On Monday, November 7th, Dr. Michael Berkowitz gave a lecture in the Great Hall of the Wren Building on “New Approaches to American Jews and Moviemaking during WWII”. Dr. Berkowitz particularly discussed the role of Leo Rosten and his position as head of the motion picture division of the U.S. Office of Facts and Figures.
Daniel Vaca (William & Mary '02) gave a lecture Thursday, October 27, on the ways in which capitalism and religion intertwine and have intertwined in America, particularly regarding the rise of evangelicalism and the role that market segmentation played in this.
Dr. Joshua Fishbein showcased his five movement cantata recounting his maternal grandmother’s survival story as a seven-year-old Greek Jew living during the Holocaust, and the family who saved her.
Rabbi Esther Lederman, the Union for Reform Judaism's Director of congregational innovation, discussed her work with the Central Conference of American Rabbis' task force on the experience of women in the rabbinate.
Professor Annette Yoshiko Reed visited from the Skirball Department of Hebrew & Jewish Studies and the Department of Religious Studies at New York University.
Professor Sarah Cramsey of Leiden University in the Netherlands and a W&M alumna visited campus.
Professors Cavan Concannon and Jill Hicks-Keeton sat down with students to discuss their upcoming book: "Does Scripture Speak for Itself? The Museum of the Bible and the Politics of Interpretation" (Cambridge University Press, Oct 2022).
Dr. Azzan Yadin-Israel from the Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University delivered a lecture on how Rabbis, a staple in modern Judaism, were far from expected in the direct aftermath of the Second Temple.
Author and James Beard Award Winner Elissa Altman visited campus to discuss the making of her latest book.
Professor Leora Batnitzky of Princeton University discussed Judaism's shift towards a more modern notion of "religion."
Professor Cramsey of Leiden University visited Professor Kirsh's RELG 311 Class
Professor Martin Kavka of FSU dissected Emil Fackenheim's 614th Commandment for a group of students, professors, and community members.
On Monday night in the Tucker Theater, Dr. Nicole C. Kirk gave a talk about American religion and the circus in the early twentieth century. While Protestant churches opposed the “questionable moral activities” associated with the circus, performers and workers cultivated a rich spiritual life all their own.
Professor Ithamar Gruenwald discusses how rituals are ‘the dynamic core of social and religious systems’, and also ‘vital for the orderly functioning of bureaucratic organizations and structures.’
