Jews in the ancient world were everywhere a subordinate people, a footnote or afterthought in the grand sweep of history featured by the empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome. How did Jews conceive of their own place in this larger world? And how were they perceived by the greater powers? Did Jews see themselves as a distinctive people apart or as somehow participants in a broader society and culture? This class consists of four lectures tha... Read more

In partnership with the Jewish Community Library and Yale University Press' Jewish Lives Series

How does the Hebrew Bible, especially the message of the Prophets, REQUIRE us to protest injustice? The Torah speaks of loving the other, loving the stranger. It is a commandment to not stand idly by. We will look at a few texts from the Torah, Prophets, and Talmud to consider our responsibility to take action.

PROTOCOLS: An Erasure transforms the antisemitic text The Protocols of the Elders of Zion into a book-length erasure poem about power, history, and language. By redacting hateful content, Molnar reveals the fears and possibilities beneath the original words. She shows how language can harm but also heal, and how silence can help us face history and imagine a m... Read more

A Jew raised in a predominantly Protestant section of mostly Catholic Montreal, Leonard Cohen understood "outsiderness" as well as community. From a family of Torah scholars and synagogue founders, he even used the synagogue's choir on his last album. Yet, Leonard was a maven of world religions, especially as they pointed to the majesty and wonder of human life and provided rich imagery for his songs. In this class, we will focus on Leonard's Jewish identity and themes with a nod toward his... Read more