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2007 Programs
Fall 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
The legacy of German Jewry
Lecture and book signing with David Suchoff and Willi
Goetschel
In 1957 the philosopher Hermann Levin
Goldschmidt produced a brilliant analysis of what he called a dialogue between
the universality of German cultural aspirations and the particularity of Jewish
cultural experience. German Jewish writers and thinkers, he argued, helped to
create the notion of a liberated, modern culture by connecting their inward
quest to recover Jewish sources with humanity’s aspirations for freedom. He
believed that emancipation, and the demand for equality, must not lead to an
assimilation that submerges ones identity. Willi Goetschel and David Suchoff wrote the introduction to Legacy, newly
translated by Professor Suchoff. They will talk to us about the relevance of
Goldschmidt’s observations in a multicultural age, half a century after
Goldschmidt cast the concept of modernity in a new and different light.
Wednesday, October 17,
2007
THE PHILOSOPHER
SINGS
Concert based on texts by Friedrich
Nietzsche
Introduction Michael Lahr; Musical Direction Dan Franklin Smith
with Jeannie Im (Soprano), and Gregorij H. von Leïtis
(Recitation)
The 19th century
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was a thorn in the side
of the traditional moralists of the society and culture of his
time. In his writings he transgressed borders and opened the way
to existentialism and postmodern thinking. He was a foreigner in
his own generation, calling himself a “posthumous thinker” whose
time would come in the future.
Many regard Nietzsche
as the pioneer of a new objective morality, not bound by any
religious framework, while others blame him for being the
forerunner of Nazi ideology.
Nietzsche often
presented his ideas in the form of aphorisms—short clear
statements that several composers subsequently set to music.
This concert features compositions by the Jewish exiled
composers Walther Hirschberg and Leopold Spinner, as well as by
others. The introductory lecture will examine the intricate
relationship between Nietzsche and German Jews.
Summer 2007
Thursday,
July 12, 2007
Lecture and book signing
with violinist, author Eugene Drucker: The Savior (Simon & Schuster
2007)
Celebrated violinist Eugene
Drucker, a founding member of the world renowned
Emerson String Quartet, has combined his
outstanding musical expertise with his personal
history to write a novel that captures the
struggle to survive the horrors of Nazism through
he redemptive power of music. - Eugene Drucker’s father was
the concertmaster of The Jewish Kulturbund
Orchestra in Frankfurt an Berlin before emigrating
to the U.S. in 1938. In this book, Drucker has
used the extraordinary circumstances of Drucker
“family stories” to write a novel that combines
the extraordinary sensitivity of a world-class
musician with the emotional insights of a devoted
son.
Spring 2007
Wednesday,
June 6, 2007
Lecture by Gerhard Sonnert: What Happened to
the Children Who Fled Nazi Persecution
Nearly thirty
thousand children and adolescents were among the
refugees who fled from National Socialist
persecution in Central Europe to the safety of the
United States in the 1930s and 1940s. Despite
arriving under disadvantageous and traumatic
circumstances—without means, language skills,
often without parents, and haunted by harrowing
memories—many of these resilient young refugees
became extraordinarily successful in the United
States. In a fascinating new book, Gerhard Sonnert
and Gerald Holdon have researched the lives of
these young people who contributed so much to
America. Co-author Gerhard Sonnert, Professor of
the Sociology of science in the Department of
Physics at Harvard University, will talk on the
fascinating conclusions of this ground-breaking
analysis. Professor’s Sonnert’s most recent book
is Einstein and Culture.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
A performance by Marta Eggerth
Marta Eggerth was a
child prodigy and remains a wonder of the 21st
century. She was already one of the most popular
stars of operetta movies in Germany and Austria
when she made a film with the dashing singer and
actor, Jan Kiepura. They fell in love, were
married, and were welcomed through out Europe as a
dazzling pair. After the Nazis came to power
Marta’s Jewish extraction became an issue, leading
them to emigrate to the United States. All these
years later, Ms. Eggerth has not lost her voice,
her glamour, or her popularity. Still singing to
sold-out audiences. Leo Baeck Institute is
delighted to host this concert for Ms. Eggerth.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Talk on Unfinished Business: Why Art Restitution Claims
are not Going Away
Dr. Clarence Epstein of
Concordia University in Montreal will give an
illustrated talk on The Max Stern Art Restitution
Project- an initiative by three major Canadian and
Israeli university beneficiaries to recover works
lost by an important German-Jewish art dealer.
Dr. Clarence Epstein will speak on the
international web of art collectors, museums,
academics, auction houses and governments involved
in the ongoing research, negotiations and
settlements.
Due to the enormous interest in the complex issues
of Nazi-era claims and the difficulties of
restitution, Leo Baeck Institute is pleased to
present another program on this sensitive subject.
Wednesday April 18, 2007, 7:00 PM
Lecture and book signing
Steven Beller: A Concise History of
Austria
(Cambridge University Press 2007)
Austria today is a small country whose large and
illustrious past can hardly be contained within
its current borders. The multinational history of
the Habsburg Monarchy, its annexation as part of
Germany under Hitler, and the many other
transformations that took place in the last
century are all part of the complex history that
makes Austria such a fascinating nation.
Steven Beller is one of the
foremost scholars on the history, politics,
economy, and culture of Austria, with special
emphasis on Vienna and the Jews. Mr. Beller is an
expert on the cultural riches that characterize
this country, as well as on the recurring themes
of anti-Semitism and national identity that have
been leitmotifs over the years. Austria in the
context of central European history and Austria in
the context of national narratives on identity
policy, is an Austria that demands our attention.
March 25-27, 2007
Immigration and Cultural Exchange: German Jewish Presences in the U.S. and Post Cold War Germany
Conference Sponsored by
NYU Center for European and Mediterranean Studies and Leo Baeck Institute, New York
Co-Sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD),
Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Washington, D.C.,
NYU Department of History,
NYU Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies
Sunday, March 25
Location: Leo Baeck Institute at 15 West 16th Street
Opening Remarks
5:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Sibylle Quack, Max Weber Chair for German and European Studies at New York University
Carol Kahn Strauss, Director of the Leo Baeck Institute New York
Keynote Address
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Peter Gay, Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University
Monday, March 26
Location: NYU, Kimmel Center at 60 Washington Square South, Room 914
Welcome and Introduction to Morning Session
9:00 a.m.
Sibylle Quack, New York University
Panel 1: Personal and Historical Reflections on Immigration and Transformation in Different Countries of Refuge
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Chair: Renate Bridenthal, City University of New York
Participants:
Marion Kaplan, New York University
Ofer Nur, University of California, Los Angeles
Atina Grossmann, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Deborah Simon, Humboldt University
Panel 2: Cultural Experiences of German Jewish Refugees and Their Impact on Culture, Society, and Scholarship in the US
11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Chair: Hasia Diner, New York University
Participants:
Barbara Hahn, Vanderbilt University
Eugene Sheppard, Brandeis University
Susannah Heschel, Dartmouth College
Jack Jacobs, City University of New York
Panel 3: Refugees' Impact on Professions, Welfare System, and Popular Culture
2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Chair: Sibylle Quack, New York University
Participants:
Michael Reisch, University of Michigan
Jeffrey Hardwick, Corcoran College of Art and Design
Jonathan Skolnik, Virginia Commonwealth University
Round Table Discussion: Academia, Media, and Politics
Location: Leo Baeck Institute at 15 West 16th Street
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Moderator: Carol Kahn Strauss, Leo Baeck Institute
Henry Feingold, Professor Emeritus of American Jewish History at Baruch College
Jack Rosenthal, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and President of The New York Times Company Foundation
Madeleine Kunin, U.S. Ambassador and former Governor of Vermont
Evening Program: Robin Hirsch Performance
Location: Leo Baeck Institute at 15 West 16th Street
8:00 p.m.
“The Man Who Danced with Marlene Dietrich”
from his memoir/performance cycle Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski
Tuesday, March 27
Location: Leo Baeck Institute at 15 West 16th Street
Panel 4: Americans Addressing German Jewish Issues in Berlin
9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Chair: Frank Mecklenburg, Leo Baeck Institute, New York
Participants:
Deidre Berger, American Jewish Committee, Berlin
Jeff Peck, Georgetown University/Humboldt University
Leslie Morris, University of Minnesota
Panel 5: German and Russian Jews – Cultural Encounter, Social Integration
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Chair: Cornelia Schmalz-Jacobsen, Humanity in Action, Berlin
Participants:
Hermann Simon, Centrum Judaicum, Berlin
Michael Brenner, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich
Sergey Lagodinsky, Global Public Policy Institute, Berlin, and Heinrich Böll Foundation
Panel 6: Jewish, Turkish, German: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Chair: Almut Wieland-Karimi, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Washington, D.C.
Participants:
Gökçe Yurdakul, Brock University, Ontario
Michal Bodemann, University of Toronto
Cem Sey, Deutsche Welle
Sebnem Koser Akcapar, Georgetown University
Concluding Remarks
3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Anson Rabinbach, Princeton University
Wine and Cheese Reception
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
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