Jewish Songlines: Charting & Chanting the Moroccan Diaspora

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

In this multimedia, multidisciplinary presentation, Samuel R. Torjman Thomas explores the place of musical expression in the definition of Moroccan Jewish culture. Through discussion and live musical performance, Dr. Torjman […]

Opening Reception l High Holy Days at the Luna Park: Show-card Posters from the Firschein Press & The Karaite Canon: Manuscripts and Ritual Objects from Cairo

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

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life cordially invites you to an opening reception for its two new exhibitions: High Holy Days at the Luna Park: Show-card Posters from the Firschein Press, Brooklyn, NY, 1920–1974 & The Karaite Canon: Manuscripts and Ritual Objects from Cairo OPENING REMARKS George Breslauer, Faculty Director, The Magnes Francesco […]

Book Lecture | David Biale on Hasidism: A New History

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

Free and open to the public Far from a throwback to the Middle Ages, Hasidism is a product of modernity that forged its identity as a radical alternative to the […]

Sacred Mountains. Abrahamic Religions and Musical Practices in the Mediterranean Area

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

Free and open to the public A documentary devoted to three pilgrimages to sacred mountains in the three Abrahamic Religions. The work explores the role of music practices as a way of prayer and participation, and the importance of sound in shaping and giving meaning to places. The narrative is shaped around three episodes, each devoted to a different event, following the usual moments of a pilgrimage. The Ascent: on the occasion of Shavuot, the Israelite Samaritans go to pray on Mount Gerizim, in the West Bank, where their sacred places are located. The Feast: in August, members of the brotherhood of the Bektashi climb Mount Tomorr, in Albania, where they pray near the tombs of dede, and practice the kurban (a sacrificial slaughtering of a sheep, whose meat is consumed by each participating family). The Descent: in early September, the miraculous statue of the Black Madonna of Viggiano, Queen of Lucania, in Italy, "descends" into the village for a festival. Nicola Scaldaferri is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cultural Heritage and Environment at the University of Milan, Italy, where he founded […]

The Gallery & the Archive

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

Free and open to the Public Join David Wilson, Greg Niemeyer and Nicki Green, three contemporary artists who, in recent years, have interacted with The Magnes Collection and contributed to […]

Magic Spells: A Research Workshop on Hebrew Amulets

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

Please note: The February 27 event has been canceled. The series will begin on March 20. Join Magnes curators to discover the elaborate texts and imagery, magic formulas, and Kabbalistic […]

City of Berkeley 16th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day

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

Honoring Hana Berger Moran, distinguished survivor. Featuring Joel Ben-Izzy, storyteller; Mike Perlmutter, Gerry Tenney, Dmitri Gaskin, Dusan Rustic, musicians. This event is free and open to the public. For all […]

Irvin Ungar on Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art

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

In 2017, The Magnes acquired from Irvin Ungar, a private collector, the most significant collection of works by Arthur Szyk (Łódź, Poland, 1894 – New Canaan, Connecticut, 1951)  thanks to […]