REFUSING TO LOOK AWAY
REFUSING TO LOOK AWAY — by Joanne Intrator When I became a physician – a psychiatrist – I did so in no small part because of the dread thunderhead shadow Nazism cast over my young life. In escaping Hitler’s Germany, my Jewish parents were relatively fortunate, yet I always had a sense that the severe…
Read MoreAUTHOR INTERVIEW: Joshua Teplitsky
I’m pleased to be offering this in-depth interview with author Joshua Teplitsky, who has been showered with enthusiastic reviews for his recently-published book about David Oppenheim — PRINCE OF THE PRESS; HOW ONE COLLECTOR BUILT HISTORY’S MOST ENDURING AND REMARKABLE JEWISH LIBRARY. David Oppenheim (1664 – 1736) was among the most influential Jewish intellectuals of his day.…
Read MoreINTERVIEW: Auschwitz Exhibit Organizer Luis Ferreiro
Musealia Director Luis Ferreiro is a moral and organizing force behind the profoundly important exhibit “Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away.” Having achieved admirable success in Madrid, Spain — where the exhibit period was twice extended due to public demand — the Auschwitz exhibit will open in May of 2019 at The Museum of Jewish…
Read MoreDr. Marion Kaplan’s Upcoming Book on Jewish Refugees
The Stolpersteine at Kurfürstendamm 185 in Berlin, commemorating my paternal grandparents’ plights. **** The Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) I got placed for my paternal grandparents outside their last Berlin residence note that in fleeing Hitler and the Nazis, my grandparents found temporary refuge in Portugal. I therefore read, with poignant interest, Dr. Marion Kaplan’s fascinating paper “Lisbon is Sold…
Read MoreDr. Marion Kaplan on Advancing Our Knowledge of the Holocaust
(Franz Kafka) In two previous posts, I interviewed New York University’s Dr. Marion Kaplan about i) Women and the Holocaust; and ii) European Jewish Memoirs. For this new post in the series, Dr. Kaplan informs us about areas of Holocaust Studies that need further research and analysis. QUESTION: For scholars interested in entering the field of…
Read MoreMarion Kaplan on European Jewish Memoirs
(This photo shows Bertha Pappenheim, d.1936, costumed as Gluckel of Hameln, d.1724, whose memoir she translated.) ********** In a previous post, I interviewed New York University’s Dr. Marion Kaplan about Women and the Holocaust. In this new post, Dr. Kaplan discusses books she uses for her course on European Jewish Memoirs. Question: At New York University,…
Read MoreDr. Marion Kaplan on Women and the Holocaust
(Dr. Marion Kaplan speaking at Northwestern University in 2018. On the screen, Joan Ringelheim, one of the founders of the field. Photo via Facebook) Marion Kaplan, Ph.D., Skirball Professor of Modern Jewish History at New York University, is a three-time National Jewish Book Awards winner. In a series of posts, I will be featuring highlights…
Read MoreLITERARY LIGHT ERIKA DREIFUS
I’m proud and excited to be offering this interview with literary light Erika Dreifus. Reviewing Dreifus’s short story collection QUIET AMERICANS for The Quivering Pen, David Abrams said: “She’s a classic storyteller and there’s a clear, direct line from Isaac Bashevis Singer and Bernard Malamud to her 21st-century keyboard.” I highly recommend following Erika Dreifus…
Read MoreLeonard Barkan’s BERLIN FOR JEWS
Princeton Professor Leonard Barkan is a polymath whose past books include MUTE POETRY, SPEAKING PICTURES and UNEARTHING THE PAST; ARCHEOLOGY AND AESTHETICS IN THE MAKING OF RENAISSANCE CULTURE. Barkan’s latest book, BERLIN FOR JEWS, is a tour de force of writing about Germany’s capital city. Recently, I caught up with Leonard Barkan for this interview. 1) Since you finished…
Read MoreAuthor’s Corner: David Clay Large
David Clay Large is a professor at The Fromm Institute, University of San Francisco, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute of European Studies, U.C. Berkeley. His book BERLIN has been very well-received, with Dr. Dorothee Brantz saying “this book is a captivating read; just like a good novel, it is hard to put down.”…
Read More