Now that we have launched our series of webinars on Jews in Popular Culture, we're more convinced than ever that this is a fruitful avenue to explore. Starting with Meyer Lansky as an iconic figure whose story illuminates specific aspects of the earliest interactions between Jewish immigrants and America and how those have helped shape an image of Secular Jews in the pop culture universe, we have built a foundation for a working model of the varieties of Jewish identity that have been nourished by our particular multicultural stew in America.

In social justice circles there is currently a lot of discussion about intersectionality. During the massive Jewish immigration wave from the Russian Empire, Jews experienced an immersion into a culture that was dominated by White Anglo-Saxon Protestants but enriched by African Americans, and flavored by Catholics, especially Italian and to a lesser degree Irish Catholics. This immersion prompted a staggering variety in the expression of American Jewish identity from outright rejection to Kahanists with unavoidable intersections with all of the above.

The next webinar is Jewish torch singers: Libby Holman which adds some new intersections involving race and sexual identity. We hope you can join us for an hour of stimulating Jewtalk.  

The format will be a 20 minute presentation. Followed by 30-40 minutes of discussion. Please register below for an invitation to the event.