PAST EVENTS 2012 - 2013
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Remembering the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of April 19, 1943
Sunday, April 21, 2013
An Evening of Songs and Testimonies from Letters, Diaries and Memoirs.
Participants:
Narrators:
Susanne Klingenstein
Kathy Lawrence
Music:
Sophie Michaux (mezzo soprano)
Eugenia Gerstein (piano, choral conductor)
Temple Emanuel Choir
This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Transatlantic Perspectives on Gay Marriage
The Court of Law and the Court of Public Opinion
Participants:
About:
Why This Conference Now?
The struggle for marriage equality is currently fought openly on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2001 Germany’s federal government approved of civil unions for same-sex partners. It represented a significant milestone in a long and painful history of discrimination. Dubbed Homo-Ehe [homo-
Co-sponsors:
Center for German and European Studies at Brandeis University (CGES)
Goethe Institut Boston
Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany
Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Brandeis University
Interdepartmental Program in Sexuality and Queer Studies at Brandeis University
Triskelion
Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University
Legal Studies Program at Brandeis University
Brandeis University Intercultural Center
International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life at Brandeis University
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Discussion with filmmaker Jeanine Meerapfel [open to Brandeis students only]
Monday, April 15
3:30-4:50pm
Shiffman 123
Jeanine Meerapfel is a German-Argentine filmmaker and screenwriter. Her film MY GERMAN FRIEND (2012) will screen on Saturday, April 13 at 8:00 pm at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. IN THE COUNTRY OF MY PARENTS (1981) will screen Sun, April 14 in the afternoon at the West Newton Cinema. Both screenings are part of the National Center for Jewish Film's annual film festival (April 10-21). More details to come soon.
About MY GERMAN FRIEND:
"In her latest feature film, Jeanine Meerapfel tells the story of a deep love in a time of political upheaval and historical change. Sulamit, the daughter of Jewish emigrants from Germany, is growing up in Buenos Aires in the 1950s. Living cheek by jowl are Jews and Nazis who have fled from Europe and been thrown together again in a foreign country. As a young girl Sulamit meets Friedrich, a young German boy, whose family lives in the house directly opposite. They quickly become close. When Friedrich learns that his father was a high-ranking officer in the SS, he breaks with his family and goes to Germany. He soon joins the German student movement. Sulamit follows him a few years later. But she realises that he is so politically engaged that there is little room for their love. Sulamit studies, later working as a translator and starts up a relationship with Michael, an assistant at the university, who loves and helps her. But it is with Friedrich that her heart lies. When Friedrich leaves Germany to join an Argentinian guerrilla movement, they lose contact and he disappears without trace. Sulamit embarks on a search that takes her up to Patagonia." [see http://www.the-match-
About "IN THE COUNTRY OF MY PARENTS:
"As in her first feature-length film MALOU, Jeanine Meerapfel examines in this autobiographical film what it means to live as a Jew in Germany today. The filmmaker was born in Argentina. Her mothertongue is Spanish. She came to Germany in 1964. Her friend tells her: 'There are far worse things happening today than to be a Jewish woman in Germany".
My Oma, the Tank Driver--My Papa, the Survivor
WWII and the Holocaust in the Eyes of German Brandeis students
Monday, April 15
7-9pm (Reception begins at 6:30pm)
Mandel Reading Room
What does it mean to grow up German today, having to come to grips with German history.
Brandeis students from Germany talk about their upbringing, their schooling, and their mixed family background
Participants:
Jonathan Jecker
Sarah Klapisch
Nelly Schlaefereit
Alex Schmidt
Moderators:
Elena Korn
Abe Feldan
Admission free. Open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
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A Letter to Wedgwood. The Life of Gabriella Hartstein Auspitz
Thursday March 21, 2013
7:15pm
Wasserman Cinematheque
A documentary film directed by Yale Strom
Post film discussion with Gabriella Hartstein Auspitz
Gabriella Hartstein was born in 1914 in Mukacevo, Czechoslovakia, a thriving and cosmopolitan Jewish city where secular Hungarian Jews co-existed with Hasidim and Zionists. When British Colonel Josiah Wedgwood came to the city in 1922 to speak about Christian Zionist support for a plan to create the State of Israel, 8-year-old Gabriella was selected to greet the esteemed visitor. Gabriella became a respected teacher and ardent Zionist. In 1938, following the invasion of Czechoslovakia by German-backed Hungarian fascists, Gabriella wrote to Wedgwood for help. Astonishingly, Wedgwood (by then Lord Wedgwood) interceded, eventually bringing Gabriella and her brother to England. The 55 minute film is based on Ms. Auspitz’s 2004 memoir, My Righteous Gentile.
Reception to follow.
Co-sponsored by
National Center for Jewish Film, Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry, Facing History and Ourselves, Harvard Hillel Worship and Study Minyan, Harvard University Center for European Studies
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Lunch with German Autors Nora Bossong and Sherko Fatah
Faculty Club Lounge
Wednesday, February 27 at 12-2pm
RSVP: cgees@brandeis.edu
More info about the authors here.
"Love in Schlossberg Village"
A folk opera based on the music of Johannes Brahms
Saturday, February 9, 2013 Slosberg Auditorium
Fully Staged in German and open to the public with a reception after the performance
James Olesen, director
Sponsored by CGES, the Brandeis University Chorus, the Brandeis Chamber Choir, and the Voice Department
Clemency for Sodom and Gomorrah
With Composer James MacMillan and Professor Jonathan P. Decter
Tuesday, Februrary 5, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Slosberg Auditorium, Brandeis University
Discover how the story of Abraham and Sarah has played a prominent role in the histories of Christianity, Judasim, and Islam, and inspired BLO's Opera Annex production Clemency.
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ETTY.
Thursday, November 15, 7:30pm, Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library
Etty Hillesum (1914-1943) was Jewish woman from The Netherlands who kept a diary during the years 1941-1943 where she recorded her impressions of the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands and of her own experience serving on the Jewish Council. She was eventually deported to Auschwitz and killed. Her diaries were published twenty years ago under the title "An Interrupted Life" and have made her widely known. New-York based actress Susan Stein presented her one-woman drama, "Etty", a play based on the diaries of Etty Hillesum.
You can read about the performer and the play here: http://www.ettyplay.org/
With an introduction by Andreas Teuber, Department of Philosophyhttp://www.brandeis.edu/facultyguide/person.html?emplid=acfd5801b970fed682139edb66c698edf6b93c59).
Co-sponsors:
The Department of Philosophy
The Program in Coexistence and Conflict at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
The Program in Peace and Conflict Studies
The Theater Department
The Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry
The Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies
We are grateful to Elena Korn '13 for her inspiration and hard work to bring this performance about.
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"The Debate About Infant Male Circumcision"
Thursday, December 6, 5pm Mandel Humanities Reading Room (Level 3)
Jewish-German Dialogue with Professor Sander Gilman, Emory University
The recent debates about infant male circumcision in Germany and California have highlighted what is an older and more complicated discussion of ritual versus rights. This debate was of particular importance in Germany beginning in the Enlightenment as it defined the boundaries of acceptable practice for Jews in their new role as full citizens of a national state. Today’s debate (unlike that of the 18th century) stresses the need for collaboration between Jews and Muslims in the contemporary world in redefining what it takes to make a good citizen.
Sander L. Gilman is a distinguished professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University. A cultural and literary historian, he is the author or editor of over eighty books.
For more information visithttp://ila.emory.edu/home/people/faculty/gilman.html
Co-sponsored by the European Cultural Studies Program.
Remembering 'Kristallnacht' (Nov 9-10 1938)
Thursday, November 8, 6:30pm at Mandel Humanities Atrium
Jewish-German Dialogue with Generalkonsul Rolf Schuette, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New England.________________________________________________
Think Transatlantic! Campusweek
In this year’s Think Transatlantic! Campusweek sponsored by the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Center for German and European Studies at Brandeis aims to highlight key issues of the 2012 US elections. Experts from both countries come together to discuss what the US can learn from Germany and Germany’s cooperation with other countries in Europe, and where and why our paths may diverge.
Tuesday, October 16, 2-5pm
Gesundheit: Comparing The Healthcare Systems in Germany and the US
Stuart Altman, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
Sophia Schlette, Federal Ministry of Health, Berlin, Germany (invited)
Integration: Immigrants in Germany in and the US
Jytte Klausen, Politics, Brandeis Universit
Ammar Alkassar CDU, Saarland: since 2008 speaker of the saarländischen Altstipendiaten der Kontrad-Adenauer Stiftung
Monday, October 22, 12-2pm Faculty Club Lounge
NATO 2012: The Transatlantic Alliance and National Security in Times of Terrorism and Globalization.
The German Ambassador to NATO Martin Erdmann in conversation with
Professor Robert Art. Politics, Brandeis University
Thursday, October 25 5pm (Room TBA)
Krise: National Debt, Unemployment, the Euro.
The Economic Crisis in Germany, Europe, and the US
Catherine L.Mann, Brandeis University International Business School
Armin Steinbach, Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Umwelt: Energy Independence, Regulation, Climate Change
Environmental Challenges in Germany, Europe, and the US
Charles Chester, Environmental Studies, Brandeis University
All are invited to join us on Wednesday, November 7, 12-2pm for a Post-US-Election Luncheon Conversation in conclusion of our Think Transatlantic! Campusweek in the Faculty Club Lounge
Seating is limited. To reserve a seat RSPV to cgees@brandeis.edu ________________________________________________
Gary Shteyngart
Monday, November 5, 5pm Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library
Young Russian-Jewish author Gary Shteyngart http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Shteyngart will be reading from his best-selling novelsThe Russian Debutante's Handbook (2002); Absurdistan (2006), and Super Sad True Love Story (2010). Books available for purchase and signing after the reading. With an Introduction by Dr. Kathy Lawrence. In cooperation with: Brandeis Genesis Institut for Russian Jewry Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry The Department of English The Program in Creative Writing Department of German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature The Russian Culture Club
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Voltaire and Frederick
Monday, October 22, at 7:30pm in the Mandel Center Atrium
The World Premiere of Voltaire and Fredrick: A Life in Letters, a new play commissioned by the Goethe-Institut Boston in partnership with the Consulat Général de France, will feature American Repertory Theater founding member Thomas Derrah and Actor’s Shakespeare Project founding member John Kuntz . The Stage Reading will run 75 minutes (in English).
ABOUT THE PLAY: Commissioned in honor of Frederick II’s 300th birthday, Voltaire and Frederick: A Life in Letters is an overview of the pen-pal friendship between these two great thinkers that spanned almost half a century. The play is made up of selected letter exchanges between the great French-European Philosopher and the Royal Prince (and later King) of Prussia, beginning when the latter was a mere 24 years old (and the former 42) and ending with the eulogy Frederick II wrote in memoriam of Voltaire’s death in 1778.
Their intensive correspondence on everything from questions of torture and human rights to good and bad governance, from handling a global financial crisis to judging whether a war is justified or unjustified, all in the context of a newly enlightened Europe, is surprisingly modern. Much of it rings true in our own politicized times including the ongoing German-French wrangling at the center of Europe. Voltaire and Frederick’s tempestuous and unfolding love-hate relationship gives insight not only into the history of the 18th century but also into more general ideas about love, desire, desperation, death and God.
THOMAS DERRAH (Voltaire) is a founding member of the American Repertory Theater and has acted in 119 of its productions. His numerous awards include the Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence and IRNE Awards for Best Actor. He has appeared in many films and television productions including Mystic River (directed by Clint Eastwood) and The Pink Panther II. He is on the faculty of the A.R.T. Institute, teaches acting at Harvard University and Emerson College, and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.
JOHN KUNTZ (Frederick) is a founding company member of the Actors Shakespeare Project and has acted with many theater companies including Lyric Stage, Huntington Theatre Company and Commonwealth Shakespeare. He is the author of 14 full-length plays for which he has received numerous awards. He received both an Elliot Norton Award and New York International Fringe Festival Award for his solo show Starfuckers and his plays Sing Me To Sleep and Freaks! both received Elliot Norton Awards for "Outstanding Fringe Production." His newest solo show, The Salt Girl, received the 2010 Elliot Norton Award for Best New Play and was recently performed at the Boston Playwrights Theatre, directed and designed by David Gammons. He teaches at Suffolk University and is on the faculty of The Boston Conservatory.
GUY BEN-AHARON (Director/Producer), born in Israel, is the Producing Artistic Director and Founder of Israeli Stage, an initiative to bring Israeli theatre to American audiences. Guy is also the Sole Proprietor and President of GBA Productions LLC, a commercial entity that is dedicated to producing theatrical ventures. He has directed and produced seven plays for Israeli Stage, featuring multiple IRNE and Elliot Norton Award winning actors; of those five plays: one world premiere, three American premieres, and three regional premieres. Though primarily focused on producing and directing, Guy has experience with musical directing, conducting, and composing for straight plays as well as musicals. Guy is a proud Emerson College alum where he was the Waldman Award recipient for an exceptional promise for a career in theater.
ABOUT GERMAN STAGE: German Stage is an initiative supported by the Goethe-Institut Boston to explore narrative in German culture and society through theater. In addition to presenting Stage Readings of contemporary German plays in the presence of the invited playwrights, German Stage develops staged works that address current and historical topics in Germany. The series was developed in close collaboration with Guy Ben-Aharon, Producing Artistic Director and Founder of Israeli Stage.
Wednesday, October 10, at 7:00 at Brandeis' Mandel Center
A young American scholar, Rachel Cylus, talked about her work on understanding the current state of historic synagogues in Germany. Among her guiding research questions were: Where are these synagogues? How are they being used? Who visits them? Her research took her to small towns and cities throughout Germany, particularly in the East, to learn about how communities are interacting with local Jewish history through re-discovered Jewish historic sites. In her talk, Rachel discusses the sites she visited, their accomplishments and the challenges they face, along with the story of preserving Jewish history in unlikely places over the last 20 years.
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Berlin ist eine Frau with Annika Krump
Thursday, October 11, at 7:30pm in Chum's coffeehouse
Annika Krump’s new program leads us on a journey through the Berlin of the last 100 years in the voices of its most exciting female chansonnieres. With the help of chansons made famous by Claire Waldoff, Blandine Ebinger, Lotte Lenya, Marlene Dietrich, Hildegard Knef, Nina Hagen, Nena und Judith Holofernes the singer and accordionist tells the story of Berlin from the Weimar Republic and the depression era to the time of the fall of the wall, reunification and the present. Annika Krump is a musical talent of great variety who has brought her one-woman show to audiences all around the world, from Europe to Asia, Australia, and the USA. In Berlin she has made a name for herself as founder and artistic director of a number of salons, including the »Green-Wednesdays-Salon« at the Volksbühne, the Varietéshow »Palma Kunkel welcomes you...« in the historic Palace of Tears, and most recently with »Salon Papillon« in the Underground Circus Willisi.
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