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Fall Exhibition Opening: I-Tal-Yah: An Island of Divine Dew Italian Crossroads in Jewish Culture

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 I-Tal-Yah: An Island of Divine Dew Italian Crossroads in Jewish Culture An exhibition marking the 500th Anniversary of the founding of the Venice Ghetto (1516) Tuesday, September 6, 2016 at 5 pm 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley     Never before […]

PopUp Exhibition | Patricia Munro and Claude Fischer on Coming of Age in Jewish America: the Curious Case of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah

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

Drawing on Dr. Patricia Munro's research in Bay Area synagogues, Professor Claude Fischer and Dr. Munro will focus on how the Bar and Bat mitzvah developed into a major American Jewish ritual, how it has both responded to changes in the Jewish community (particularly rising egalitarianism and intermarriage), and how it has changed the Jewish […]

Israeli Film Series: The Band’s Visit

Berkeley Law, Warren Room 295 Boalt Hall

The Band's Visit (Israel, 2007, 87 min.) A band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in the wrong town. Reception included. Free and open to the public. RSVP at bit.ly/Bandsvisit.     A year-long series on Israeli […]

PopUp Exhibition | Mira Amiras on The Future of a Legacy: Seymour Fromer and the Making of The Magnes

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

Dr. Mira Amiras, Professor Emerita of Comparative Religious Studies, San Jose State University, received her PhD in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the daughter of the founders of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, Seymour Fromer and Rebecca Camhi Fromer. Her presentation will focus on her experience growing up with one of […]

PopUp Exhibition | Karen Barkey, Choreographies of Shared Sacred Sites: Mixed Attendance at Greek Orthodox Churches in Istanbul

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

The talk will describe and analyze Professor Karen Barkey’s two seasons of ethnographic study of the sharing in Greek Orthodox Churches in Istanbul, Turkey. The study explores identities, practices and patterns of participation in church rituals and life. The presentation will delineate between different choreographies of sharing, the borrowing of traditions, and the bricolage of […]

Israeli Film Series: Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

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

GETT: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem An Israeli woman (Ronit Elkabetz) fights for three years to obtain a divorce from her devout husband (Simon Abkarian), who refuses to grant his permission to dissolve the marriage. Reception included. Free and open to the public. RSVP at bit.ly/vivianeamsalem.       A year-long series on Israeli cinema, co-presented by […]

PopUp Exhibition | Zachary Bleemer with Aiko Gonzalez and Clayton Hale (URAP) on The Passover Haggadah: Digital Perspectives

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

How do Jewish communities in the global diaspora transform the Passover Haggadah to meet their local needs (visually, symbolically, and textually), and what information do these transformations provide about the common beliefs held by each community? In order to answer these questions, Zachary Bleemer, a Graduate Student in Economics has been collaborating with the Digital Humanities-focused Undergraduate […]

Music & Activism: Israeli superstar Noa (Achinoam Nini) in conversation with Professor Ben Brinner

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

6:30 p.m. reception. 7 p.m. program start time. RSVP here. Center for Jewish Studies Faculty Director and Professor of Music, Ben Brinner, will interview Israel’s international singer, songwriter, and peace activist, Achinoam Nini. This is a Regents’ Lectureship co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies, the Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, and the Magnes […]

PopUp Exhibition | Howard Freedman on 78rpm Records and the Sound of American Jewish Experience

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

The pinnacle of Jewish immigration to the United States at the turn of the twentieth century coincided with the rise of the phonograph disc (which was itself invented by a Jewish immigrant). This presentation will offer a guided tour of sounclips from the first decades of the twentieth century, including rare 78rpm discs from the […]

The Bagel and the Archive: Celebrating Noah’s Bagels Legacy at The Magnes

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

The Magnes is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Noah’s New York Bagels Collection (1989-1996) documenting the early history of Noah’s New York Bagels. Founded in Berkeley by Noah Alper, resident entrepreneur, consultant, and philanthropist, the Noah’s Bagels brand rose to national prominence as the largest kosher retailer in the U.S., until sold to […]

PopUp Exhibition | Ashley Bacchi on Hellenistic Jewish Myths and Oracles

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

l This presentation will discuss the Hellenistic Jewish text of the Sibylline Oracles which combines Greek oracular form and myth with themes from the Hebrew prophets to create a unique oracular voice that weaves together foundational narratives from both cultures. Examining this blend of traditions helps us frame questions on the elusive nature of identity […]

Perspectives on Jewish Art & Islamic Art

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

SPEAKERS 12:45-2:30 pm Francesco Spagnolo Curator at The Magnes and Associate Adjunct Prof, UCB Carol Bier Islamic Art Historian and Visiting Scholar, CIS/GTU 11.22.2016 The Graduate Theological Union would like to acknowledge and thank the Walter & Elise Haas Fund for their generous support of the Center for Islamic Studies and Center for Jewish Studies […]