Dear Safranim, You are cordially invited to a free public lecture at the Mid-Manhattan Library of The New York Public Library.
The Jewish Evil Eye, An Illustrated Lecture with Itzik Gottesman Thursday, August 4, 2016 6:30 PM Mid-Manhattan Library, Fifth Avenue and 40th St. Wheelchair accessible - free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis Lecture description: While most of the old folk beliefs among Jews have disappeared, the belief in the Evil Eye continues in various forms. Some of the oldest archaeological artifacts of the Jews were used as amulets to keep away the Evil Eye, and today one finds references to it in the Yiddish language, naming practices and birth and death customs. This talk will look at the Evil Eye historically and how the belief manifests itself today among Jews all over the world. One of the hallmarks of Jewish folklore is the interplay of literary and natural elements and this is most obvious in the charms and remedies created against the evil eye. The lecture will also examine the spells that are uttered to rid one of evil, used particularly for children, as well as when Jews were most vulnerable to be afflicted. About the presenter: Itzik Gottesman is Senior Lecturer of Yiddish Language and Culture at the University of Texas at Austin. He teaches Yiddish language, Jewish folklore and other courses on Yiddish culture. He has previously taught Jewish Folklore and Yiddish at the YIVO/Bard program on Ashkenazi Civilization, and at the University of Pennsylvania. He has a Ph.D in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania and is the author of the book Defining the Yiddish Nation: The Jewish Folklorists of Poland. For 13 years he was the Associate Editor of the Yiddish Forward Newspaper in the New York - the Forverts, where he wrote weekly columns on Jewish art, music, culture and folklore. He also served as editor of the oldest Yiddish publication the Zukunft, founded in 1893. Dr. Gottesman grew up in a Yiddish speaking household in the Bronx and is the son of the Yiddish poet and songwriter Bella Gottesman. He produced three CDs of her original songs. He worked as an archivist at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research for five years and became acquainted with the Yiddish cultural history of the US and Eastern Europe. Fore more information, please visit: https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2016/08/04/jewish-evil-eye Sincerely, -- Amanda (Miryem-Khaye) Seigel Librarian Dorot Jewish Division, Room 111 The New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10018 Reference Desk: 212-930-0601 Fax: 212-642-0141 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman/jewish-division Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schwarzmanbuilding __ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) ================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [email protected] To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list [email protected] https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
