American Yiddishkayt: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful

Jeff Israel will share the idea of American Yiddishkayt, an expression of what is good, true, and beautiful in secular Jewish American life. Israel is Associate Professor of religion and Jewish studies at Williams College. He is the author of Living with Hate in American Politics and Religion (Columbia, 2019). He is currently writing a book entitled, American Yiddishkayt: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful.

This talk is presented as part of the spring 2023 Faculty Lecture Series. The series was founded in 1911 by Catherine Mariotti Pratt, the spouse of a faculty member who wanted to “relieve the tedium of long New England winters with an opportunity to hear Williams professors talk about issues that really mattered to them.” From these humble and lighthearted beginnings, the Faculty Lecture Series has grown to become an important forum for tenured professors to share their latest research with the larger intellectual community of the college.

The Faculty Lecture Series is organized by the faculty members of the Lecture Committee. The aim of the series is to present big ideas beyond disciplinary boundaries.  All lectures will begin at 4:15 p.m.  They are free and open to the public.

More Information