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UC Judaic Studies Annual Lichter Lecture Series: 'Jews and Muslims: Co-Existence'

Photos By: Submitted

   Each year, the annual Lichter Lecture Series in Judaic Studies, made possible by the Jacob and Jennie L. Lichter Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, focuses on a critical theme. The topic for autumn 2009 is timely and promises to continue the tradition of excellence that this three-decade series has established for both the “town” and “gown” audiences. Its theme: “Jews and Muslims: Co-Existence.”

“Rather than explore the current and complicated political aspects of this encounter, we propose to present the historical antecedents that have proliferated in the many and varied Islamic communities in the Islamic world and the continuing potential for these experiments in intergroup relations that have been a part of the history of the Middle East,” says Professor of Judaic Studies Steven Bowman, organizer of the series. “One cannot explore the total range of this complicated subject in one series or even in one course. This series will provide some exposure to the public and to students who take courses in Middle East history, Arabic language and culture, political science and journalism — as well as Judaic Studies.”

This year’s Lichter Lectures take place Oct. 26, Nov. 12 and Nov. 16, 2009. The three speakers are Professor Norman Stillman, University of Oklahoma; Professor Raymond Scheindlin, Jewish Theological Seminary; and Professor Jane Gerber, CUNY Graduate School of New York.

First Lecture:
“When Arabic was a Jewish Language: The Jews in the Islamic World” — Presented by Norman A. Stillman, Schusterman/Josey Professor of Judaic History, University of Oklahoma

Prof. Norman Stillman

Monday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m.
UC Uptown Campus, Carl Lindner Hall, Rm. 112

About the speaker: Norman A. Stillman is the Schusterman/Josey Professor of Judaic History at the University of Oklahoma, and is an internationally recognized authority on the history and culture of the Islamic world and on Sephardi and Oriental Jewry. He is the author of seven books and numerous articles in several languages. His books include "The Jews of Arab Lands in Modern Times" (1991), a sequel to his highly acclaimed "The Jews of Arab Lands: a History and Source Book" (1979), "Sephardi Religious Responses to Modernity" (1995), and in collaboration with his late colleague/wife Yedida Kalfon Stillman, "Arab Dress: a Short History."

Read more about this lecture here.

Second Lecture:
“Judah Halevi, Pilgrim and Poet” — Presented by Raymond P Scheindlin, Professor of Medieval Hebrew Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary
Thursday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.
UC Uptown Campus, Campus Recreation Center, Rm. 3230

Prof. Raymond Scheindlin

About the speaker: Raymond Scheindlin is Professor of Medieval Hebrew Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary and has served as the Seminary’s provost. Active also as a literary translator, he published a verse translation of the Book of Job in 1998. His Short History of the Jewish People also appeared in 1998. He is also author of a reference book, "501 Arabic Verbs." His most recent book is "Song of a Distant Dove: Pilgrimage Poems by Judah Halevi" (2007). Scheindlin has been a Guggenheim fellow and a Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library; he is vice president of the American Academy of Jewish Research and serves on the editorial boards of several scholarly journals. In 2004 he was received the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture.

Read more about the second lecture here.

Third Lecture:
“Tolerance and Intolerance in Medieval Muslim Spain” — Presented by Jane Gerber, Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Institute for Sephardic Studies at the City University of New York.
Monday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Raymond Walters College,
119 Muntz Hall

Prof. Jane Gerber

About the speaker: Jane Gerber is Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Institute for Sephardic Studies at the City University of New York. She has served as Visiting Professor at Harvard, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Columbia University. She is past president of the Association for Jewish Studies. Author of several books including "The Jews of Spain" (winner of the National Jewish Book Award in 1993) she is currently completing a book entitled "Cities of Splendor in the Shaping of Sephardic History."

Read more details about the final lecture here.

All the lectures are free and open to the public and include a reception, which will be observant of Kosher dietary law. To RSVP, call 513-556-2297.

More information about the 2009 Lichter Lecture Series

More information about the Department of Judaic Studies in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences

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The Lichter Lecture Series is made possible by the Jacob and Jennie L. Lichter Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. Jane Gerber's talk is made possible by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council.