revisiting the university'S legacy
public program discusses jewish scholars
at the new schoool
Panelists Include James Livingston, Judith Friedlander, Richard J. Bernstein, Elisabeth Young-Bruehl
Monday, April 5, 2010, at 6:30 p.m.
NEW YORK, March 17, 2010—The Jewish Cultural Studies program of The New School presents a free panel discussion on the legacy of Jewish Scholars at The New School on Monday, April 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor. This evening explores some of the intellectual traditions that helped make The New School what it is today, examining the role Jewish scholars played in the history of The New School. Panelists will also consider how Jewish scholars conceived of their relationship to Jewish cultural and intellectual traditions.
The distinguished panel moderated by Val Vinokur, director of Jewish Studies, Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts, discusses the legacy of Horace Kallen, Hans Jonas, and Hannah Arendt, as well as the University in Exile, which was created in 1933 by Alvin Johnson, New School president, as a haven for European scholars endangered by Hitler’s and Mussolini’s regimes.
“The predicament of Jewish scholars and their opportunities in 20th-century New York City are a crucial part of the history of The New School,” said Carolyn Vellenga Berman, chair of Humanities and director of Jewish Cultural Studies at The New School for General Studies. “We are thrilled to honor and explore this compelling history with panelists of this caliber.” Jewish Scholars at The New School is co-sponsored by the Department of Humanities and Eugene Lang College’s Jewish Studies Program.
The panelists are leaders in their respective fields. James Livingston, author of Pragmatism, Feminism, and Democracy, describes the intellectual legacy of Horace Kallen, a founding member of The New School faculty who coined the phrase “cultural pluralism.” Professor Livingston is currently a Cullman Center Fellow at the New York Public Library and is writing a book on Horace Kallen titled The Perils of Pluralism. Judith Friedlander, former dean of the Graduate Faculty and author of Vilna on the Seine: Jewish Intellectuals in France Since 1968, discusses Alvin Johnson’s creation of the University in Exile in 1933. A professor of anthropology at Hunter College, she is now writing a history of The New School for Social Research. Richard J. Bernstein, Vera List Professor of Philosophy at The New School for Social Research and author of Hannah Arendt and the Jewish Question, discusses Hans Jonas, a founder of bioethics who repudiated his mentor Heidegger, fought against Hitler, took part in Israel’s war of independence, and taught at The New School from the 1950s until the 1970s. Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, an internationally-known graduate of The New School and author of Hannah Arendt: For Love of the World, discusses Arendt’s encounters with the Jewish scholars already at The New School.
The New School for General Studies launched the Jewish Cultural Studies program this past fall as part of its Adult Bachelor's and Continuing Education programs. This curriculum explores Jewish cultural life with a particular focus on secularism in Jewish communities and the contributions of Jewish thinkers to secular intellectual traditions. Supported by a grant from the Posen Foundation, this program explores the legacies of Jewish thinkers who questioned, engaged with, or adopted a secular stance. To learn more about Jewish Cultural Studies at The New School visit: www.newschool.edu/jewishculture.
Admission is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required by emailing publicprograms@newschool.edu.
The New School for General Studies, the founding division of The New School, has been a leader in adult education since the early twentieth century. Independent-minded scholars, including historian Charles Beard and philosopher John Dewey, founded The New School in 1919 as a place where social criticism and modern arts could flourish. From its roots in the social sciences, the school has grown to encompass hundreds of courses in a variety of disciplines, as well as lecture series, seminars and public programs. Today, the school continues to honor its mission to serve the intellectual, cultural, artistic, and professional needs and interests of adult students by offering an innovative education to a growing number of undergraduates and adult learners. For more information, please visit www.newschool.edu/generalstudies/
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