“Jews in the Old West:
From Pariah to Pardner”
Author and social historian Harriet Rochlin spoke on Sunday, October 30, at Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barara, showing slides and telling anecdotes about Jewish life on the frontier.
Did you know that the mayor of Deadwood, South Dakota, in the late 1800’s was a Jew? Or that Jews in Western mining towns formed congregations and philanthropic organizations, playing a role in every facet of life in the Far West?
Rochlin has researched, written and lectured on Jewish roots in the West for 35 years. Her landmark study, “Pioneer Jews: A New Life in the Far West,” depicts in lively stories and vivid images the diversity of the American West and uncovers Jewish roots in Western supply towns and mining camps.
For more about Harriet Rochlin and Jewish pioneering, visit www.rochlin-roots-west.com

Images of Jews in Television and Film With Mashey Bernstein
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
We shared an entertaining evening of movie and tv clips, stimulating much thought and discussion, as well as a great deal of laughter about how Jews are presented in these media. Dr. Mashey Bernstein entertained and educated us with his vast knowledge of techniques, details and meanings of a variety of performances about and by Jews.
Dr. Bernstein teaches in the Writing Program at UCSB, at Hebrew High in LA, and writes extensively on Jews in the media.

Taubman Symposium
“Jews in Crisis? Antisemitism in
France Today”
with Jonathan Judaken, University of Memphis
May 6, 2007
Judaken is an Associate Professor of modern European cultural and intellectual history at the University of Memphis. He was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. After completing his Ph.D. at the University of California, Irvine in 1997, he spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He holds a Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies Fellowship from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for 2006-2007. His research focuses on the patterns that underpin prejudice and the underlying assumptions that animate tolerance.
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Taubman Symposium
"The Belated Witness: Literature, Testimony, and the Question of Holocaust Survival"
Michael G. Levine, Rutgers University
This talk, based on Professor Levine’s new book, "The Belated Witness: Literature, Testimony, and the Question of Holocaust Survival," examines the relationship between narration and survival, between a desire to survive in order to tell and the equally intense need to tell -- and to be heard -- in order to survive.
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A Concert of Yiddish Song
With the acclaimed Cantors Judy and Herschel Fox
From Valley Beth Shalom at Congregation B'nai B'rith
March 18, 2007
Yiddishkeit, cantorial and Chassidic fare, plus a dash of Broadway – this is the recipe for an unforgettable concert with Herschel and Judy Fox. Herschel Fox appeared in Yiddish Theatre with Jan Peerce, Molly Picon, and Mickey Katz. He has been Cantor of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino for the past 25 years. Judy Fox sang in New York night clubs, where she opened for Rodney Dangerfield and appeared at the Copacabana. She is cantor for the Synagogue for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles and is known for her magnificent voice. Jan Peerce called her “one of the greatest female cantors in the world.”
Co-sponsored by Federation Adult Education and Congregation B’nai B’rith

Beyond the Pale: Contemporary Klezmer Music
JFGSB sponsored Toronto’s "Beyond the Pale" at Hillel on February 16th. The Band is one of the most exciting ensembles in the North American folk, roots, and world music scenes. Their explosive acoustic sound is inspired by a wide range of crosscultural influences, from European folk styles (Balkan, Klezmer, Gypsy, Romanian) to contemporary and North American music (bluegrass, jazz, reggae, funk, and more). They are known for their instrumental virtuosity, infectious energy, and unique repertoire featuring both original compositions and inventive arrangements of traditional material. With spectacularly dynamic and exuberant live performances, "Beyond the Pale's "unique genre-defying sound has delighted audiences of all kinds at major music festivals, concert theatres, and clubs across Canada and the US. Give them a listen at www.beyondthepale.net.