Virginia Tech celebrates Jewish Awareness Month
The Virginia Tech community will celebrate its third annual Jewish Awareness Month. Throughout the month of March and beyond, Jewish Awareness Month will offer the Virginia Tech community an opportunity to learn more about the Jewish religion and its people. The theme for this year’s Jewish Awareness Month is, "The Power of Our Stories: Judaism Past, Present, and Future." All events are free and open the public, unless otherwise noted.
Some highlights of this year’s Jewish cultural celebration include comedienne Jessica Halem and her “Solar-Powered” comedic performance at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 in the Old Dominion Ballroom, Squires Student Center. Halem, a radical feminist Jewish comic, performs with explicit language and palpable irreverence. Following her performance, Halem will take questions from the audience.
At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31 in Colonial Hall, Squires Student Center, come listen to speaker Michael Uslan, as he discusses “Pow! Zap! Oy! How Jewish immigrants created super-heroes.” Uslan, is the creator of the Batman movies. A dessert reception will be held immediately following his discussion in the Black Cultural Center, Squires Student Center.
At 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 3 in Torgersen room 3100, speaker Eric Silverman will be on campus to discuss the topic, “Clothing, Gender, and Rethinking of American Jewish Identity.” Silverman is a cultural anthropologist who teaches in the American Studies and Human Development department at Wheelock College. Silverman will be discussing how young American Jews have consistently contested and reshaped the norms of Jewish gender and identity through ritual and everyday dress.
Numerous other events are planned throughout the months of March and April, including a variety of religious lectures, inspirational films, exhibits, and activities. A complete calendar of events for Jewish Awareness Month at Virginia Tech can be found at the Multicultural Programs and Services website or by contacting Kristen Swanson at (540) 231-8584. Jewish Awareness Month is sponsored by Multicultural Programs and Services, a department within the Division of Student Affairs.
