The Chronicles of the Rabbis

In this first of our five-episode series with the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University (NEJS), we explore a satirical text from 1897 titled The Chronicles of the Rabbis: Being an Account of a Banquet Tendered to “Episcopus” by the Rabbis of New York City upon the Anniversary of his 70th Birthday. Written by J.P. Solomon, the editor of a popular Jewish newspaper, under the pseudonym “Ben F. Rayim,” the text spoofs the banquet thrown that year on the occasion of the 70th birthday of New York’s foremost Reform rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, Gustav Gottheil.Intercut with readings from the satire, Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, takes us through the text, translating the tensions it presents of a rabbinate on the cusp of change and its intersections with the popular culture of its time.This episode is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

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The Dybbukast from theatre dybbuk examines and contextualizes poems, plays, and other creative texts from Jewish communities throughout history. Using performed readings and interviews with artists and scholars, The Dybbukast explores these texts and what they reveal about the forces still at play in our contemporary world. The Dybbukast will return for a third season beginning on Friday, November 11, 2022. New episodes are released on the second Friday of each month.