Judaic Studies Program to host founder of Yiddish Book Center, sponsor free trip to the center

Judaic Studies Program to host founder of Yiddish Book Center, sponsor free trip to the centerOctober 21, 2004Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

The Judaic Studies Program in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences will host Aaron Lansky, founder and president of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass., on campus Tuesday, Oct. 26. Lansky will speak on “Outwitting History” at 11:30 a.m. in Room 214 of the Hall of Languages and at 2:30 p.m. in Room 202 of the Hall of Languages.

The Yiddish Book Center, a center of Jewish and Yiddish culture, is one of the largest and fastest-growing cultural organizations in America. Lansky will share his groundbreaking journey in establishing the center, and how an almost-lost Yiddish culture is a bridge between the old world and the new.

Members of the Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse communities will have the opportunity to visit the center, as the Judaic Studies Program is sponsoring a free one-day bus trip there on Nov. 7. Ken Frieden, the B.G. Rudolph Chair in Judaic Studies, will guide the trip, which is sponsored by the Holstein Family Endowment. The tour will include the book center and exhibition hall and a visit to the book warehouse, and offers many opportunities to learn about the Judaic history and culture.

The bus will depart Syracuse at 8:30 a.m. and return at 8:30 p.m. Pertinent movies relating to Jewish life in Eastern Europe and in New York’s Lower East Side will be shown en route to and from the destination. Space is limited; contact Pam Paul at 443-5671 or papaul@syr.edu for more information or to register.