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Past Lectures and Public Outreach Activities

Spring 2009 Distinguished Lecturers

Gary Kenzer
National USA Executive Director of Honest Reporting

The Media and Israel: Finding Common Ground
Tuesday, October 27, 2009, at 1:30PM
Classroom 1 Building, room 309

Gary Kenzer has been the National Executive Director of Honest Reporting since 2006. He has spoken at over 500 locations for Honest Reporting since 2006. Prior to his current position, he was the National Director for Magen David Adom USA, the Israeli 'Red Cross.' Other Jewish agencies he has worked with include the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago, and B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO). He is also a founding lay leader of the Community Foundation for Jewish Education's, Ta'am Yisrael, which takes post bar - and bat-mitzvah young people to Israel for their first experience every February for one week. Kenzer has recently published an article on Israel advocacy in the Jewish Educators Journal. In addition, Kenzer has made presentations at many regional, national and international conferences on Jewish communal issues for well over 15 years. He graduated in 1984 from the University of Illinois College of Social Work and is certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW).

Funded by grants from Friends of Judaic Studies

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Paul Hirschson
Consulate General of Isreal, Miami, FL

Isreal's Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Thursday, April 23, 2009, at 3:00-4:30pm
UCF Harris Corporation, Room 125

Paul Hirschson is currently the Consul for Political and Economic Affairs to the Israeli Consul General to Florida and Puerto Rico. In 2004, Hirschson joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then spent ten years in the Israeli hitech sector using his relations with associates in Arab countries to develop business relations in the Middle East. Before that, Hirschson spent three years working for the Director General's Office, responsible for Israel's relations with countries in the Persian Gulf. Hirschson was born in London, England, and grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hirschson currently holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Law) and a Master of Science (International Business Management) from Boston University. He immigrated to Israel in 1985, serving in the Israeli Defense Forces as a medic before rising to rank of sergeant. Hirschson worked in the civil service, relocating to England for three years. He became well known in the Jewish and general community, specifically the academic community, the Church of England, and Moslem communities.

Funded by grants from Friends of Judaic Studies

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Prof. Judith Baskin
Knight Professor of Humanities at the University of Oregon and Director of Judaic Studies

Women and the Holocaust: Controversy and Conclusions
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, at 10:30AM
Business Administration 2 Building, room 208

Four Approaches to Studying Women in Jewish History
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, at 7:30PM
Classroom I Building, room 105

Judith Baskin, Knight Professor of Humanities, is Head of the Religious Studies Department and also directs the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at the University of Oregon. Dr. Baskin served as president of the Association for Jewish Studies and has served on the Board of Directors since 1998. She is an expert on Women's studies, and has published numerous books, articles, reviews, and scholarly papers on topics in Judaic Studies, Women's Studies, Medieval Studies, and more. Her published work includes Midrashic Women: Formations of the Feminine in Rabbinic Literature (2002), Women of the Word: Jewish Women and Jewish Writing (1994), and Pharaoh's Counsellors: Job, Jethro and Balaam in Rabbinic and Patristic Tradition (1983). Dr. Baskin earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in History from Antioch College and a Ph.D in Medieval Studies from Yale, as well as many awards and fellowships. She has taught at several universities, including SUNY Albany, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Yale University.

Prof. Pan Guang
Walter and Seena Fair Professor of Jewish Studies and Dean of Center of Jewish Studies, Shanghai

Jews in China
Tuesday, February 17, 2009, at 12:00PM
Classroom I Building, Room 103

Professor Pan Guang is the Director of the Shanghai Center for International Studies, Dean of Center of Jewish Studies, Shanghai, the Academic Director of the Institute of European & Asian Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Director of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies Center in Shanghai, and Vice Chairman of Chinese Society of Middle East Studies. Dr. Guang has been doing research and giving lectures widely in North America, East Asia, Russia, Central Asia, Europe, Middle East and Australia. He holds a number of prestigious posts in Chinese institutions on International Studies, Asian Studies, Middle East Studies and Jewish Studies, and published books and articles on a variety of topics such as "The Jews in China," "The Jews in Shanghai," "The Jews in Asia: Comparative Perspective," and "The Jewish Civilization."

Paul Hirschson

Consulate General of Isreal, Miami, FL

Isreal's Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Thursday, April 23, 2009, at 3:00-4:30pm
UCF Harris Corporation, Room 125

Paul Hirschson is currently the Consul for Political and Economic Affairs to the Israeli Consul General to Florida and Puerto Rico. In 2004, Hirschson joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then spent ten years in the Israeli hitech sector using his relations with associates in Arab countries to develop business relations in the Middle East. Before that, Hirschson spent three years working for the Director General's Office, responsible for Israel's relations with countries in the Persian Gulf. Hirschson was born in London, England, and grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hirschson currently holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Law) and a Master of Science (International Business Management) from Boston University. He immigrated to Israel in 1985, serving in the Israeli Defense Forces as a medic before rising to rank of sergeant. Hirschson worked in the civil service, relocating to England for three years. He became well known in the Jewish and general community, specifically the academic community, the Church of England, and Moslem communities.

Fall 2008 Distinguished Lecturers

Eliezer Rivlin

Mr. Eliezer Rivlin spoke on the current state of affairs in Israel and the Middle East, as well as the Israeli elections that took place in February on Thursday, November 13, 2008.

Dr. Ephraim Kam of Tel Aviv University lectured on "Sources of Instability in the Middle East" on January 29, 2008.

Fall 2007 Distinguished Lecturers

Prof. Sander Gilman
Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences at Emory University

Multiculturalism and the Jewish Experience Tuesday, October 30, 2007, at 7:30 PM
Student Union, Pegasus Ballroom GHI (First Floor)

He also conducted a seminar on Jewish Identity and Contemporary Jewish Literature in the Diaspora Tuesday, October 30, 2007, at 10:30 AM
Student Union, Cape Florida Room 316 AB (Third Floor)

Dr. Sander Gilman has been Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences at Emory University since 2005. A cultural and literary historian, he is the author or editor of over seventy books, including a basic study of the visual stereotypes of the mentally ill, Seeing the Insane, and a study of Jewish Self-Hatred. For twenty-five years he was a member of the humanities and medical faculties and Cornell University, where he held the Goldwin Smith Professorship of Humane Studies. For six years he held the Henry R. Luce Distinguished Service Professorship of the Liberal Arts in Human Biology at the University of Chicago and for four years was Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and Medicine and creator of the Humanities Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was president of the Modern Language Association in 1995. He was awarded a Doctor of Law degree (honoris causa) at the University of Toronto in 1997 and has been elected an honorary professor of the Free University in Berlin.

Fall 2006 Distinguished Lecturers

Dr. Uzi Avner
Archaeologist for the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and the Eilat campus of Ben-Gurion University

The Desert Roots of Ancient Israel
Monday, November 20, 2006, at 7:30 PM
Student Union, Cape Florida Room 316 A&B

He also conducted a seminar on Standing Stones in the Desert

Tuesday, November 21, 2006, at 10:30 AM
Student Union, Cape Florida Room 316 A

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Dr. Uzi Avner was born in Jerusalem and lived in Kibbutz Hazorea from the age of 13. In 1969 he moved to Eilat and began guiding for the Eilat Field School. He was affiliated with the Israel Antiquities Authority from 1977-1998, and he held the position of District Archeologist of the Southern Negev. For the last 24 years, he has studied the ancient desert societies through surveys and excavations in the Negev and Sinai. He also devotes his time to the protection, preservation, and conservation of desert archaeology and the environment. Avner has been a faculty member of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies since 1999, teaching courses in archeology in relation to the environment and conducting field trips. He has published extensively and lectures both in Israel and abroad. In 2003, his dissertation ("Studies in the Material and Spiritual Culture of the Negev and Sinai Population, During the 6th-3rd Millennia B.C.") was awarded Summa Cum Laude from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Today Avner continues his research in the southern Negev, and his work on the conservation and development of ancient sites for education and tourism, as well as his activities for the protection of nature and the environment.

Spring 2006 Distinguished Lecturers

Prof. Nehama Aschkenasy
Director of the Judaic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Connecticut
Pegasus Ballroom GHI, located in the Student Union

Eve's Journey: Feminine Images in Hebraic Literary Tradition
Monday, January 30, 2006, at 7:30 PM
Pegasus Ballroom GHI, located in the Student Union

She also conducted a seminar entitled In the Footsteps of Job: Women Challenging God in Judaic Literature

Tuesday, January 31, 2006, at 10:30 AM
Student Union, Key West room, 221AB

A scholar in comparative literature and Judaic Studies, Dr. Aschkenasy has taught and written in the areas of English literature, biblical literature, biblical influences on world literature, contemporary Israeli writings, and women in biblical and Judaic civilization. She has published three books, the groundbreaking, Eve's Journey: Feminine Images in Hebraic Literary Tradition, winner of the Present Tense Literary Award; Woman at the Window: Biblical Tales of Oppression and Escape, and Biblical Patterns in Modern Literature. She recently guest-edited a dedicated volume of the AJS Review (28:1, 2004), titled The Bible's Presence in Contemporary Hebrew Literature and Culture, with invited articles from senior scholars in the field, to which she also contributed a methodological Introduction and an article. Dr. Aschkenasy is Professor of Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Connecticut and founding Director of the Center for Judaic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Connecticut, Stamford. She holds degrees from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in Judaic Studies and English and a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from New York University. She has served for sixteen years as Associate Editor for the AJS Review, the scholarly publication of the national and international Association for Jewish Studies.

Fall 2005 Distinguished Lecturers

Dr. Curt Leviant Lectured on the 'Golem' and on 350th Anniversary of Jews in America

Dr. Curt Leviant of Rutgers University presented a lecture on "The Golem: Myth and 'Fact' - Kabbalah: Mysticism, Mythology and Literature" on Monday, October 31, 2005, at 7:30 P.M. Selections from the 1920 silent film The Golem, directed by Paul Wegener, were shown as part of the program.

A second lecture, "1654-2004: 350th Anniversary of Jews in America, Jewish Contribution to American Civilization," was presented on Tuesday, November 1, 2005, at 10:30 A.M.
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Spring 2004 Distinguished Lecturers
Distinguished Lecturer Series on Modern Israeli Hebrew

"Bible and Archaeology: Unearthing the 'Truth'?" was the topic of a public lecture in the UCF Judaic Studies Distinguished Lecturers Series this Fall semester. The speaker was Dr. James F. Strange, Professor of Religious Studies and the Director of Graduate Studies at the University of South Florida. The lecture was presented on Monday, November 3, 2003, at 7:30PM, in the UCF Communication buildings Auditorium. The lecture dealt with the controversy regarding the validity of the Hebrew Bible as an historical document and the tension between the Bible and archaeology.

Professor Strange also conducted a seminar on "Biblical Narrative and Archaeological Contexts: The Case of Abraham and David" on Tuesday, November 4, 2003, at 12 noon, in the Business Administration Building, room 212.

The UCF Judaic Studies Program sponsored this lecture in cooperation with the Honors College, Liberal Studies, and the Office of International Studies.

Shanks: Biblical Archaeology: Looting and Forgeries

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Archaeology. Mr. Hershel Shanks spoke on "Biblical Archaeology: Looting and Forgeries," Jan. 12, 2004 at 7:30 PM in the Visual Arts Auditorium and on "The Dead Sea Scrolls," Jan. 13, 2004 at 10:30 AM in the Classroom Bldg 1, room 120.

Mr. Hershel Shanks, noted writer and editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, and Archaeology Odyssey, spoke on "Biblical Archaeology: Looting and Forgeries" on Monday, January 12, 2004, at 7:30 PM in the Visual Arts Auditorium, (VAB room 132).

Hershel Shanks is the founder and editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, Bible Review, and Archeology Odyssey. He is the president of the Biblical Archaeology Society and Jewish Educational Ventures and is also the editor of Moment Magazine.

Shanks earned his B.A. in English Literature (cum laude) in 1952 from Haverford College, his M.A. in Sociology in 1953 from Columbia University, and his LL.B. (cum laude) in 1956 from Harvard Law School.

Shanks has written such books as The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1999), Jerusalem: An Archaeological Biography (1995), The City of David: A Guide to Biblical Jerusalem (1975), and others. He has edited such books as Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls (1993), Feminist Approaches to the Bible (1995), Recent Archaeology in the Land of Israel (1985), and others.

His legal positions include the United States Department of Justice, Washington D.C., from 1956 to 1959 in the Civil Division; Glassie, Pewett, Beebe and Shanks, a twenty-lawyer law firm specializing in real estate and commercial litigation, from 1959 to 1987.

Kertzer: The Vatican and Anti-Semitism

Prof. David Kertzer spoke on "The Vatican and Anti-Semitism," Feb. 12, 2004 at 7:30 PM.

David I. Kertzer is the Paul Dupee University Professor of Social Science at Brown University, where he is also a professor of anthropology and Italian studies. His Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara (Knopf, 1997) was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1997, and he has twice received the Marraro Prize from the Society for Italian Historical Studies for the best work on Italian history (1985, 1990). His most recent book, The Popes Against The Jews (Knopf, 2001), a look at the Vatican's role in the rise of modern anti-Semitism, has been published in Italian, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Brazilian, and British editions. A Vintage paperback edition appeared in September, 2002. Dr. Kertzer is an authority on Italian politics, society, and history; political symbolism; and anthropological demography. He is co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Modern Italian Studies. "Edgard Mine," a play based on The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, by Pulitzer and Oscar award winning playwright Alfred Uhry, had its world premier at Hartford Stage in October, 2002.

Fall 2003 Distinguished Lecturers

Dr. Zuckerman: The Genetics of the Israeli Language

Dr. Ghil'ad Zuckermann of the University of Cambridge, England, presented a lecture on "The Revival and Survival of Hebrew: The Genetics of the Israeli Language" as part of the UCF Judaic Studies Distinguished Lecturers Series on Tuesday, October 28, 2003.

Dr. Zuckerman is an expert of the Hebrew/Israeli language. He is a Research Fellow at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, England, and he is affiliated with the Department of Linguistics and Faculty of Modern Medieval Studies at the university. He is currently visiting professor at Miami University.

Dr. Zuckermann's lecture was well attended and many people expressed their satisfaction with their experience. The lecture centered around the differences between Hebrew and what Zuckermann called Israeli, or Modern Hebrew. He went into great detail discussing the origins of Israeli, being born from classical and traditional Hebrew in the beginning of the 20th century.

An argument was presented that Israeli-Hebrew is nothing more than Yiddish with some Ancient Hebrew mixed in. Zuckermann dismissed this immediately with an explanation of the morphology of Yiddish and Modern Hebrew. Lexical differences rather than grammatical differences allow for complete dismissal of such arguments. Shortly afterward, Zuckermann expressed his own belief about the formation of Israeli Hebrew. Yiddish and Hebrew, argues Zuckermann, are both equal mother tongues to Israeli or Modern Hebrew.

During the formation of the State of Israel, explained Zuckermann, Eliezzer ben Yehuda, the father of Modern Hebrew, had wanted Israelis to speak Biblical Hebrew so that the Israeli language would be more Semitic. Zuckermann argued that because of the mixture of both Biblical Hebrew and Yiddish, Israeli Hebrew is not as similar to Biblical Hebrew as Modern English is to that of Chaucer's English.

Dr. Zuckermann has published in English, Israeli, Italian, Yiddish, Spanish, German and Russian, and has publishing a book entitled "Language Contact and lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003). Dr. Zuckermann has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of Cambridge, the University of Miami and the National University of Singapore. He has been a research fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation, the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, and the National Language Research Institute of Tokyo.

After studying at the United World College of the Adriatic (Collegio del Mundo Unito Del'Adriatico; Duino, Trieste) and completing several years of national service, Dr. Zuckermann was selected for the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Programme for Outstanding Students of Tel Aviv University, where he studied philosophy, psychology, classics, law, mathematics, and specialized in linguistics, receiving his M.A. from the Department of Linguistics in 1997. As Scatherd European Scholar of the University of Oxford and Denise Skinner Graduate Scholar of St. Hugh's college, Oxford, he earned his D.Phil. in 2000.

Professor James F. Strange on the Bible and Archaeology

Professor Strange is a world-renowned authority on biblical archaeology. He has served both as Chairperson of Religious Studies Dept. at USF(1990-93) and as Dean of the College of Arts and Letters (1981-89). He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Rice University in 1959, an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School in 1964, and a PhD in New Testament Studies from Drew University in 1970. He was Montgomery Fellow at the W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in Jerusalem in 1970-71 and NEH fellow at the same Institute in 1980.

Dr. Strange has participated in field archaeology annually since 1969 and has directed the excavations at Sepphoris, Israel, annually since 1983.

Dr. Strange's research interests are in Biblical Archaeology, New Testament Studies, Christian Origins and post-Biblical Judaism.

Dr. Stange's articles have been published in professional journals such as the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, The Biblical Archeologist, The Israel Exploration Journal, and The Anglican Theological Review.

Prof. Gabriel Sheffer

Dept. of Political Science
The Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Spoke on "Palestinian-Israeli Relations Now and in the Future"
Monday, November 17, 2003, at 7:30 PM
In the UCF Communications Auditorium, Comm. Bldg. 101

He also conducted a seminar on "The War in Iraq and the Arab-Israeli Conflict"
Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at 12 noon
In the Business Administration Bldg., BA 212

2002 Distinguished Lecturers

Dr. Daniel Pipes, Director, Middle East Forum. After receiving his A.B. (1971) and Ph.D. (1978) in History from Harvard University, Daniel Pipes went on to spend six years studying abroad - three of them in Egypt. He has taught at the University of Chicago, The U.S. Naval War College, and at Harvard University. He has served in the U.S. Departments of State and Defense in various capacities, such as the presidential appointed Fulbright Board of Foreign Scholarships. Additionally, Pipes served as director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute from 1986-93. Pipes has been deemed "an authoritative commentator on the Middle East" by the Wall Street Journal and described as one of the best-known "Mideast policy luminaries" by MSNBC. He is the director of the Middle East Forum (www.MEForum.org), an independent organization founded in 1994, which promotes American interests through publications, research, consulting, media outreach and public education. He is also a columnist for both the New York Post and the Jerusalem Post.

Dr. Daniel Pipes spoke on "The Terrorist Threat Today" on Monday, October 7, 2002, at 3:00PM in the UCF Student Union, 218 CD. He also conducted an evening lecture for the community on "America's Response to Terrorism" on Monday, October 7, 2002, at 7PM at the Maitland Sheraton Hotel in Maitland, FL.

Henry Sapoznik is a well-known author, lecturer, composer, and musician on Yiddish and American traditional and popular music. He is an established researcher, consultant, and record producer. Among his achievements are dozens of recordings, publications, radio shows, films, and television shows. He has been a part of the co-production of a four CD Yiddish music archival set, as well as a book, "Jewish Radio in Brooklyn" Jews of Brooklyn (2001). He was a co-producer of "The Yiddish Radio Project" on National Public Radio. He was the music designer for the film, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1994), as well as a consultant/performer on the TV show In the Fiddler's House, Great Performances, WNET New York (Emmy Award for Best Musical Special). Henry Sapoznik has a B.A. in ethnomusicology from City University of New York.

Henry Sapoznik spoke on "The Joys of Yiddish: Flourishing of Yiddish in USA", (Yiddish Radio Project; Yiddish Theater) on Monday, October 21, 2002, at 7:30PM in the UCF Visual Arts Auditorium. He also conducted a seminar on "Yiddish Culture: The First Thousand Years" on Tuesday, October 22, 2002, at 11:30AM in the Visual Arts Building, 107.

2008-2009:

• Mr. Eliezer Rivlin spoke on the current state of affairs in Israel and the Middle East, as well as the Israeli elections that took place in February on Thursday, November 13, 2008.
• Prof. Pan Guang is a Walter and Seena Fair Professor of Jewish Studies and Dean of Center of Jewish Studies, Shanghai. He conducted a lecture on "Jews in China" on Thursday, February 17, 2009.
• Prof. Judith Baskin spoke on "Women and the Holocaust: Controversy and Conclusions" on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 10:30am. She later conducted another lecture "Four Approaches to Studying Women in Jewish History" at 7:30pm.

2007-2008:

• Dr. Sander Gilman of Emory University spoke on "Multiculturalism and the Jewish Experience" on October 30th 2007. He also conducted a seminar earlier the same day on "Jewish Identity in Contemporary Jewish Literature and the Diaspora."
• Dr. Ephraim Kam of Tel Aviv University lectured on "Sources of Instability in the Middle East" on January 29, 2008.

2006-2007:

• Dr. Uzi Avner lectured on "The Desert Roots of Ancient Israel" on November 20th, 2006. He also conducted a seminar on November 21st titled "Standing Stones in the Desert"

2005-2006:

• Dr. Curt Leviant of Rutgers University lectured on "The Golem: Myth and 'Fact' - Kabbalah: Mysticism, Mythology and Literature" and on "1654-2004: 350th Anniversary of Jews in America, Jewish Contribution to American Civilization" on October 31 and November 1, 2005.
• Prof. Nehama Aschkenasy of the University of Connecticut lectured on "Eve's Journey: Feminine Images in Hebraic Literary Tradition" and on "In the Footsteps of Job: Women Challenging God in Judaic Literature" on January 30 and 31, 2006.

2004-2005:

• Prof. Shmuel Bolozky of University of Massachusetts, Amherst, spoke on "Hebrew in the 21st Century: Past, Present, and Future?" and "Myths and Facts Regarding the History and Nature of the Hebrew Language" on October 19, 2004.

2003-2004:

• Dr. Ghil'ad Zuckerman of the University of Cambridge, England, lectured on "The Revival and Survival of Hebrew: The Genetics of the Israeli Language" on October 28, 2003.
• Prof. James F. Strange of the University of South Florida spoke on "Bible and Archaeology: Unearthing the Truth?" and "Biblical Narrative and Archaeological Contexts: The Case of Abraham and David" on November 3 and 4, 2003.
• Prof. Gabriel Sheffer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem lectured on "Palestinian-Israeli Relations Now and In the Future" and on "The War in Iraq and the Arab-Israeli Conflict" on November 17 and 18, 2003.
• Editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, Hershel Shanks, spoke on "Biblical Archaeology: Looting and Forgeries" on January 12, 2004.
• Prof. David Kertzer of Brown University lectured on "The Vatican and Anti-Semitism," on February 12, 2004.

2002-2003:

• Dr. Daniel Pipes, Director of the Middle East Forum, lectured on "The Terrorist Threat Today" and on "America's Response to Terrorism" October 7, 2002.
• Composer and Author Henry Sapoznik spoke on "The Joys of Yiddish: Flourishing of Yiddish in the U.S.A" and on "Yiddish Culture: The First Thousand Years" on October 21 and 22, 2002.

2001-2002:

• Prof. Lawrence H. Schiffman of New York University lectured on "The Contribution of the Now Published Qumran texts to the History of Judaism and the Background of Christianity" and "The Recently Published Letters of the Rebel Leader Simeon Bar Kosiva as evidence for the Course of the Bar Kochba Revolt" on October 22 and 23, 2001.
• Prof. Henry L. Feingold of Baruch College, New York, spoke on "The American Jewish Experience: From Commandment to Persuasion: Is American Jewry in Crisis?" and "America, American Jewry, and the Holocaust: Did American Jewry Do Enough during the Holocaust?" on November 5 and 6, 2001.
• Prof. Frank Peters of New York University lectured on "Holy War in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Traditions" and "Jerusalem: The Contested Inheritance" on February 4 and 5, 2002.
• Prof. Jane Gerber of City University of New York spoke on "Jews and Arabs, Their Encounter in History" and "The Fate of the Sephardi Jews during the Holocaust" on March 4 and 5, 2002.

2000-2001:

• Prof. Michael V. Fox of the University of Wisconsin lectured on "The Dimensions of Job" and "Biblical Wisdom and Its View of Women" on October 16 and 17, 2000.
• Prof. Omer Bartov of Brown University spoke on "The Holocaust: From Event and Experience to Memory and Representation" on November 9, 2000.
• Dr. Eyal Zisser of Tel Aviv University lectured on "War and Peace in the Middle East: The Peace Process."
• Prof. Yaffa Eliach of Brooklyn College spoke on "Restoring a Vanished Past: There Once was a World" and "Spiritual Resistance: Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust" on January 19 and 20, 2001.
• Prof. Shalom Paul of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem lectured on "The Archeology-Bible Controversy: New Light on the Bible from Archeological Discoveries" and "The Ever Alive Dead Sea Scrolls" on February 5 and 6, 2001.
• Dr. Leon I. Yudkin of the University College of London spoke on "War and Peace in Israel: The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Recent Israeli Literature" and "Masculine and Feminine Voices in Current Israeli Fiction" on March 26 and 27, 2001.

1999-2000:

• Prof. Charles F. Liebman of Bar-Ilan University lectured on "Religious Pluralism in Israel" on October 19, 1999.
• Prof. Moshe Idel of Hebrew University in Jerusalem lectured on "Messianism and Mysticism in Judaism" and "Hasidism: Ecstasy and Magic" on October 21, 1999.
• Prof. Yair Mazor of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee lectured on "The Bible and Literature: Poetics and Ideology in the Bible" and "Leading Trends in Contemporary Israeli Poetry" on November 3 and 4, 1999.
• Rabbi Sholom B. Dubov of Congregation Ahavas Yisrael in Orlando lectured on "What is Orthodox Judaism?" on April 4, 2000.
• Prof. Tang Yating of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music spoke on "The Jews in China: Kaifeng Jews and their Liturgical Music" on April 10, 2000.
• Rabbi Aaron Rubinger lectured on "What is Conservative Judaism?" on April 11, 2000.
• Prof. Joseph Gutmann of UCF lectured on "What is Reform Judaism?" on April 13, 2000.

1998-1999:

• Prof. Henry Green of the University of Miami lectured on "The American Sephardic Experience" on November 2, 1998.
• Prof. Judith Baskin, Chair of the Department of Judaic Studies at the University of Albany spoke on "Discovering Women in Jewish History" on March 3, 1999.

1997-1998:

• Prof. Yehuda Bauer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem lectured on "The Holocaust: World Conscience and Responsibility" on October 20, 1997.
• Prof. Ithamar Gruenwald of Tel Aviv University on "Kabbalah: Mysticism and Judaism" and on "Modern Jewish Messianism" on February 16 and 17, 1998.

1996-1997:

• Prof. Norman Stillman of the University of Oklahoma lectured on "Jews and Arabs: The Historical Encounter" on October 14 and 15, 1996.
• Dr. Caroline Adam, Dr. Bruce Pauley, and Dr. Moshe Pelli present a discussion on the film "Night and Fog" on March 3, 1997.
• Dr. Anita Grossman of Columbia University spoke on "Jewish Women in Nazi Germany" on March 20, 1997.
• Dr. Marion Kaplan of Queens College New York lectured on "Victors, Victims, and Survivors" on March 20, 1997.

1995-1996:

• Dr. Daphna Sharfman, Chaiperson of the Israeli Labor Party's Civil Rights Committee, spoke on "Social and Political Status of Women in Israel" on October 2, 1995.
• Holocaust survivor Tess Wise spoke about "Holocaust Identity" on October 18, 1995.
• Prof. Yoseph Nevo of Haifa University lectured on "The Middle East Peace Process" on February 5, 1996.
• Dr. Dan Bahat, former Chief Archaeologist of Jerusalem lectured on "Jerusalem: The Eternal City, Linking the Past to the Present" on April 15, 1996.
• Artist Julia Terwilliger "Reflecting on Women, Resistance, and the Holocaust."
• Dr. Rochelle Saidel, Director of the Remember the Women Institute, spoke on "Ravensbruck, Memory, and Memorialization."

1994-1995:

• Dr. James E. Young of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, lectured on "The Art of Memory: Holocaust Memorials in History" on November 9, 1994.
• Dr. Hanan Eshel of Bar-Ilan University spoke on "Recent Discoveries in the Judean Desert: New Light on the Bar-Kochba Revolt" on February 8, 1995.
• Brigadier General Shimon Naveh lectured on April 26, 1995.
• Prof. Gershon Shaked of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on May 28, 1995.

1993-1994:

• Prof. Carol Meyers of Duke University lectured on "The Images of Eve: Women and the Bible" on November 2, 1993.
• Author Alicia Appelman-Jurman spoke on her book "Alicia: My Story" on November 4, 1993.
• Prof. David Patterson of Oxford University lectured on "Facing a World without G-d: The Crisis of Faith in Modern Hebrew Literature" on November 16 and 17, 1993.
• Rabbi Larry Halpern of the Congregation of Liberal Judaism in Orlando spoke on "Reform Judaism" on February 8, 1994.
• Dr. Tankred G. Golanpolsky, publisher of the International Jewish Gazette, spoke on "Judaism and Jewishness in Russia" on February 15, 1994.
• U.C.F. professor Dr. Kenneth L. Hanson lectured on "The Dead Sea Scrolls: An Update" on February 17, 1994.
• Rabbi Alan Londy of Temple Israel in Orlando spoke on "Conservative Judaism: Personal Perspectives" on February 22, 1994.
• Rabbi Shlomo B. Dubov of Congregation Ahavas Yisrael in Orlando lectured on "Traditional Judaism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives" on March 8, 1994.

1992-1993:

• Prof. Lawrence Schiffman of New York University lectured on "Scholars, Scrolls, and Scandals: The Dead Sea Scrolls Controversy" on October 28 and 29, 1992.
• Israeli Ambassador to Washington D.C., Zalman Shoval spoke on "Visions of Peace in the Middle East" on January 14, 1993.
• Dr. Hadassa Kantor of Bar-Ilan University lectured on "Current Trends in the Secularization of Hebrew" on February 9, 1993.
• Dr. Moshe Pelli lectured on "How the Images of the Holocaust Affect Us Today."

1991-1992:

• Journalist Oded Yinon spoke on "The Middle East Peace Conference: Political and Economic Perspectives" on October 14, 1991.
• Prof. Aharon Appelfeld of Ben-Gurion University lectured on "A Personal View of the Holocaust," on November 10, 1991 and "The Arts and the Holocaust" on November 12, 1991.
• Prof. Bruce Pauley of U.C.F. lectured on "Origins of the Holocaust" on February 25, 1992.
• Prof. Joseph Gutmann of Wayne State University lectured on "Spanish Jewish Life before Columbus" on April 2, 1992.

1990-1991:

• Prof. Jacob Neusner of University of South Florida lectured on "The Origin and Development of Judaism" on October 29, 1990.
• Prof. Gabriel Sheffer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem lectured on "Ethics, Oil, and Power in the Middle East Crises" on November 14, 1990.
• Israeli Actor Dan Turgeman spoke on his film "Shell Shock" December 3, 1990.
• Rabbi Aaron Rubinger of Congregation Ohev Shalom spoke on "Night and Fog: Israel During the Gulf War" on January 30, 1991.
• Prof. Joseph Gutmann of UCF lectured on "The Temple of Solomon: Fact and Fantasy" March 5, 1991.
• Prof. Anton Pelinka of the University of Innsbruck, Austria, lectured on "The Lingering Shadows of the Past: Austria's Dealing with Nazism" on March 7 and 8, 1991.
• Prof. Alice L. Eckhardt of Lehigh University spoke on "The Impact of Nazism and Shoah on Palestine and the State of Israel" on April 15, 1991.

1989-1990:

• Prof. Nahum Sarna of Brandeis University lectured on "Job vs. G-d: Protest against Evil" on October 30 and 31, 1989.
• Dr. Philip Hallie of Wesleyan University lectured on "Good and Evil in History" on November 8, 1989.
• Dr. Irving Greenberg, President of The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York, lectured on "Will there be one Jewish People in the Year 2000?" on January 12, 1990.
• Prof. Zev Garber of the University of California, Riverside, lectured on "Historic Accountability: German Historians Debate the Holocaust" and "The Meaning of the Holocaust in America: Democracy and Morality" on March 7 and 8, 1990.
• Dr. Kenneth Libo, curator of Historical Exhibits at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, lectured on "We Lived There, too: Jewish Participants in the American Frontier Experience" and "In the Footsteps of Columbus: Jews in America 1654-1880 " on April 3, 1990.

1988-1989:

• Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel lectured on "Building a Moral Society: What Ancient Masters Could Teach Our Generation" on October 24, 1988.
• Dr. Steven Katz of Cornell University lectured on "American Jewry at a Crossroad" and "The Encounter of Judaism and Modernity: Challenges and Responses" on March 22, 1989.
• Dr. Sheldon Isenberg of the University of Florida lectured on "Women s Voice's in Contemporary Judaism" and "Jewish Mysticism: Resource for Contemporary Renewal" on March 27, 1989.

1987-1988:

• Prof. Yehuda Bauer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem lectured on the Holocaust September 13, 1987 and September 14, 1987.
• Hy Meltz lectured on "The International Language Problem: Esperanto as a Solution" on November 18, 1987.
• Prof. Jan Karski on his experiences as a courier in Wartime Poland.
• Prof. Pinchas H. Peli of Ben-Gurion University lectured on Judaism and Israel.
• Israeli author A. B. Yehoshua lectured on Hebrew Literature and on the 40th anniversary of Israel.

1986-1987:

• Israeli author Amos Oz lectured on "Israel: Peace and War" and "Israel throughout Its Literature" on November 3, 1986, and November 4, 1986.
• Prof. Barry Mesch of the University of Florida lectured on Medieval Jewish Philosophy, on February 24, 1987.

1985-1986:

• Prof. Eric Meyer of Duke University lectured on biblical archaeology December 3, 1985 and December 4, 1985.
• Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer lectured on his philosophy as a Jewish writer, and reads his unpublished stories on March 4, 1986 and March 5, 1986.

1984-1985:

• Prof. Shalom Paul of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem lectured on the Hebrew Bible.
• Prof. David S. Wyman of University of Massachusetts, Amherst, lectured on the Holocaust and the book "Abandonment of the Jews."
• Prof. Eliezer Rafaeli of Haifa University lectured on Israeli Society.
• Prof. Gershon Shaked of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, lectured on Modern Hebrew Literature and Kafka and Jewish Heritage March 30, 1987 and March 31, 1987.