NEW THIS YEAR: we are starting to record our community lectures. To listen or watch, click here to visit our video archives.

Community Events
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All events are free and open to the public, with the exception of the Uhlman Family Seminar.

We’re No Angels: Striving for Perfection in Ancient Jewish Literature
Monday, March 19, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education parking map

CHRISTINE HAYES, professor of Religious Studies at Yale University, will lead an exploration of diverse ancient Jewish conceptions of the nature of human perfection and whether or not humans are, or should aspire to be, like angels.
This lecture is made possible by a grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation in honor of Eli N. Evans, ’58.

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Material Culture and Jewish Identity: Or, What Makes a Jewish Home Jewish?
Monday, April 16, 2112, 7:30 p.m.
William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education parking map

VANESSA OCHS, an anthropologist of contemporary Jewish life and professor at the University of Virginia, will explore the ways that different
kinds of things make homes Jewish, and how things found in the home facilitate Jewish living, creating, maintaining and transmitting Jewish identities.
Co-sponsored by the Department of American Studies.
This lecture is made possible by a grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation in honor of Eli N. Evans, ’58.

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Academic lectures

Academic lectures are open to the general public, but discussion will be more indepth and geared to a scholarly audience.

Anti-Semitism: The History of an Idea
The Morris, Ida and Alan Heilig Lectureship in Jewish Studies
Monday, February 27, 2012, 5:30 p.m., Hyde Hall
JONATHAN ELUKIN, Trinity College
This lecture will examine the evolution and implications of using "Anti-Semitism" as the catch-all term to describe the wide range of animosity towards Jews.

The Furst Forum:
The Wise Men of Chelm: Eastern European Jewry’s Favorite Folk Tradition and Its German Origins
Thursday, March 1, 2012, 5:30 p.m., Hyde Hall
RUTH VON BERNUTH, UNC Chapel Hill
Ruth von Bernuth, assistant professor in UNC’s Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures and an expert in Old Yiddish literature, will uncover the surprising origins of Yiddish folklore in sixteenth-century German popular culture.
Co-sponsored by the Department of English and Comparative Literature.
This lecture is made possible by a grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation in honor of Eli N. Evans, ’58.

Academic Lecture Hosted by the Department of Art and
Co-sponsored by the Center:
(Re)Claiming Maimonides: The restoration of the Maimonides synagogue in Cairo
Thursday, March 15, 5:30 p.m., Caldwell Hall, room 105.
PAULA SANDERS from Rice University

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Lunchtime Seminars

The Center is hosting academic seminars throughout the year, allowing scholars to discuss their current research or recent books during an informal lunch. The seminars are for faculty and students at UNC.

* Reservations are required for the lunchtime seminars.
Please call or email for details and to R.S.V.P.
Phone: 919-962-1509 Email: ccjs@unc.edu
Venue for the seminars, and reading materials, will be sent after registration.

Lunchtime Seminar Schedule:

Fall 2011

September 21, noon- The Last Spanish Expulsion in Europe: Milan 1565-1597, with Flora Cassen, the Center’s newest faculty member

October 10, noon - Johnny Cash in the Holy Land, with Shalom Goldman of Duke University

Spring 2012
April 16 - Vanessa Ochs, University of Virginia

Additional seminars will be added for Spring semester, please check back for updated information.

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2011-2012 Uhlman Family Seminar

The Uhlman Family Seminar, scheduled for April 27-28, 2012, will focus on the theme of Jewish life and the American South. Seminar speakers include Marcie Ferris from UNC, Stuart Rockoff, the head historian of the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, and Adam Mendelsohn from the College of Charleston.

The seminar is offered by the Program in Humanities and Human Values and is made possible by a grant from the Uhlman Family Fund.
Click here to view the event poster.
Click here for details and registration information.

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Join our listserv:

If you would like to receive e-mail updates on our public events and programs, please send an e-mail to ccjs@unc.edu with "subscribe" in the subject line. In the body of the message, please provide your e-mail address and your postal address. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.

Past Events:

Public Lectures Fall 2011 & Spring 2012
Public Lectures Fall 2010 & Spring 2011
Public Lectures Fall 2009 & Spring 2010
Public Lectures Fall 2008 & Spring 2009
Public Lectures, Fall 2007 & Spring 2008
Public Lectures, Spring 2007
Public Lectures, Fall 2006
Public Lectures, Spring 2006
Public Lectures, Fall 2005
Public Lectures, Spring 2005
Public Lectures, Fall 2004
Public Lectures, 2003-2004