The Last Arab Jews: The Community of Djerba, Tunisia. Lecture by Professor Lucette Valensi, EHESS (Paris)

Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley

The Second Annual John S. Sills Memorial Lecture Professor Lucette Valensi of the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris), and the University of California at Berkeley, is a world-renowned authority on the history of North Africa and the Middle East. Her published books include Jewish Memories, The Last Arab Jews, Tunisian Paesants in […]

Raoul Wallenberg: A Biography

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, United States

Bengt Jangfeldt is a Professor of Literature and best-selling writer in Sweden. He is the author of several books on Russian literature, and has twice been awarded the August (Strindberg) Prize, the Sweedish equivalent of the Booker Prize. His forthcoming biography of Raoul Wallenberg (Wahlström & Widstrand, June 2012) is timed with the worldwide commemoration […]

Litquake’s Berkeley Ramble

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, United States

Litquake, San Francisco’s annual literary festival, comes to Berkeley’s Allston Way. The day starts at The Magnes with the appearance of Rabbi Joshua Plaut, author of A Kosher Christmas: ‘Tis the Season to be Jewish (Rutgers, October 2012). "With humor and insight Rabbi Joshua Plaut, Ph.D. recounts the meaning of Christmas to American Jews. This 'only in America' […]

Annual Kristallnacht Commemoration; Author Alex Kershaw on “The Liberator”

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, United States

A Program in Commemoration of Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass Best-selling author and noted historian Alex Kershaw discusses his latest book, The Liberator, which follows one American soldier’s 500 day odyssey from the beaches of Sicily to the liberation of Dachau. Presented by The Jewish Federation and The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay and The […]

Emma Goldman Papers Project Reception

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, United States

Reception to honor the publication of the third in the four-volume series, Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of the American Years- 1890-1919 (Stanford University Press, November 2012).  Readings from the work of the eloquent advocate of universal social justice.

The Book of Genesis: A Biography

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, United States

Ronald Hendel will introduce his forthcoming book, The Book of Genesis: A Biography (Princeton, November 2012) in conversation with Rabbi Stephen Pearce of Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, and the Very Rev. Jane Shaw, Dean of the Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. The book traces how Genesis has shaped views of reality, and how changing views of reality have […]

Book Reading: Artist Helene Aylon

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Life and Art 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, United States

Artist Helene Aylon on her memoir- Whatever is Contained Must Be Released: My Jewish Orthodox Girlhood, My Life as a Feminist Artist (The Feminist Press, 2012). Aylon's book reading includes a slideshow and short video.   "Never afraif to question sacred texts, ancient rituals, and religious bias- Aylon is a role model for all artists. Whatever is Contained […]