2007-2008 Lecture Series

This is going to be a particularly lively semester for Jewish events at the University.

On February 3 and 4, Judith Cohen will make two presentations on Sephardic music. Sunday, February 3 at 7pm, she will perform and speak on the topic of "Music in Medieval Spain's Three Cultures: Christian, Jewish, Muslim." Monday, February 4 at noon, she will lecture and perform on the topic "Women and Music in the Sephardic Tradition." Both performance/lectures will be held in the Niles Gallery, in the Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library on the University of Kentucky campus, close to King Library and Maxwell Place (the University President's residence). These performance/lectures are sponsored by the History Department, the Musicology Department, and the Judaic Studies program.

On March 5 there will be a whole day devoted to the study of the Holocaust, with two outside speakers. More details will be available closer to the date itself.

On March 31, at 8 pm in the Presidents Room, Ingrid Anderson will give a lecture on Judaism and political theory: the contribution of Leo Strauss. She is now at Boston University and is the winner of this year's Luckens Prize. She is also an alumna of our university, and we look forward to welcoming her to Lexington. The selection committee read a large number of essays, and I am very grateful to my colleagues on the committee, Rafi Finkel, Jonathan Glixon, and Jeremy Popkin, for their hard work and care in deciding on the winning entry.

Finally, on April 7, at 8 pm in the Presidents Room, Albert Barry will give a presentation including a movie on the wooden synagogues of Eastern Europe. Mr. Barry has studied these buildings and is a passionate advocate of the preservation of the few remaining examples.

These events are open to the public, and if anyone requires any information, please contact me at oliver.leaman@uky.edu.