JEWISH STUDIES AT THE MOVIES

Turn off the technology?  Celebrate a secular (?) Sabbath?  See a documentary by an advocate for the “National Day of Unplugging” about her love/hate relationship with technology and participate in a post-film discussion with a scholar of American Judaism and a computer programmer.

JFilm Showing:    “Connected”          Saturday March 17, 8:10 pm,  Southside Works

Film Schmooze with Rachel Kranson (Religious Studies at Pitt) and Jamie Forrest     

See a moving film about a complicated Israeli family whose lives are further complicated by the arrival home of their autistic son and participate in a post-film discussion with an autism researcher who is setting up autism research programs in Israel.

JFilm Showing:  “Mabul (The Flood)”  Sunday March 18, 4 pm, Southside Works

Film Schmooze with Marlene Behrman-Cohen (Psychology at CMU)

Especially for students:  See a hit Israeli TV show about  30-something Modern Orthodox singles (an Israeli “Friends”?) and meet the director for lunch.  

JFilm Showing:   “Srugim”                     Monday, March 19, 7:30 pm,  Southside Works          

Meet the Director:  Eliezer Shapiro  Tuesday, March 20, 12-1:15 pm,  Hillel-JUC             

              For more information, contact Carly Adelmann at Hillel-JUC

See a film about complex relationships across generations and participate in a post-film discussion with a Pittsburgh gerontologist.

JFilm Showing:  “Restoration”         Sunday March 25, 4 pm, Southside Works

Film Schmooze with Steven Albert (Public Health at Pitt)

Jewish Horror? See the first Israeli horror film,  attend a post-film discussion with two scholars, hear a lecture by one of those scholars on the long history of Jewish “horror” literature.

JFilm Showing:    “Rabies”       Tuesday March 27, 7:30 pm,  Southside Works  

Discussion, following the film, with  Adam Lowenstein (Film Studies at Pitt) and Jeremy Dauber (Columbia)

Lecture by Jeremy Dauber:  “Frightening Jews”  Wednesday March 28, 12-1:30 pm

Pitt Humanities Center, 602 Cathedral of Learning  (free)

Co-sponsored by Jewish Studies, German, Cultural Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Film Studies, and Religious Studies at Pitt.

See a film about the incredible story of Sofia Cosima, pianist and survivor, and hear the director talk about the documentary and play piano.

JFilm Showing:  “A Suitcase Full of Chocolate”              Thursday March 28, 7:00 pm

Frick Fine Arts Auditorium

Post-Film Lecture and Concert with Lincoln Mayorga, director and pianist

*film showings and discussions require paid admission: see www.JFilmPgh.org for information and pricing*

Congratulations 2010-2011 Graduates

Joseph Assouline (graduated December 2010)

Eva Dubinsky

Derek Kwait

Naomi Plasky

Amanda Russell

Samantha Aviva Vinokor

We wish our newest Jewish Studies Certificate all the best as they move onto the next phase of their lives!

Join Us in the World of Social Media

Check out our new announcements blog "Pittsburgh Platform," especially for students and come find us on Facebook.

Welcome Rachel Kranson

The Jewish Studies Program welcomes Rachel Kranson, who takes up a new tenure-track position in modern Judaism and American Jewish history in the Department of Religious Studies. See here for details.

Congratulations to Certificate Recipient Michele Orr

Congratulations to Michele Danovitz Orr (class of 1998) who was recently honored by the Agency for Jewish Learning as a 2011 Unsung Jewish Hero for her work as an educator at Rodef Shalom Congregation.

Program Awarded Legacy Heritage Jewish Studies Gran

We are pleased to announce that we have just been awarded a major grant from the Association for Jewish Studies for public programming in 2012-2013 on the topic of "Squirrel Hill, The Jewish Community of Pittsburgh,and American Urban History."  We will present a series of lectures, workshops, and panel discussions between September 2012 and May 2013 in a variety of venues and co-sponsored with a number of community partners.  Watch this space for more details!