Exploring Jewish Identity
Exploring Jewish Identity: History and Traditions
of Mizrachi, Sephardi, and Ashkenazi Cultures
As Jewish families become increasingly multi-cultural, we are met with new challenges in understanding the complexities of Jewish cultural identity.
This course offers a starting point for a community conversation about assimilation, race, class, and heritage. We will explore this by learning about three primary Jewish cultures: Mizrachi, Sephardi, and Ashkenazi.
We are very fortunate to have a number of expert instructors on these topics:
- Prof. Jonathan Decter: Professor of Sephardic Studies at Brandeis University (2 Sessions on Mizrachi culture).
- Prof. Gloria Ascher: Co-director of Jewish Studies at Tufts University (2 Sessions on Sephardi culture)
- Reb Moshe Waldoks: Rabbi at Temple Beth Zion, PhD in Jewish Intellectual History (2 Sessions on Ashkenazi culture).
- Mitchell Silver: Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at UMASS Boston and Tufts University (1 Session on The Idea and Politics of American Jewish Identity).
