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The Merchant
of Venice: Shakespeare's Jews and their Cultural Context
Thursday, May 15
7:30 p.m.
In reading or viewing Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice from
our post-Holocaust perspective, the anti-Semitic elements of
the play seem blatantly obvious to us. The fact that the
play was performed fifty times between 1933 and 1939 in Nazi
Germany would seem to settle
 the
question of the play’s view of Jews, but the play is
radically out of sync with the contemporary consensus of
15th and 16th century England, indicating that it may be
questioning the negative views of Jews it articulates,
rather than confirming them. Dr. Lindsay Kaplan received her
B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and her Ph.D. from the
University of California at Berkeley. She has taught at
Georgetown University since 1993 and is currently an
Associate Professor of English. Books Dr. Kaplan has written
include: Feminist Readings of Early Modern Culture: Emerging
Subject; The Culture Slander in Early Modern England, and
The Merchant of Venice, edited volume. This program is
co-sponsored with The Foundation for Jewish Studies and is
part of the Distinguished Scholars Series. R.S.V.P. to
301/770-4787.
Planet Walker
Monday, May 19
7:00 p.m.
 22
Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence. In the early 1970s,
an idealistic young man named John Francis gave up using
motorized vehicles after witnessing the devastating effects
of an oil spill in San Francisco Bay. In early 1973, he took
a more radical step still: a vow of silence that lasted 17
years, during which he undertook a pilgrimage by foot across
America on behalf of the environment and world peace,
earning a Ph.D. in land management along the way. Finally,
on Earth Day 1990, Francis ended his vow in a moving
ceremony before family and friends. Since then, he has
served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations
Environmental Programme, founded Planetwalk, a nonprofit
environmental education organization, and related the
experience of his years of silence in a memoir-cum-call to
action: Planet Walker. Don’t miss
.jpg) the chance to hear
this passionate, yet pragmatic activist share his message of
pilgrimage and social change. His presentation is
entertaining, theatrical, and full of wisdom. Q&A and book
signing to follow. The cost of the event is $6, or get two
free tickets with the purchase of the book the night of the
program. Tickets may be purchased in advance
here, or at the door 30 minutes prior to the start of
the program. This event is co-sponsored with National
Geographic Live.
Has
Modern Jewish Thought Recovered From the Shock of the
Holocaust?
Thursday, May 22
7:30 p.m.
Rabbi and Dr. Michael Berenbaum’s name is practically
synonymous with Holocaust scholarship because of the
voluminous amount of scholarly writing, filming and
lecturing he has done about the topic. Dr. Berenbaum has
also held a number of pivotal positions in organizations
designed
to
perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust and to teach its
implications, such as serving as the President and CEO of
the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation and the
Project Director for the creation of the United States
Holocaust Museum. He wrote the “guidebook” to the exhibit,
The World Must Know. Dr. Berenbaum is the
author and editor of seventeen books, scores of scholarly
articles and hundreds of journalistic pieces. He holds a
doctorate degree from Florida State University. He has also
studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Boston College
and Hebrew University. Currently he is a Professor of Jewish
Studies at the American Jewish University. This program is
co-sponsored with The Foundation for Jewish Studies and is
part of the Distinguished Scholars Series. R.S.V.P. to
301/770-4787.
Jewish Primary Day
School of the Nation’s Capital Presents Elie Wiesel
Tuesday, May 27
7:00 p.m.
 In
exile and in their homeland, Jews have reflected profoundly
upon peace and war. In our time, Elie Wiesel has been a
great guide in our attempts to understand both. To honor the
memory of his friend Yitzhak Rabin, Mr. Wiesel joins Leon
Wieseltier, literary editor of The New Republic
magazine, in a far-ranging discussion of how the Jewish
tradition helps us to think morally and responsibly about
Jewish powerlessness and Jewish power, about the ideal of
peace and the reality of war. Join supporters of the Jewish
Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital for the third
annual Y itzhak Rabin Memorial Lecture, Peace and War in the
Jewish Tradition, featuring
Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.
Photo: Sergey Bermeniev
This event is sold out, but you can sign up for a
ticket on the
waiting list.
All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Jewish
Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital (JPDS). To make a
donation to JPDS, please contact Shira Frank of the Jewish
Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital by
e-mail or
telephone 202/291-5737 ext. 109.
The
Forgotten Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands
Thursday, May 29
7:30 p.m.
During the upheaval in the Middle East, more than one
million Jews from Arab lands became refugees. Unfortunately,
those who were expelled were forgotten by the world. Many
came to the newly established State of Israel and eventually
became integrated into Israeli society. Of the 101 U.N.
resolutions that dealt with refugees in the Middle East, not
one mentioned the plight of these communities. Dr. and
Professor Naomi Gale was born in Baghdad, and she and her
family were among the many Jews that left Iraq to go to
Israel, even though her family had lived in Iraq for
hundreds
of years. Dr. Gale received her doctorate degree in
anthropology from the University of Sydney and a law degree
from The Inter-Disciplinary Center, Herzliya. She has taught
internationally, including courses on Israeli society,
history, political behavior, ethnicity, and gender studies.
Dr. Gale is the author of Violence against Women: A
Normal or Deviant Behavior? and The Sephardim of
Sydney: Coping with Political and Social Pressures.
Currently she is a visiting Professor at the center for
Israel Studies at American University. This program is
co-sponsored with The Foundation for Jewish Studies and the
Center for Israel Studies at American University and is part
of the Distinguished Scholars Series. R.S.V.P. to
301/770-4787.
Guilt & Pleasure Health-themed Salon
Monday, June 2
7:00 p.m.
 'Tis
the season to Salon. Care to bridge your pulse with a
thinky evening of conversation about the intersection of
health and identity?
 A
salon as in: A periodic gathering of people for
socializing and intellectual stimulation, normally held
at one person’s home. Join fellow conversationalists for
wine and cheese coupled with great conversation centered
on articles from the Health issue of Guilt & Pleasure
magazine. This program is for young professionals in
their 20s and 30s. Please
R.S.V.P.
Nelson Polsby Congressional
Conversation
Thursday, June 5
7:30 p.m.
 The
inaugural Nelson Polsby Congressional Conversation will
be hosted by Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise
Institute and feature Representatives Barney Frank and
Tom Davis. It will be a candid conversation bet ween
prominent congressional leaders of opposing political
interests on finding ways to build bridges, find
solutions and govern effectively in a highly partisan
environment. The Polsby series aims to honor the late
Berkeley congressional scholar Nelson Polsby by enabling
substantive discussion between politically opposed
leaders. Polsby was noted for his ecumenical approach to
divisive political issues and his efforts over many
decades to expand our understanding of political
institutions and to make them work better. The Polsby
series is co-sponsored by FORA.tv, The New Republic,
Politics & Prose and Sixth & I. This event is free.
Please R.S.V.P.
here.
The Ethics of
Political Leadership with David Gregory and Rabbi Joseph
Telushkin
Thursday, June 12
7:00 p.m.
   Tired
of scandals, gossip, secrets? Wondering how to raise the
bar in the nation’s capital and beyond? Join us for a
fabulous evening of conversation led by David Gregory,
NBC Chief Correspondent to the White House, and Rabbi
Joseph Telushkin, a Jewish scholar and author of
international acclaim, as we ask the ethical questions
that matter most and that shape political leadership
during this year of political consequence and
transformation. This is a free event sponsored by The
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
A Conversation with Daniel
Libeskind
Wednesday, June 18
7:00 p.m.
 Chelsea
School and Sixth & I present this conversation with
architect Daniel Libeskind. Libeskind will discuss his
uncommon background and global perspective while exploring
both ideas about tragedy and hope, and the way in which
architecture can memorialize — and reshape — human
experience. Many of the inquiries and principles explored
will radiate from his book, Breaking Ground, which
invites the reader to see architecture — and the larger
world — through a new perspective. Following the
conversation, which includes an open forum for question and
answers, there will be a book signing.
 Daniel
Libeskind is an American architect who has designed many
prominent and celebrated buildings, including the Jewish
Museum in Berlin, the Denver Art Museum, the Imperial War
Museum North in Manchester, the Jewish Museum in Copenhagen,
the Wohl Centre at the Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv as
well as many more commercial and residential projects around
the world. In 2003, Libeskind won the competition for the
master plan to rebuild the World Trade Center site in Lower
Manhattan. More information about Daniel Libeskind is
available
here, or by contacting the
Chelsea
School. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased
here.
Wine and Champagne Reception
with Daniel Libeskind
Wednesday, June 18
6:00 p.m.
Take advantage of this special opportunity to meet Daniel
Libeskind. Enjoy intimate conversation before being escorted
to reserved seats for the discussion. Tickets are $100 and
include admittance to the conversation. Purchase tickets
here. For more information, contact Michelle Weiner by
e-mail or at
202/408-3100.
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Rock
legend Bryan Adams will grace the stage at Sixth & I as part
of his current solo, acoustic tour through North America. Doors
open at 7:00 p.m. the night of the show. Tickets for this
event are SOLD OUT.
Hailed
by the British press as "the new Amy Winehouse," this
English soul and jazz singer will grace the stage at Sixth &
I for an intimate performance. Tickets are $15 and can be
purchased
Sunday,
May 18
From
sports to pop culture, geography to movies, science to
politics, we’ll test your knowledge of it all at our
monthly trivia night. The cost is $10/person or $40/team
(5 people) and includes all you can eat (light snacks)
and drink
(beer, wine and soda) and a chance to win some
great
prizes. RSVP by
calling 202/408-3100 or sending an
with
B’nai B’rith. 6th in the City: For young professionals
in their 20s and 30s.