The best place to stay up to date on all events and programming at JSS! This calendar is always up to date and includes all the information you need to get involved.
Aug
8
Wed
“Jewish Diaspora in China: European Jewish refugees in Shanghai during World War II” – Professor Weijia Li
Director of Global Higher Education Master’s Degree Program, Assistant Professor of German, Faculty Affiliate: Center for East Asian Studies and Center for German and European Studies
From 1938 to 1941, more than 17,000 German and Austrian Jewish refugees, along with over 2,000 Polish Jews, fled from the Nazi terror to Shanghai, China. The refugees’ hope to use Shanghai as a temporary home until securing transfer to North America or elsewhere was soon wrecked by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the breakout of the Pacific War. As a result, they ended up spending a decade in China. Professor Li will describe his research of the Jewish refugees in Shanghai and their adaptation to a life in exile.
Weijia Li’s research and teaching interests include Chinese-German cultural encounters reflected in German literature, press, and art history. In 2010, he published a book on German Jewish writer Anna Seghers’s encounter with China in her life and works. He’s now working on a new book project on German and Yiddish writings on China by European Jewish refugees in Shanghai during WWII.
Aug
22
Wed
“Only Victims: The Hollywood Blacklist” – Ellie Gettinger
Education Director at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee
Ellie Gettinger will preview Jewish Museum Milwaukee’s new original exhibit Blacklist: Hollywood’s Red Scare, which opens to the public in October 2018. The talk will explore the historical events that led to the Hollywood Blacklist and its impact on film, television, and theater. Gettinger will offer insights into the development of the exhibit, connections to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, and contemporary parallels. As described by Dalton Trumbo, “The blacklist was a time of evil…no one on either side who survived it came through untouched by evil…[Looking] back on this time…it will do no good to search for villains or heroes or saints or devils because there were none; there were only victims.”
Sep
13
Thu
Bus Trip to Jewish Museum Milwaukee
We will leave Madison at 9:30 am, have an early lunch, attend talk and tour from 1-2:30 pm, and then return to Madison. Lunch location and menu will be announced shortly. Cost is $25 and will include all transportation, lunch and museum fees. This program is generously subsidized by Jeff Levy. If cost is prohibitive, funds are available through Jewish Social Services. Contact Paul Borowsky at JSS: paul@jssmadison.org, 608-442-4083. We will have a chance to tour core exhibits as well as the traveling exhibit which is ending soon:
Traveling Exhibit:Stitching Histories From the Holocaust tells the story of Hedwig Strnad and her husband Paul through the letters to their Milwaukee cousin and the dress designs they sent in the hopes of getting visas. Hedy and Paul were ultimately killed in the Holocaust, but her dress designs survived. The centerpiece of this exhibit are the eight dresses lovingly created by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater Costume Shop. These dresses provide visitors with a tangible connection to the loss of talent in the Holocaust.
Accompanying Stitching Histories are two more family stories of immigration:
The Oelsner family fled to Japanese-occupied Shanghai in 1939, the only place that they could go without a visa. Their daughter Edie was born there and the collection reflects the family’s journey from Nazi Germany, to war-torn Shanghai, and ultimately to the United States.
While Mary and George Stern escaped to the United States in 1938 and settled in Racine, WI.
Dec
2
Sun
This award-winning documentary captures the experience of four families, refugees from Syria, as they struggle to adjust to life in Baltimore.
After the 90-minute film, community leaders will facilitate small group discussions on the film’s topics and discuss refugee resettlement programs in Madison and local refugee experiences. Light refreshments will be served.
Co-sponsored by Jewish Congregations for Social Justice:
Beth Israel Center, Congregation Shaarei Shamayim, and Temple Beth El;
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Jewish Social Services
Lutheran Social Services
UW-Madison Hillel
Dec
7
Fri
Please join your neighbors, volunteers and Jewish Social Services staff for candle lighting, challah, wine, songs and discussion to usher in Shabbat. Today we will also be celebrating Chanukah!
A program of Jewish Social Services, UW Hillel and Capitol Lakes Retirement Community.
Apr
24
Wed
A program of Jewish Social Services Madison, UW Hillel and Capitol Lakes Retirement Community
Apr
25
Thu
A program of Jewish Social Services of Madison and Oakwood Village, which will take place in the Nakoma/Westmoreland Room.
Jun
12
Wed
“Watching Sports Through a Jewish Lens” – Mitch Nelles
Mitch Nelles, on-air host with iHeartMedia, often grapples with the hypocrisy of today’s sports landscape. The me-first attitude of many athletes, coupled with the team-first premise that leads to victory, is forefront in almost every sports narrative these days.
Taken from a culturally Jewish perspective, Mitch looks at a few current examples, mixed with stories from Wisconsin athletes, and speaks about sports in general as well. Mitch is currently heard as part of The Crossover – on the iHeartRadio App – and hosts his own podcast, called “It’s ALL Thunder!”, also on the iHeartRadio App
Lunch: Vegetarian Minestrone, Artisan Rolls and Butter, Grilled Whitefish with Lemon Caper Picatta,
Toasted Orzo and Roasted Vegetables, or Portabella Mushroom Fettuccine (with Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes, Topped with Roasted Red Pepper). Dessert: Turtle Sundae