Mission

The Sandra Kahn Wasserman Jewish Studies Center (WJSC) in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at Baruch College reflects the legacy and heritage of the college, its tradition of educating New York City immigrants, its diverse population, and its special relationship to and place within Manhattan.

The WJSC is uniquely positioned to take advantage of Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, School of Public Affairs, and Weissman School of Arts and Sciences as well as the Baruch Performing Arts Center. The WJSC is dedicated to teaching and informing the Baruch community and public about the history and experiences of Jews in America, specifically in New York City. Public programs, courses, events, and campus activities will focus on the Jewish immigration to New york City, and address some of the biggest issues and challenges currently facing today’s American Jewish community — Jewish philanthropy, Jewish business ethics, Jewish politics, Jewish identity and continuity, and the changing face of American Jewry.

Annual Day-Long Conference

Jews and Jokes: The History and Future of Jewish Humor. Thursday, May 7, beginning at noon. Featuring keynotes Judy Gold (12:00 pm) and Gary Shteyngart (6:00 pm). Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall. Co-sponsored by BPAC.

Spring 2020 Public Lectures

Thursday, February 27th at 5:30 pm: Distinguished Author Series featuring Nicole Krauss: Forest Dark. A Conversation with the Bestselling Novelist, Poet, and Short-Story Author. Join NYTimes bestselling author Nicole Krauss for an inspiring conversation about her work, her representation of Israel, her identity as a Jewish American author, the authors who influenced her, and her engagement in a range of genres. Krauss will be in conversation with Baruch English Prof. Jessica Lang and will read from her latest novel, Forest Dark.

Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall. Co-sponsored by BPAC.

Thursday, March 5th at 6 pm: A talk with Dr. Lori Harrison-Kahan (Boston College) and journalist Joan Michelson: “From Voting Rights to #MeToo: Women Journalists and Activism,” with an introduction by Baruch Prof. Emily H. Johnson, Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions. Newman Vertical Campus, Room 14-270. Co-sponsored by the Departments of English, History, Journalism and the Writing Professions and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

Lori Harrison-Kahan and Joan Michelson collaborated to republish the writings of Miriam Michelson (1870-1942), the best-selling novelist, revolutionary journalist, and feminist activist who broke gender barriers in journalism, covering crime and politics for San Francisco’s top dailies throughout the 1890s. Joan Michelson is Miriam Michelson’s great-great niece and a Baruch alumnus.

Thursday, April 23rd at 5:30 pm: Ruth O’Hara Memorial Event, featuring Dr. Natalia Aleskuin (Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Touro University): “The Anatomy of Antisemitism: Jews, Cadavers and the Politics of Medical Discourse in East Central Europe.” Mrs. O’Hara’s generous donation helped to establish Jewish Studies at Baruch College. Newman Library Conference Center, 7th floor, room 763.   Mrs. O’Hara’s generous support helped establish Jewish Studies at Baruch.

May 22nd, 10:00 am: Dr. Samuel Heilman Retirement Celebration, featuring Drs. Alyssa Bemporad, Arnold Franklin, Jessica Lang, Jenna Weissman Joselit, Riv-Ellen Prell, Jonathon Sarna and Jack Wertheimer. Samuel C. Heilman is a professor of Sociology at Queens College, CUNY who focuses on social ethnography of contemporary Jewish Orthodox movements. He is the Harold Proshansky Chair in Jewish Studies at the Graduate Center and also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Jewry, the premiere scholarly journal on the social scientific study of Jewry. CUNY Graduate Center, Segal Theater.

Spring 2020 Film Screenings (Co-sponsored with BPAC):

Transit

(dir. Christian Petzold, 2019)

2/12/20, 6:30 pm

Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall

The Prince and the Dybbuk (dir. Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowsk, 2018)

3/11/20, 6:30 pm

Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall

Spring 2020 Artist-in-Residence: Stephanie Rothenberg

Rothenberg’s new video installation, Aphrodisiac in the Machine, will debut at New Media Artspace. It is a speculative science fiction narrative that unfolds as viewers ascend the four floors of the gallery. This installation explores the ethics and economics of bioengineering nonhuman life for human survival. The project merges fact and fiction, taking its inspiration from the libidinous myth of the oyster, a hermaphroditic organism being bioengineered in a futuristic aquaculture farm.

Rothenberg will give a public lecture on 3/31 at 6:00 pm at the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall.

For More Information

Contact jewish.studies.center@baruch.cuny.edu

Dr. Jessica Lang, Co-Director
jessica.lang@baruch.cuny.edu

Office: Newman Vertical Campus, 7-24

Dr. Andrew Sloin, Co-Director
andrew.sloin@baruch.cuny.edu
Office: Newman Veritcal Campus, 5-247

Dr. Carina Pasquesi, Managing Director
carina.pasquesi@baruch.cuny.edu

Office: 136 E. 25th Street, #1008

Please type “JSC” in the notify section.
Thank you for your support!