Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program

Featuring guest speakers Rabbi Elliott Dorff, Rector of the University of Judaism, and Rabbi Michael Graetz, a student of Heschel.

The French Revolution, with its famous ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, had a profound impact on the modern world. Was it "good for the Jews" or "bad for the Jews"? This talk will examine the background of the Jews in France, discuss how the French Revolution changed their status forever, and consider where the true sources of French antisemitism lie.

Dr. Alyssa Sepinwall is Associate History Professor at California State University, San Marcos and author of The Abbe Gregoire and the French Revolution: The Making of Modern Univeralism

Encounter Point, an 85-minute documentary film, is a sensitive portrayal of the lives of an Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who join a Palestinian-Israeli Bereaved Families Forum and work toward non-violent solutions to the conflict. The film presents a personal view of their activities, and their interactions with Israelis and Palestinians who hold a more normal position toward the other side. In Hebrew, Arabic, and English with English subtitles. Appropriate for teens and adults. Winner, Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Montreal and San Francisco Film Festivals.

Dr. Michael Berenbaum is the Director of the Sigi Ziering Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Ethics at the University of Judaism and a writer, lecturer, and teacher consulting in the conceptual development of museums and the historical development of films.

One of the unique aspects of Holocaust education in the United States has been the active participation of Holocaust survivors. Drawing from his vast experience shaping major US memorials and museums, Professor Michael Berenbaum will discuss how survivors have contributed to Holocaust education. He will also describe the resulting transformation within the survivor by his or her own role as educator.

America fought and defeated the Germans in World War II, but what did the U.S. do and what could we have done about the Nazis' war against the Jews? As Americans, one of the most disturbing aspects we must face about the Holocaust is whether our government could have been more aggressive in responding to news of the Holocaust. The Allies' decision to refrain from bombing the train lines into the Auschwitz extermination camp has become a metaphor for our role as bystanders to the murder of Jews in Europe. Is this valid? Join us for a provocative presentation by Professor Michael Berenbaum.

The Center for Ethics and Values presents two discussions on religion and violence on the CSUN campus. Speakers from on campus and off campus will discuss violence and the rejection of violence in the history, doctrine, and culture of four religious traditions: Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Following presentations and comments from respondents there will be a question and answer period during which discussants will address questions from the audience.

Speaking on the Topic of Judaism and Violence:

• Presentation by Arye Cohen, Associate Professor of Rabbinic Literature, UJ
  The War of Torah: Variations on a Theme
• Response by Jody Myers, Professor of Religious Studies, CSUN

Dr. John K. Roth is the Edward J. Sexton Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights at Claremont McKenna College.

Throughout his long career as a scholar, Professor Roth has continued to raise compelling questions and expore the ethical complexities that confront us in a post-Holocaust world. In "Only in the Dark", he asks how the dead of the Holocaust may speak to us. Please come and join us for an engrossing conversation with this noted philosopher.

Dr. Elliot Dorff is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Judaism whose publications include over 150 articles on Jewish thought, law, and ethics, together with 12 books.

An internationally known philosopher and scholar of bioethics, Professor Dorff testified on behalf of the Jewish tradition on the subjects of human cloning and stem cell research before the President's National Bioethics Advisory Commission in 1997 and 1999. In 1999 and 2000 he was part of the Surgeon General's commission to draft a Call to Action for Responsible Sexual Behavior; and from 2000 to 2002 he served on the National Human Resources Protections Advisory Commission, charged with reviewing and revising the federal guidelines for protecting human subjects in research projects. He is currently working on a project on Judaism and genetics for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he is a member of that organization's Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion Advisory Committee.