Fairfield University's Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies has announced its 2010-2011 event schedule, which will feature lectures by Ruth Messinger, chief executive officer of American Jewish World Service, and Jared Cohen, author of the book, "Children of Jihad: A Young American's Travels Among the Youth of the Middle East."

Holocaust survivor Pierre Sauvage, an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, will share scenes from his film about Varian Fry, who studied for a teaching degree at Fairfield University in 1962. Twenty years earlier during World War II, Fry had foiled the Nazis and rescued over 2,000 Jewish intellectuals, including artist Marc Chagall.

The array of thought-provoking lecture topics also include the re-discovery of the Sobibor Death Camp, Jews as 'Global Citizens,' and the history of Jewish eating, among other intriguing subjects. Jewish Ethiopian singer Alula Tzadik will perform as part of a global celebration of the 9th Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days.

All events take place on the Fairfield campus, located at 1073 North Benson Road. Unless otherwise noted, the events are free. Reservations are suggested. For more information, visit www.fairfield.edu/judaic or call the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

Tuesday, October 5 - The 2010 Judaic Studies Scholar-in-Residence Program Lecturer will be David Kraemer , Ph.D., the Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. He will deliver a lecture entitled, "Jewish Eating and Identity Throughout The Ages," based on his latest book of the same name, published by Routledge. The event is made possible by a gift from David and Edith Chaifetz. Charles F. Dolan School of Business Dining Room, 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and seating is limited. For reservations call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

Tuesday, October 12 - In celebration of the 9th Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days, the Bennett Center will present a musical performance/lecture entitled, " From Ethiopia to America: The Music and Message of Alula." An international network of concerts using the power of music to reaffirm our commitment to tolerance and humanity, the event is in honor of the murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Alula Tzadik is a Jewish Ethiopian songwriter and performer who sings in ten different languages and whose music is an expression of the many strands of his life and immigration from Ethiopia to Sudan, to Egypt, and, finally, to the United States. His songs contain Hebrew, Amharic, Latin, and German musical influences overlaid by American hip-hop and reggae. Wien Experimental Theater, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, 8 p.m. Admission is free, and seating is limited. For reservations call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

Monday, November 8 - The 2010 Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lecture will be delivered by Jared Cohen , author of " Children of Jihad." He will share his perspective on trends in the Islamic world based on his travels in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Palestinian camps where he interviewed terrorists from various militant groups. Cohen currently works at the Department of State, but will be delivering this lecture in his personal capacity, where his views do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Government. The event is co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and Open VISIONS Forum through the generosity of the Frank Jacoby Foundation. Kelley Theatre in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, 8 p.m. Tickets are $45. Contact the Quick Center box office toll-free at 1-877-ARTS-396 or (203) 254-4010.

Thursday, November 18 - The Adolf and Ruth Schnurmacher Lecture in Judaic Studies will be delivered by Richard Freund, Ph.D., professor of Jewish History and director of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. A historian whose research interests include the archaeology of the Land of Israel, Dr. Freund's topic is "Archeology and Re-Discovery of the Sobibor Death Camp." The event is made possible by a gift from the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation. Charles F. Dolan School of Business Dining Room, 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and seating is limited. For reservations call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

Wednesday, February 9 - The Samuel and Bettie Roberts Memorial Lecture in Jewish Art will be delivered by artist Norman Gorbaty . The free lecture is entitled, "To Honor My People: Reflections of a Jewish Artist," and will take place in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business Dining Room at 8 p.m. It will complement two campus art exhibits of Gorbaty's work. His paintings, sculptures, and works on paper and wood, which are based on Jewish themes, will be featured in a unique display in the University's Walsh Gallery in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts from January 27-March 28, 2011, in conjunction with a display of his works of a secular nature, which will be shown in the University's new Bellarmine Hall Gallery. The gallery is scheduled to open in mid-to-late January. For details regarding gallery hours, call (203) 254-4010.

Thursday, March 10 - The 2011 Carl and Dorothy Bennett Lecture in Judaic Studies will feature Ruth Messinger , chief executive officer of American Jewish World Service, an international development organization motivated by Judaism's imperative to pursue justice. The organization is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger, and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion, or nationality. Messinger will discuss "Jews as Global Citizens: Our Responsibility in the World." Charles F. Dolan School of Business Dining Room, 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and seating is limited. For reservations call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

Tuesday, March 29 -Researcher, author and curator Samuel Gruber , Ph.D., will speak. He is the founder and managing director of Gruber Heritage Global (GHG), a cultural resources consulting firm. GHG includes the Jewish Heritage Research Center (JHRC), which Gruber has directed since 1995, and also serves the not-for-profit International Survey of Jewish Monuments (ISJM). Dolan School of Business Dining Room, 7:30 p.m. Lecture title will be announced at a later date. For further information, contact Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, associate professor of history at Fairfield, at (203) 254-4000, ext. 3198.

Tuesday, April 5 - The Bennett Center, in conjunction with the University's Center for Catholic Studies, present the 5th Annual Lecture in Jewish-Christian Engagement, featuring Mary C. Boys , Ph.D., Skinner and McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. The lecture title will be announced at a later date. Charles Dolan School of Business Dining Room, 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and seating is limited. For reservations call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

Wednesday, April 27 - The Bennett Center, in conjunction with Campus Ministry and KADIMA - the University's undergraduate student Jewish cultural club - present a special Holocaust Commemoration Program and multimedia lecture by Pierre Sauvage , child Holocaust survivor, Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, and president of the Chambon Foundation. Sauvage will give a talk entitled, "A Time for Rescue: America and the Holocaust," and present parts of his film on the heroic efforts of Varian Fry, a former Fairfield University student. Fry, who passed away in 1967, was the first American honored by Israel with the title of "Righteous Among Nations" for helping to save Jews from the Nazis. Barone Campus Center, Oak Room, 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and seating is limited. For reservations call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

Posted On: 08-18-2010 10:08 AM

Volume: 43 Number: 21