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Falmouth Jewish Congregation invites you to a virtual Jewish Book Council panel discussion featuring Richard Kreitner, author of "Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery" and Shari Rabin, author of "The Jewish South: An American History." Both books were shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award. This hour-long event is one of a series of Jewish Book Council talks. Register in advance for Zoom meeting information.
What did the biblical injunction to “remember that you were a slave in Egypt” mean to American Jews? As they struggled to make sense of a polarized time, they debated with one another about religion, morality and politics and the critical issue of slavery. Rabin and Kreitner will engage in a spirited dialogue about the engagement of American Jews in the moral and political dramas of the Civil War era. As Passover approaches, we'll engage with these experts on an issue of interest to all who wish to better understand the nuances of American and American-Jewish history. This event includes a Q & A, so bring your questions and comments. You do not need to have read the books, but you might want to after the discussion. Our event partner Eight Cousins Books has copies for sale at its store on Main Street and online.
Kreitner’s "Fear No Pharaoh" tells the story of American Jews’ engagement through the lives of six individuals who shaped the conflicts of the time: Judah P. Benjamin (Louisiana Senator and Jefferson Davis’s trusted confidant), three rabbis spanning the political spectrum, a Jew who fought with John Brown and the Polish émigré Ernestine Rose, an ardent abolitionist. Rabin’s "The Jewish South" tells the story of Southern Jews from the colonial period to the civil rights era, shedding new light on the complicated decisions that they made – as individuals, families, and communities – to fit into a society built on Native land and enslaved labor.
Shari Rabin, associate professor of Jewish studies and religion at Oberlin College, is the author of "Jews on the Frontier: Religion and Mobility in Nineteenth-Century America," winner of a National Jewish Book Award. Richard Kreitner, author of "Break It Up: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union" and "Booked: A Traveler’s Guide to Literary Locations Around the World," has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Nation, Slate, The Baffler, Jewish Currents, and other publications.
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