Jul 7, 2020 By: yunews
The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs (Dr. Ronnie Perelis, director) and the Center for Israel Studies at 麻豆区 (Dr. Steven Fine, director), along with Dr. Jess Olson, associate professor of Jewish history, have teamed up to create YU Voices, a series of 鈥渢each-ins,鈥 according to Dr. Perelis, 鈥渨here we would consider how the past can help illuminate and energize our present moment.鈥
Dr. Perelis articulated the thinking behind YU Voices in a blog post on the . 鈥淲e are living in unprecedented times, and yet, as historians, we know that the past can help us navigate the seemingly unknown terrain of a crisis,鈥 he noted. 鈥淏y looking to the past, with care, with critical thinking and with empathy, we can think in new ways about our present. By drawing on the range of expertise of our colleagues and friends we can create a forum for our students and the wider community to deepen their understanding and find the inspiration to engage with the great challenges of our moment.鈥
鈥淵U Voices is a series on crisis and hope, a grassroots coming-together of faculty, particularly historians, to present thoughtful reflections on our moment,鈥 said Dr. Fine. 鈥淵U Voices is Torah Umadda at the cusp of transformations within our Jewish community and the larger world communities of which we are a part.鈥
On Thursday, June 11, 2020, Rabbi Saul Berman gave the keynote address for this series: 鈥淟essons from Selma 1965 for America in 2020.鈥 Rabbi Berman offered a stirring reflection on his own involvement in the civil rights movement and explained the deep roots of Jewish activism and responsibility towards our neighbor in halachic [Jewish law] and Torah values. A recording of his talk .
On Thursday, June 25, 2020, Dr. Jess Olson explored questions of art and identity with Jon Madof, the founder of the Jewish Afro-Beat orchestra Zion80 and the innovative music label Chant Records. .
鈥淛on Madof is an important member of a New York Jewish arts scene generally referred to as 鈥榬adical Jewish culture鈥,鈥 explained Dr. Olson, 鈥渂y which is meant exploration of culturally specific, avant-garde art and music to express Jewish identity. I invited Jon because as a jazz musician, and an Orthodox Jew, he combines, say, the Afrobeat style of Fela Kuti with the melodies of Shlomo Carlebach. His music and thoughts about culture, identity and art are very much of the moment and a perfect fit for YU Voices.鈥
YU Voices will meet every two weeks through the summer and into the fall. The next event, on Thursday, July 9, at 1 p.m. features Shulamith Berger, Curator of Special Collections and Hebraica-Judaica at the Mendel Gottesman Library, as she discusses 鈥淗ow Will We Remember COVID? A View from the Archives.鈥 Event information can be found at YU Voices.
鈥淲e hope that these talks with YU faculty and prominent guests exploring moments of crisis, resistance and social and political change,鈥 said Dr. Perelis, 鈥渨ill empower us to engage the challenges we face today.鈥
