Upcoming Events

Hebrew with Harry – every Tuesday

2 classes: Beginner’s & Advanced. Learn more in Ongoing Programs.

Monday, 10/12/26 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

Thursday, 10/22/26 @ 8:30 PM – From Democracy to Dictatorship: How German Jews Responded to the Rise of Hitler in 1933

Like a horrible nightmare the abrogation of equal rights weighs upon us all, but especially upon those Jews who, like me, had surrendered themselves to the dream of assimilation….As difficult as it has been for me, I have awakened from the dream that I dreamed my whole life long.” (The painter Max Liebermann to the Hebrew poet Hayim Nachman Bialik in June 1933.)This lecture addresses the different ways in which German Jews – Zionists and German nationalists, Orthodox, and Liberals (religious Reform and Conservative Jews) – awoke from their dream of being German citizens of the Jewish faith.

What were their expectations of the new year 1933 and how did they react to the rapidly changing circumstances after Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January, 30th , 1933? How did they experience the immediate change from a democracy to a dictatorship and how did they reflect about it? And what does this all mean to American Jews in 2026?

Michael Brenner holds the chair of Jewish History and Culture at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and is Distinguished Professor of History and Seymour and Lillian Abensohn Chair in Israel Studies at American University in Washington DC. He is an elected member of the Bavarian Academy of Science, the Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana in Italy and the American Academy for Jewish Research. He published 9 books, which have been translated in 12 languages. Among them are In Hitler’s Munich: Jews, the Revolution, and the Rise of Nazism, In Search of Israel:The History of an Idea, A Short History of the Jews, and The Renaissance of Jewish Culture in Weimar Germany. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Thursday, 11/5/26 @ 8:30 PM – The Wandering Jews of New York City

An historical journey to the five boroughs of New York City, including the first synagogue, Shearith Israel (Spanish & Portuguese Congregation), founded in 1654. We explore the Lower East Side with its hundreds of synagogues including the Eldridge Street Synagogue, Rodef Sholom, Ansche Chesed. The program stops at Ellis Island, site where 12 million immigrants were processed. We continue up to Harlem, which once had a Jewish population of over 175,000. We continue to The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. So much packed into one hour!!!

Oscar Israelowitz was born in Brussels, Belgium; has degrees in Geology and Architecture; is a licensed architect in Israel; has exhibited photographic shows at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Historical Society, the New York Transit Museum, and the Main Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library; is a licensed New York City Tour Guide and has given tours for Leon Uris (author of Exodus and Mila 18), tour groups from Israel, Canada, Germany, and United Nations diplomats and many yeshivas and day schools; has appeared on radio and television programs including the Joe Franklin Show, The First Estate–Religion In Review, Ruth Jacob’s Jewish Home Show and more recently, NY1’s In Transit, with Jose Martinez. Oscar Israelowitz has been a Scholar-inResidence in Mendy Vim’s Passover Holidays in Waterbury, CT, the Pocono Manor, Cape May, and the Claridge House in Atlantic City. He has appeared as special lecturer in Honor’s Haven Hotel’s Passover Program in Ellenville, NY for five years. He has given hundreds of slide presentations and lecture programs to synagogues, temples, senior centers, assisted living facilities and nursing homes, Hadassah groups, Emunah Women’s groups and at Hofstra University since 1982. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Monday, 11/9/26 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

Learn more in Ongoing Programs.

Thursday, 11/19/26 @ 8:30 PM – Your People Shall Be My People: Conversion to Judaism through the Centuries

Throughout Jewish history non-Jews have joined the Jewish people. How they’ve done so, why they’ve done so, and how the Jewish community has supervised the transition have changed strikingly from one historical context to another. Yet some features of conversion to Judaism, or giyyur (in rabbinic terms), have been remarkably stable over the long period since rabbinic law became normative throughout the Jewish diaspora. In this talk we’ll look at major milestones in this long history, from biblical times to the eve of the modern period.

Miriam Bodian is Professor of History Emerita at the University of Texas at Austin. Her recent book Conversion, in the Rutgers Keywords in Jewish Studies series, examines both conversion to Judaism and conversion from Judaism over the long sweep of Jewish history. She is the author of the prize-winning book Hebrews of the Portuguese Nation: Conversos and Community in Early Modern Amsterdam, and Dying in the Law of Moses: Crypto-Jewish Martyrdom in the Iberian World. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Thursday, 12/10/26 @ 8:30 PM – The Lower East Side

This community once had a Jewish population of over 500,000–one of the three largest Jewish populations in the world! The other two were Jewish Harlem and Warsaw, Poland. The program explores the different group which lived here, including the early Germanic groups, founders of the Reform movement and the Eastern European groups, originally Orthodox. The program covers some of the prominent congregations including Anshe Slonim, the Rumanian–American Congregation, which was known as the Carnegie Hall of the synagogues. The greatest cantors in the world performed in this congregation. We discuss the Jewish Daily Forward, one of five Yiddish newspapers published in the Lower East Side. There is a discussion about the garment industry and the Chazir Markt in Seward Park, which was a selection depot for potential sweat shop workers. The Yiddish Theatre along Second Avenue is discussed. We also speak about Bugsy Siegal and organized crime–all within the Lower East Side neighborhood!

Monday, 12/14/26 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

Learn more in Ongoing Programs.

Thursday, 12/17/26 @ 8:30 PM – GI Jews: How World War II Changed a Generation

Whether they came from Sioux Falls, South Dakota or the Bronx, New York, over half a million Jews entered the United States’ armed forces during the Second World War. Uprooted from their working- and middle-class neighborhoods, they joined every branch of the military and saw action on all fronts. Deborah Dash Moore gives us an unprecedented view of the multiple struggles these GI Jews faced, having to fight not only the enemy, but also the prejudices of their fellow soldiers. Military service in World War II transformed this generation of Jews, and reshaped Jewish roles in America and abroad. These men challenged the perception of Jews simply as the victims of the war, and encouraged Jews throughout the Diaspora to fight for what they thought was right. Simultaneously, service strengthened Jews’ identification with American democratic ideals, even as it confirmed the inner importance of their Jewish identity.

Deborah Dash Moore is Jonathan Freedman University Professor of History and Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan. From 2005 to 2015 she served as Director of the Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies and the Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies. Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, she was Professor of Religion on the William F. Kenan chair at Vassar College. An historian of American Jews, she specializes in twentieth century urban history. Three of her monographs form a trilogy, moving from studying second generation New York Jews (At Home in America) to examining the lives of Jewish American soldiers in World War II, and culminating in a history of migration that carried big city Jews to Miami and Los Angeles after the war (To the Golden Cities). Her book, GI Jews: How World War II Changed a Generation served as the basis for a documentary of the same title.

Most recently, she has explored the formative encounter of Jews and American cities in the Urban Origins of American Judaism, and written a comprehensive history of New York Jews, Jewish New York: The Remarkable Story of a People and a City. Her recent book, Walkers in the City: Jewish Street Photographers of Mid-Century New York (2023) extends her interest in urban Jewish history to photography. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Monday, 1/11/27 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

Learn more in Ongoing Programs.

Thursday, 1/14/27 @ 8:30 PM – Coming to America: The Ellis Island Story

Starting out as a 3.3 acre mudbank in Upper New York Bay, it was owned by a Mr. Samuel Ellis who built a small tavern during the American Revolution and called the mudbank, Ellis Island. During the War of 1812, the island became part of the Harbor Defenses, protecting the harbor from possible British invasion. It was known as Fort Gibson. Ultimately, in 1892, the island was used to process immigrants coming from Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Between 1892 and 1924 twelve million immigrants were processed on Ellis Island. We discuss the processing of the immigrants as they journeyed across the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean, disembarked from the shuttle ferries, went up the main entrance ramps, deposited their luggage, climbed the interior stairs to the Main Arrivals Hall. It was truly a traumatic experience for many of these immigrants. Some families were separated, and one family member would be placed in the hospital ward on the island or would ultimately be deported.

Thursday, 1/21/27 @ 8:30 PM – Jewish Bulgaria

Join us for a dynamic interactive trip through Bulgaria’s rich Jewish heritage. We will focus on notable moments and individuals from the rich and varied history of Sephardic life in Bulgaria. Our virtual tour will start with the arrival of Iberian Jews to the Ottoman empire and the establishment of the first Sephardic communities in towns such as Nikopol, Sofia, Plovdiv, and Vidin. Learn about some of the most prominent Sephardic rabbis, intellectuals, and merchants from Bulgarian history. Our virtual tour will take us inside the sumptuous Neo-Moorish Sofia synagogue. Other highlights along the way include the medieval capital, the grand Rila Monastery, and the mountain town of Samokov, home to the affluent Arie dynasty.

Joseph Benatov holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches Hebrew. He is originally from Bulgaria and a member of Sofia’s Jewish community. Joseph has over 20 years of experience leading travelers across the Balkans, including UNESCO representatives, 92nd Street Y visitors, JDC board members, and Anti-Defamation League officials. He lectures regularly on the history of Jewish life in Bulgaria and on Balkan Sephardic culture. Every summer Joseph leads Jewish heritage tours to the Sephardic Balkans. You can find out more here. STAY TUNED FOR REGISTRATION LINK.

Sunday, 1/31/27 @ 1:00 PM – Jewish Lithuania

Join us for a 60–75-minute virtual journey through Lithuania and Vilnius, exploring the country’s fascinating history, culture, and heritage from wherever you are. The tour combines an engaging historical presentation with video materials, bringing the streets, landmarks, and stories of Vilnius and Lithuania to life. Discover the history of Vilnius, its multicultural heritage, and the key events and personalities that shaped Lithuania over the centuries. A perfect introduction to Lithuania for those planning a visit—or for anyone who wants to explore its rich history and unique cultural heritage from home.

Daniel Gurevich is an experienced tour guide and travel specialist based in Vilnius, Lithuania. With a deep knowledge of Lithuania and the Baltic States, he specializes in creating and leading meaningful cultural, historical, and Jewish heritage tours. Daniel combines professional expertise with a personal passion for history, culture, and travel. His tours bring destinations to life through engaging stories, local insights, and carefully selected places that go beyond the standard tourist experience. As a travel specialist, Daniel also works with international groups and travel professionals, developing tailor-made itineraries throughout Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and the wider region. Digital experience: Since a new normal format came to life, Daniel is giving online speeches on Qesher platform and also directly to numerous Jewish communities around the world. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Monday, 2/8/27 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

Learn more in Ongoing Programs.

Thursday, 2/11/27 @ 8:30 PM – How Jewish Immigrants Reshaped American Immigration

While many are familiar with the names of famous early-twentieth century German Jewish immigrant bankers such Jacob Schiff, Felix Warburg or the Lehman Brothers, far fewer have ever heard of men like Sender and Meyer Jarmulowsky, Joseph Marcus, or Saul Singer, Eastern European Jewish immigrant bankers who helped the millions of poor immigrants in New York City with a few dollars and a dream save money, borrow money and send small sums overseas. Indeed, the millions of immigrants who came to America saw their financial lives shaped by these men whose stories are now in the dustbin of history. This lecture shares their stories and how they shaped not only banking in the Jewish community, but the larger world of American finance as well as the businesses of migration and real estate in America itself.

Rebecca Kobrin is the Russell and Bettina Knapp Full Professor of American Jewish History at Columbia University, where she was also the co-director of Columbia’s Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. She was also a member of Columbia’s Antisemitism Task Force. She has taught at Yale University, Harvard University and Brooklyn College. Kobrin works in the fields of American Jewish history, immigration studies, business history, and urban studies, specializing in modern Jewish migration.

Her current book, Credit to the Nation: East European Immigrant Bankers and American Finance, 1870-1930 (Harvard University Press, 2026), looks at the lost world of immigrant banking. She is working on a book about Columbia University’s Seth Low Junior College as a means of exploring institutional antisemitism and American higher education. She is also one of the lead investigators of the award-winning digital humanities Historical NYC Project, which visualizes the demographic and spatial changes transforming New York City between 1850 and 1940. She lectures widely on topics related to American Jewish history, East European Jewish migration and US immigration history. Her writing has also appeared in popular newspapers such as The Washington Post, CNN, The Guardian, and The Jerusalem Post. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Sunday, 2/21/27 @ 1:00 PM – Jewish Secrets of the Vatican Museum

The Vatican may seem like the last place to look for Jewish stories — yet they’re there, quietly waiting to be found. In this journey, we’ll walk through galleries and chapels you may have already visited and even not once, but with a new kind of curiosity: what happens when we look at them through Jewish eyes?

Evgenia Kempinski is a professional Jewish tour guide, born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. With over fifteen years of experience guiding Jewish heritage tours in her hometown, she has developed a deep passion for uncovering and sharing the stories of the Jewish Diaspora. With her family she spent six enriching years living in Israel and now resides in Barcelona, continuing her mission to connect people with Jewish history and culture around the world. She is the founder of the Online Jewish Travel Club, a vibrant community that brings together Jews from different countries through a shared love of travel, art, and Jewish heritage. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Sunday, February 28 @ 1:00 PM – Jewish Brazil: A Journey Through History

This illustrated presentation explores the fascinating story of Jewish life in Brazil through three major historical periods: the Colonial Era, the Empire (Independence), and the Republic. Focusing on the country’s most significant Jewish centers—Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo—the program combines historical photographs, maps, anecdotes, and contemporary images to trace more than five centuries of Jewish presence in Brazil. From the first Sephardic settlers and the Dutch period in Recife to the growth of modern Jewish communities, participants will discover how Jewish history became intertwined with Brazil’s own national story.

Felipe Lichand is a Brazilian historian, researcher, licensed tour guide, and founder of Zahav Tours, where he designs curated historical travel experiences focusing on Jewish heritage across South America. He is an active member of São Paulo’s Jewish community and serves as part of the leadership of the local Hashomer Hatzair youth movement. Combining academic research with firsthand knowledge of Brazil’s Jewish communities, Felipe is passionate about bringing Jewish history to life through engaging lectures and immersive cultural experiences. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Thursday, 3/4/27 @ 8:30 PM – Jewish Suriname

Jacob Steinberg tells the surprising and fascinating story of the oldest existing Jewish community in all of the Americas. This story begins with the establishment of the Jewish community in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by Portuguese and Spanish Jews in the late 16th century. Thousands of them moved to Dutch Brazil (Recife) in search of better opportunities, and three groups continued on to what is now Suriname, clearing the jungle and starting sugar plantations. The community flourished for more than 100 years in the Jewish Savannah, where they achieved complete autonomy. With the collapse of the sugar-based economy, the community moved to the new capital city, Paramaribo. Jacob will describe the role of the community in saving Jews during World War II, as well as the life of this small and isolated Jewish community in Suriname today.

After graduating from University, Jacob travelled around the world for five years. He climbed mountains, crossed deserts, explored jungles and spent his last year travelling and surfing across Australia. Later on, Jacob spent three decades as a Project Finance executive, financing infrastructure projects in Africa, South America, South East Asia and Eastern Europe, where he met small and isolated Jewish communities. He got involved with Kulanu Canada, a non-profit organization that supports such communities. Jacob is personally involved in supporting the Suriname Jewish Community, the oldest existing Jewish community in the Americas. In 2016 he raised the funds to build a Memorial Monument for the 104 Surinamese Jews who died in the Holocaust. Jacob is an avid sportsman who played for 14 years in the Ontario Australian Rules Football league. He loves travelling and is very interested in Jewish history. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Monday, 3/8/27 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

Learn more in Ongoing Programs.

Sunday, 3/14/27 @ 1:00 PM – Jewish Treasures of the Hermitage

What secrets about Jewish life and identity are hidden in the Hermitage’s masterpieces? Join me for a journey through St. Petersburg’s great museum, exploring its art through a fresh Jewish lens.

Thursday, 3/25/27 @ 8:30 PM – American Jewish Responses to Antisemitic Extremism

This program traces the history of American Jewish encounters with radical antisemitism in the twentieth century and beyond. For decades, Jews have contended with extremist organizations frequently dismissed as “crackpots,” ranging from the Ku Klux Klan to numerous American Nazi groups. Their responses to these ongoing threats varied considerably. Some Jews fought antisemitism aggressively through demonstrations, public confrontations, and forceful denunciations in the media. Others preferred diplomatic resistance, often working behind the scenes to combat antisemitic propaganda, influence public officials, and curb the growth of extremist movements. These competing approaches generated tensions both within the Jewish community and in the broader public. By exploring how Jews have traditionally countered extremism, this lecture offers historical perspective on the enduring challenge of antisemitism in contemporary American society.

Andrew Sperling is the Historian and Director of Academic Initiatives at the American Jewish Historical Society. He earned his PhD in History from American University in 2024, and subsequently became the inaugural Leon Levy Fellow at the Center for Jewish History. His forthcoming book, The Menace Among Us: The Jewish Fight Against Antisemitism, from the Ku Klux Klan to the White Power Movement, will be published by NYU Press in 2027. He has taught courses on antisemitism and American Jewish history at American University and Brooklyn College, and his work on these topics has appeared in American Jewish History, Southern Jewish History, and The Conversation. He is currently researching for his second book on the history of Jews in the American counterculture of the 1960s and early 1970s. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Sunday, 4/4/27 @ 1:00 PM – The Lost History of Jewish Belarus

Which Belarusian Jews impacted the modern world? What is the story of the longest escape dug in WW2? Where is the lost Jewish cemetery that is getting a new life? Debra Brunner, co-founder and CEO of The Together Plan charity UK and founder and President of Jewish Tapestry Project (USA), will be taking us on a journey of discovery to a country with a very big Jewish story.

Debra Brunner is the co-founder and CEO of The Together Plan. She has lived in the USA and has travelled extensively through Belarus. Debra has been working in the field of Jewish community development and Jewish cultural heritage in Belarus for over 17 years. She is a passionate advocate for Jewish community, history, heritage and identity. She is also the founder of the Polotsk Jewish Cultural Educational Foundation in Belarus and the Jewish Tapestry Project in the USA. Debra has worked tirelessly to grow The Together Plan in order to give agency to Jewish people coming out of a traumatic past, to empower them and give them skills and self-belief to rebuild and revive. It is Debra’s mantra that together we can make a real and positive difference for a better, stronger and more cohesive Jewish landscape in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Sunday, 4/11/27 @ 1:00 PM – Madrid’s Great Art Museums through Jewish Eyes

Step into the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Reina Sofía with me as your guide. Together we’ll uncover Jewish stories behind some of Europe’s most iconic masterpieces.

Evgenia Kempinski is a professional Jewish tour guide, born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. With over fifteen years of experience guiding Jewish heritage tours in her hometown, she has developed a deep passion for uncovering and sharing the stories of the Jewish Diaspora. With her family she spent six enriching years living in Israel and now resides in Barcelona, continuing her mission to connect people with Jewish history and culture around the world. She is the founder of the Online Jewish Travel Club, a vibrant community that brings together Jews from different countries through a shared love of travel, art, and Jewish heritage.

Monday, 4/12/27 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

Learn more in Ongoing Programs.

Thursday, 5/6/27 @ 8:30 PM – Did Lenin and Stalin Hate the Jews? The Soviet State, the Jewish Question, and Rethinking Antisemitism in the Soviet Union

One defining feature of Jewish life in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s founding was something found nowhere else in Europe: sweeping, state-funded campaigns against antisemitism. Backed by the Soviet government, these efforts sought to dismantle the tsarist legacy of anti-Jewish violence and discrimination and represented an unprecedented official commitment to combating antisemitism. Yet the Soviet struggle against antisemitism was marked by deep inconsistencies and contradictions from the very beginning. This tension became a recurring hallmark of Soviet policy, persisting throughout the interwar years, continuing during World War II, and extending into its aftermath, especially in the newly occupied territories of the Soviet Union.

Elissa Bemporad holds the Ungar Chair in East European Jewish History and the Holocaust and is Professor of History at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center. She is a two-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award. She is the author of Becoming Soviet Jews: The Bolshevik Experiment in Minsk (2013), and Legacy of Blood: Jews, Pogroms, and Ritual Murder in the Lands of the Soviets (2019). Elissa is the co-editor of two volumes: Women and Genocide: Survivors, Victims, Perpetrators (2018); and Pogroms: A Documentary History (Oxford University Press, 2021). She serves as editor of Jewish Social Studies. Elissa is currently finishing the first volume of the Comprehensive History of Soviet Jewry (forthcoming with NYU Press), and is at work on a biography of Ester Frumkin. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Monday, 5/10/27 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

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Sunday, 5/16/27 @ 1:00 PM – Jewish Sweden

The second largest city in Sweden, Gothenburg has been home to a Jewish community since Jews were allowed to settle in the country in 1775. From its very inception, the Jewish community was made up of merchants from Denmark, Germany and Holland, who were involved in the development of the city and became some of the most influential patrons of art, music and architecture, helping to shape the character of the city and the country. We will explore this exciting history through some of the main Jewish places in Gothenburg, among them the synagogue (the first in Sweden to be built for that purpose), the old and new cemeteries and the cultural institutions which remain today, founded by prominent Swedish Jews. I will also talk about how the Jewish community looks today and the challenges Swedish Jews face since October 7th.

The self-titled Maggid of Gothenburg, Benjamin has been engaging children and adults ages 18 to 104, in Jewish learning for over 25 years. Born in Stockholm and based in Gothenburg, since 2008, he is the father of three daughters, ages 20, 15 and 1. He leads services, teaches courses, and officiates funerals for the Jewish Community of Gothenburg. He also lectures and works with communities throughout Sweden. He has rarely met an opinion in which he didn’t find something to disagree with but is rarely disagreeable. STAY TUNED FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK.

Monday, 6/7/27 @ 7:00 PM – Job Search Group

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