Fairfield U’s Bennett Center unveils 2022 speaker series

The Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University has announced the Center’s line up speakers and other special events for January through April 2022.  All events will remain virtual through March.

February 8, 5 p.m.: “Daniel Kahn & Christian David: Borders & Ballads”

Detroit-born expat Yiddish troubadour Daniel Kahn is joined by his long-time compadre, Berlin’s legendary klezmer multi-instrumentalist Christian Dawid, for an intimate evening of new and old songs in Yiddish, English, Russian, and German. Drawing on their close collaboration in the cult cabaret band The Painted Bird, as well as the tradition of such bards as Gebirtig, Okudzhava, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen, this is a timely collection of broken ballads, crooked klezmer, prison laments, revolutionary hymns, and apocalyptic blues.

In 2018, Daniel Kahn was named the inaugural Theo Bikel Artist-in-Residence by the Ashkenazi Foundation and received the Chane and Joseph Mlotek Award for Yiddish Continuity. His celebrated new solo album, “word beggar” is an intimate program of his translations and settings of revolutionary, modern, and heartbreaking poems and songs, including Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” 

Admission if FREE. Register at: https://fairfield.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3rOVcVL9QZe8rQFAF8qcSQ

February 17, 7:30 p.m.: Dr. Kirsten Fermaglich will discuss Jewish name-changing in 20th century New York. 

March 7, 7:30 p.m.: Biblical scholar and field archeologist, Dr. Carole Meyers will talk about the everyday lives of women in ancient Israel 

April 4: Israeli politician and diplomat Tzipi Livni will speak live and in person

April 7: The Jewish-Christian Engagement Lecture will feature guest speaker Rabbi Burton Visotzky, PhD, in an event that can be live-streamed or attended in person. 

April 28: The Annual Holocaust Remembrance (Yom Hashanah) Service will be held outside outside with Holocaust survivor Judith Altmann serving as keynote speaker. 

Registration for all events is required at fairfield.edu/bennettprograms.