Photo credit: ThomasFromKlauLibrary, Wikimedia Commons C.C. 4.0
The Klau Library
By Julia Olson
Assistant Editor
The Klau Library is offering a robust slate of lectures, both in-person and online, which will cover a broad range of topics.
On Thursday, February 20, at 12:30 p.m., Dr. Christine Neal Thomas will present “Royal Women at Ugarit: Reconceiving the House of the Father.”
This lecture will highlight the research presented in Dr. Thomas’ new book, of the same title. Dr. Thomas will explore the royal women of Ugarit, a Late Bronze Age Syrian settlement. The women influenced politics and wielded power in different ways, many of which upend traditional notions of gender roles in the ancient Near East. Dr. Thomas’ work illuminates the ways in which ancient women influenced the world around them and, in turn, informs us about the way women are portrayed in the Hebrew Bible. The event can also be streamed online.
On Tuesday, March 11, at 12:30 p.m., Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff will present “Behind the Laughter: How the Purim Shpiel Came to America.” Eleff will track the origin of the Purim shpiel back to educational communities in Eastern Europe. According to the Klau website, these plays were “developed as satires, meant to offer the school administration a window into how the students truly felt about the yeshiva.” HUC students have famously adopted this model, taking the yearly opportunity to toast their professors and administration with a light hearted, well intentioned roast. Dr. Eleff is president of Gratz College, where he is also Professor of American Jewish History. The event, which is available as an online session, is co-sponsored by the American Jewish Archives.
Finally, Dr. David Aaron will present “The Moral Dilemma Created by a Religious Canon: Reflections on How to Read, How to Teach, How to Live” on Tuesday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m. The event is offered as an in-person event or an online session that you can stream from home. Dr. Aaron’s lecture will explore the notion of canonization and what it means for a community’s values. Dr. Aaron will explore the process of canonization and what it means to limit materials based on certain ethics or values, as well as whether or not canon can be understood as a series of guidelines or rather as a means of exerting control over a community. How does a closed canon maintain the status quo in a community? Does canon limit a community’s ability to learn and grow? Dr. Aaron will invite attendees to explore these complex questions and more in his upcoming lecture.
Registration information for both in-person and online events can be found on the Klau Library website. Past HUC-JIR Library events are can be found on the Klau Library YouTube channel as well.
