Nazi concentration camps and a forced labor camp, including Plashov, Matthausen and Ebensee, during his teenage years. His tale of struggle and his survival against the odds illuminates one of the darkest periods of human history, the Holocaust. After his liberation, Brodt testified at the trial of Nazi war criminals, including Amon Goeth in Dachau, Germany. After his immigration to the United States, Brodt served in the U.S. Army in Germany and Korea. He has participated in the March of the Living more than 10 times, walking from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom Hashoah, and is committed to sharing his story so the horrific crimes of the Holocaust are never forgotten.
January 9, 2019
Dr. Eric Goldman
“The American Jewish Story Through Cinema”
McKinnon Hall, 6:30pm
By analyzing select mainstream films from the beginning of the sound era until today, one can use the medium of cinema to provide an understanding of the American Jewish experience over the last century. The fact that Jews have been so predominant in the movie business makes cinema such a wonderful text for study and analysis. Through film clips and discussion, we learned how filmmakers created and packaged their own unique concept of the Jew – as filtered through their own consciousness. This program was made possible thanks to the Winter Enhancement Grant, Winter Term Mini-Grants, Elon Hillel and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, International and Global Studies, World Languages and Cultures, Sociology and Anthropology, Jewish Studies, and Latin American Studies.
November 12, 2018
Let’s Talk About Christian Terrorism
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 5:30 pm
The spate of violence in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections in the US shows many characteristics of terrorism. The attacks targeted specific populations—Jews, African-Americans, and the leaders of the opposition political party. And the acts were all committed by white men who appeared to identify as Christian. Can we call these acts and others like them “Christian Terrorism?” Is there even such a thing as Christian Terrorism? What are its characteristics, historical roots, or objectives? Organized by the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society.
October 8, 2018
Dr. Benjamin Sax (Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies)
“Contemporary Jewish Heresy: Israel, Palestine, and the fate of American Judaism”
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 7:00 pm
Dr. Benjamin Sax of the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies explored the phenomenon of heresy in modern Jewish thought. He focused on two questions: Is there a concept of heresy in contemporary American Judaism and, if so, how does the reality of the state of Israel change a Jewish view of heresy? 
Does the Jewish-American community value multiple points of view, or does it segregate itself based on how members view the state of Israel, Zionism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? This talk explored how the role of Israel has changed in contemporary American Jewish life, while also exploring the language used in support of Israel’s policies and in opposition to them; and it examined whether Jewish Americans can criticize the state of Israel in its current political form or its policies, or even question the intentions of Zionism, without being deemed “heretical.” Sponsored by: Jewish Studies; Religious Studies; the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society; International and Global Studies; Peace and Conflict Studies; Middle East Studies; and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.
March 27, 2018
Prof. Shana Sippy (Centre College)
“Together Forever? Strange and Storied Alliances Among Hindus and Jews, India and Israel”
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 4:15 pm
This lecture explored the politics of solidarity and the (re)shaping of alliances between Hindus and Jews after the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India that killed 179 people and targeted a Chabad house. Examining the interfaith memorial services and solidarity gatherings that occurred after Mumbai and the ongoing diplomatic engagements between India and Israel, Sippy explored the development of Hindu-Jewish and India-Israel coalitions, interfaith endeavors, and scholarship over the past twenty years. Program made possible by the Elon Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, co-sponsored by Jewish Studies and the Department of History and Geography.
November 29, 2017
“Ladino Lives at Elon”
Isabella Cannon Room, Center for the Arts, 6 pm
Details at https://www.elon.edu/E-Net/Article/155167. Program made possible thanks to the generous support of the World Languages and Cultures department, the Jewish Studies Program, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Elon Hillel.
October 2, 2017
Dr. Philipp Lenhard (LMU Munich)
Lunch with Hannah Arendt: Reflections about Life and Friendship in the 20th Century
Lakeside 213, 12:30-1:30 pm
Our international guest, intellectual historian Philipp Lenhard from LMU Munich, Germany, shared his research on Hannah Arendt and her idea of friendship, which was a central feature of her concept of politics.
Organized by the Jewish Studies Program in collaboration with German Studies, Department of History and Geography, Institute of Politics and Public Affairs, International and Global Studies Program, Department of Philosophy, and the Department of Political Science and Policy Studies.
May 3, 2017
Dr. Zev Harel
A Holocaust Survivor Tells His Story
LaRose Digital Theatre (at the Koury Business Center), 5:30 pm
Dr. Harel, an 87-year-old Auschwitz survivor and Professor Emeritus, Cleveland State University, shared his story with the Elon community. Sponsored by the Department of History and Geography, Jewish Studies, German Studies, International Studies, the Elon Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, Elon Hillel, and the College of Arts and Sciences.
April 13, 2017
Prof. Emily Filler (Earlham College)
“The God who Saves and the God Who Kills”
Numen Lumen Pavilion, McBride Gathering Space, 5:30 pm
The Israelites’ exodus from Egypt in the Hebrew Bible is frequently invoked as a profound and enduring example of liberation. But whose liberation? How does the Exodus look different from the perspectives of the text’s “others”? Sponsors: Jewish Studies; Religious Studies; the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society; and Elon Hillel.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Prof. Judith K. Lang Hilgartner
“Ladino Lives at Elon”
Isabella Cannon Room, Center for the Arts, 6 pm
This program celebrating International Ladino day, hosted by Prof. Judith K. Lang Hilgartner, featured music, poetry, stories, food, and a clip from Prof. Hilgartner’s forthcoming documentary entitled, “Ladino Lives.” A complete story on E-net is here. Program made possible thanks to the generous support of the College of Arts and Sciences, the World Languages and Literatures department, the Jewish Studies Program, the Religious Studies department, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, and Elon Hillel.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Vivian Jacobson
“Hope, Peace, Reconciliation and Love: The Messages of Marc Chagall in His Artwork and Literature”
Numen Lumen Pavilion, McBride Gathering Space, 4:30 pm
Few people realize that Marc Chagall had a pronounced literary ability equal to that of his art. Vivian R.Jacobson, who worked closely with Chagall during the last eleven years of his life, discussed the artist’s love of reading and writing both poetry and prose and will display the artworks that inspired his writings. Presented by the Center for the Study of Religion, Society and Culture and the Department of Art and Art History, supported by an Innovation Grant from the Residential Camus Initiative, and hosted in conversation with Jewish Studies at Elon and the departments of World Languages and Cultures, English, and Religious Studies.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Ali Abu Awwad and Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger
“Roots of Peace: An Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue”
Numen Lumen Pavilion, McBride Gathering Space, 11:00 am
Sponsored by Elon Hillel; Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life; Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society; Religious Studies Program; Jewish Studies Program; the Middle East Studies Program; Peace and Conflict Studies Program; Jewish Life; and the International and Global Studies Program.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Prof. Amy-Jill Levine (Vanderbilt University)
“Agreeing to Disagree: How Jews and Christians Read Scripture Differently”
Numen Lumen Pavilion, McBride Gathering Space, 7:00 pm
Amy-Jill Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies, and Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School and College of Arts and Sciences. Annual H. Shelton Smith Lecture, funded in part by a generous grant from the Elon Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences and sponsored by the Religious Studies Department, the Truitt Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, and the Jewish Studies Program.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Rabbi Dr. Irving Greenberg
“Seeing Israel – A Real Life Nation – Through a Theological Lens”
Numen Lumen Pavilion, McBride Gathering Space, 7:30 pm
World renowned theologian Rabbi Dr. Irving Greenberg explored the various theological lenses applied to the State of Israel by various groups of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Sponsored by: Jewish Studies; Religious Studies; the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society; Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment; Wendy and Lee Pake; the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte; and the Greensboro Jewish Federation.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Culinary Historian Michael W. Twitty
“Kosher/Soul: Black-Jewish Identity Cooking”
Green World, 5:30 pm (RSVP required)
Being African American and Jewish is for many a combination that many can’t wrap their heads around. However, for thousands of Jews of color; having heritage, faith and family in both Diasporas—African and Jewish—and their many intersections means creating material, social and ideational lives that interweave identities and histories. For Michael Twitty, this includes food and the ways Black and Jews have mediated otherness and oppression using what they eat as well as the global stories Diasporic foodways have to offer. Sponsored by Jewish Studies, African/African-American Studies, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, the Global Neighborhood, the CREDE, Elon Hillel, History and Geography, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and the Coordinator of Residential Dining and Engagement.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Prof. Shuly Schwartz (Jewish Theological Seminary)
“Rugelach, Rummage Sales, Rabbis and Rosh Hodesh Groups: The Transformative Power of American Jewish Feminism”
Numen Lumen Pavilion, McBride Gathering Space, 7:00 pm
Fundraising, organizing, counting in the minyan, studying Talmud and more….Jewish women’s lives have evolved dramatically in the past century, and American Judaism will never be the same! Dr. Schwartz explored the changing role of women in American Jewish life and the ways in which Judaism has been transformed as a result.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Prof. Jon Levenson (Harvard University)
“The Binding of Isaac in the Three ‘Abrahamic’ Traditions: The Jewish-Christian-Muslim Debate”
LaRose Digital Theatre (at the Koury Business Center), 7:30 pm
Levenson, the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard Divinity School, explored parallel texts from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions and both the strengths and the limitations of the claim that these three religious traditions constitute varieties of one “Abrahamic Religion.”
Sponsored by the Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, the Jewish Studies program with support of the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, and the Religious Studies Department.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Avi Melamed (Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College), “Connecting the 
Dots: Religion and Conflict in the Middle East”
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 4:15 p.m.
Middle East analyst and former Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed presented on current events in the Middle East. A follow-up panel featured Elon faculty members Prof. Michael Pregill, Prof. Yoram Lubling, and Prof. Haya Ajjan, each of whom offered their own analyses of challenges in the Middle East.
Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, the Council for Civic Engagement, the Jewish Studies Program, and the Middle East Studies Program.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Prof. Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth College),
“Praying with their Legs: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 7:30 p.m.
Professor Heschel spoke about the friendship and shared vision of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and her father, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel. As she discussed, the relationship between Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King was a close friendship as well as a relationship of colleagues working together as political activists in the civil rights movement and in opposition to the war in Vietnam. Sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program with support of the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment, African & African-American Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Religious Studies, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, the Multicultural Center, the Truitt Center for Religious & Spiritual Life, and Elon Hillel.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow
“One Man’s Incredible Journey Against 
Considerable Odds”
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 7:30 p.m.
Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, and imprisoned during the Holocaust in a German concentration camp, Sidney Shachnow escaped from captivity and eventually settled in the United States, where he attained the rank of Major General and served as commander of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command. Marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, Maj. Gen. Shachnow shared his experiences of and reflections on the horrors of the Holocaust. Sponsored by the Jewish Studies program.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Diane Palley
“Light and Shadow: Visual Midrash and the Art of Jewish Papercutting”
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 5:30 p.m.
Elon hosted world-renowned artist Diane Palley for a presentation on the art of Jewish papercutting. Palley offered an illustrated presentation that began with an overview of papercutting as an art from many cultures, and that focused in depth on traditional Jewish papercutting. She 
discussed how papercutting has been a part of both her artistic and spiritual paths, and how she sees her art as midrash, the creative interpretation of text in the Jewish tradition. She presented a newly commissioned papercut that uses text and image to explore cruelty, compassion, and our own selves. A hands-on workshop followed in which participants were able to complete a small papercut. Sponsored by the Jewish Studies program with support of the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment, the Religious Studies Department, and the Art and Art History Department.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Prof. Samuel Moyn (Columbia University),
“How Did the Holocaust and Human Rights Intersect (and Was It a Good Thing)?”
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 7:30 p.m.
Moyn discussed the relationship between the Holocaust and its memory, on the one hand, and the rise of human rights norms and movements, on the other. His presentation offered a survey of the post-World War II era, asking why not simply Holocaust consciousness but human rights activism came so late. Moyn is the James Bryce Professor of European Legal History at Columbia University, where he taught since 2001. The talk was drawn from his new book, Human Rights and the Use of History. Sponsored by the Philosophy Department and the Jewish Studies Progam with support of the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment.
March 3, 2014
Prof. Daniel Asia (University of Arizona),
“Breath in a Ram’s Horn: Classical Music and Judaism”
Yeager Recital Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Composer and professor of music at The University of Arizona, Asia spoke on his understanding of the relationship between Jewish prayer and music, and how both are roads to approaching the Divine.” Made possible with support of the Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences and the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment.
March 4, 2014
The Music of Dan Asia and the Poetry of Yehuda Amichai
Whitley Auditorium, 6:30 p.m.
Panelists: Prof. Daniel Asia, Prof. Omri Shimron, Prof. Kevin Boyle, Rabbi Steve Sager
Dan Asia’s song cycle “Amichai’s Songs,” is based on work by Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai which wrestles with issues of national and religious identity in a war-torn reality. The panelists considered the adaptation of Amichai’s texts into a music, the poetry itself — in the original Hebrew and in translation, its Jewish-Israeli attributes, as well as the process of preparing the cycle for a public performance. Sponsored by the Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences.
The Music of Dan Asia, performance featuring the Elon University Camerata (Stephen A. Futrell, conductor), Tim Hill (bass-baritone), guest tenor Timothy Sparks (UNC Chapel Hill) and Omri Shimron (piano)
Whitley Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Daniel Asia, Professor of Composition and Head of Composition at the University of Arizona, narrated a recital featuring three of his vocal works: “Amichai Songs” (version for voice and piano), “Breath in a Ram’s Horn” with texts by American poet Paul Pines (tenor and piano), and “Why Jacob?” for chorus and piano. Sponsored by the Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences.
November 17, 2013
Elon University Conference on Jewish-Christian Relations
1:00 pm: Welcoming Remarks
President Dr. Leo Lambert (Elon University)
Dr. Geoffrey Claussen (Elon University)
1:05-2:00 pm: Reading Genesis
– Dr. Marc Bregman (UNC-Greensboro) – “Jewish and Christian Perspectives on the Sacrifice of Isaac”
– Dr. Ellen Haskell (UNC-Greensboro) – “Contesting the Kingdom of Heaven: Rachel as Counterpart to Christ in Medieval Jewish Mysticism”
– Dr. Malachi Hacohen (Duke University) – “Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Ishmael: The Future of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations”
Convener: Dr. Geoffrey Claussen (Elon University)
2:15-3:00 pm: Defining Jewish Identity
– Dr. Lynn Huber (Elon University) – “‘Those Who Say That They Are Jews and Are Not’: The Function of Jewish Identity in the Book of Revelation”
– Dr. James Tabor (UNC-Charlotte) – “Who is a Jew?: A Modern Conundrum with Ancient Roots”
Convener: Dr. Michael Pregill (Elon University)
3:15-4:15 pm: Evangelical-Jewish Relations
– Dr. Shalom Goldman (Duke University), “The Use of Hebrew and Yiddish by British and American Christian Missionaries to Jews: 1870-1970”
– Dr. Yaakov Ariel (UNC-Chapel Hill) – “The Rise of Messianic Judaism”
– Dr. Motti Inbari (UNC-Pembroke) – “The Christian Zionist Response to Israeli Land for Peace Solutions”
Convener: Dr. Jason Husser (Elon University)
4:30-5:15 pm: Jewish and Christian Feminist Ritual Innovation
– Dr. Vanessa Ochs (University of Virginia)
– Dr. Diann Neu (Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual)
Convener: Dr. Toddie Peters (Elon University)
5:30-6:30 pm: The Future of Jewish-Christian Dialogue
– Dr. Stanley Hauerwas (Duke University)
– Dr. Peter Ochs (University of Virginia)
Convener: Dr. Jeffrey Pugh (Elon University)
Closing Remarks: Dr. Jeffrey Pugh (Elon University)
Sponsored by the Elon College Fund for Excellence, the Jewish Studies program with support of the Eric and Lori Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment, the Department of Religious Studies, the Department of History and Geography, the Women’s/Gender Studies program, the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, and the Elon Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society.
November 7, 2013
Prof. Brian Nedvin (Old Dominion University)
“Music and the Holocaust: A Lecture-Recital”
Elon parent and music professor Brian Nedvin shared music, images, and words in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht and the beginning of the Holocaust.
May 1, 2013
Rabbi Greg Epstein
“Secular Humanism and Modern Jewish Thought: A Conversation with Chaplain Greg Epstein”
Spring Convocation panelist Greg M. Epstein, the humanist chaplain at Harvard University, was ordained as a humanist rabbi by the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. He joined Elon Jewish Studies students for a special session on the place of secular humanism in the history of modern Jewish thought.
April 30, 2013
Rabbi David Wolpe
“A Judaism of Relationships:
A Conversation with Rabbi David Wolpe”
Belk Pavilion 208, 1:00 pm
This special session was with Spring Convocation panelist Rabbi David Wolpe, the Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. Named the most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek magazine and one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by the Jerusalem Post, Wolpe is the author of seven books and is a popular media contributor on questions regarding religion. He recently delivered the benediction at the Democratic National Convention, and his most recent book is Why Faith Matters.
April 11, 2013
Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat
“The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the United States”
Lakeside Meeting Room (at Moseley Center), 7:30 pm
Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat has held senior U.S. government positions in three presidential administrations, from the White House to the State Department, from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union to the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury; he has also been a leader in the Jewish community, having led American and international Jewish groups and institutions. In this lecture, he shared his provocative thesis regarding the future of the Jewish people in light of the major geopolitical, economic, and security challenges facing the world in general, and the United States and the State of Israel in particular. A reception and book-signing will follow Ambassador Eizenstat’s speech. This event was made possible by the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment, the Jewish Studies Program, the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, the Department of Religious Studies, the Department of History and Geography, Middle East Studies, International Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, the Law School, the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, with special thanks to the President’s Office.
Event flyer here. Directions to Elon’s Moseley Center (400 N. O’Kelly Avenue, Elon, N.C.) here. The Lakeside Meeting Room is above the new Lakeside Dining Hall on the west side of Moseley Center.
October 26, 2012
Rabbi Jill Jacobs 
“Taking Judaism Public: What Traditional Wisdom Can Teach America”
Should America live by Jewish values? Can an ancient tradition say anything about twenty-first century economic and social concerns? In this lecture, Rabbi Jill Jacobs (Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights–North America) offered a Jewish perspective on some contemporary challenges, and then considered whether and how religion belongs in the public debate.
Lecture sponsored by Elon’s Jewish Studies Program with support from the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies Endowment; the Elon Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society; the Department of Religious Studies; and the Non-Violence Studies Program. Kosher vegetarian lunch following the lecture sponsored by the Truitt Center for Religious & Spiritual Life and Elon Hillel.
Friday, October 26, 2012, 12:15 p.m., in LaRose Digital Theatre (at the Koury Business Center: 401 N. O’Kelly Avenue, Elon NC 27244)
Recent Jewish Studies Film Screenings (Selected)
- Jewish American Soldiers: Stories from WWII, with special guest Mason Sklut ’14
- Parce que j’étais peintre (Because I was a painter) (as part of the French/Francophone Film Festival)
- Rabin: In His Own Words
- Of Many
- Eyes Wide Open (as part of the Global Neighborhood Film Series)
- Re-Emerging: The Jews of Nigeria