Lichter Series Focuses on

“Jews and War in the Twentieth Century” is the theme for the department of Judaic studies’ prestigious Jacob and Jennie L. Lichter Lecture Series. It will feature world-renowned scholars who will address three primary issues: how the aftermath of World War II continues to influence modern Jewry, how images of Jewish fighters affect Jewish identity, and how to assess the response to World War II by the Jewish movie moguls of the first half of the twentieth century.

At 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2, in 400 B Tangeman University Center, Ronald W. Zweig will discuss “Fantasies of Wealth and the Madness of Genocide: The Story of the Hungarian Gold Train, 1944-2004.” Zweig is Marilyn and Henry Taub Professor of Israel Studies at New York University.

Yaron Peleg, assistant professor of Hebrew at George Washington University, will address the topic, “Imagining Jewish Warriors: The Soldier in Israeli Cinema,” at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at Muntz Theater in Raymond Walters’ Muntz Hall.

The series’ final guest will be Thomas Idinopulos, professor of comparative religion and chair of Jewish studies at Miami Univeristy. “Hollywood’s Failure to Respond to World War II, the Holocaust, and Anti-Semitism” will be the subject of his presentation at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 17, in 417 Tangeman University Center.

In addition to fostering reflection about the 350th anniversary of Jewish life in America, the series relates to courses on film being taught this year in the Judaic studies department. Gila Naveh’s course,"Jews in American Film," is being offered during the fall quarter, and Eran Kaplan will teach “Israeli Film” in the winter.

The lecture series is organized by members of the department of Judaic studies and. sponsored by the Jacob and Jennie L. Lichter Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. Questions should be addressed to Matthew Kraus, visiting associate professor of Jewish studies at 556-2298 or

matthew.kraus@uc.edu.