Temple Emanu-El To Present “Tangled Legacy: Being Jewish In France”
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
On February 10 at 7:00 pm, Arts Emanu-El of Temple Emanu-El, Providence, will host the first of four events dedicated to exploring what it means to be a Jew in France today and in the past. The Providence community is invited to all four events, titled A Tangled Legacy: Being a Jew in France.
The four-event “Tangled Legacy” series begins with a documentary film, “Comme un Juif en France – Being a Jew in France.” This film, crafted from a trove of archival film footage, music, and clips from classic French films, explores the rich and complex history of the Jews in France from the Dreyfus Affair to today. The original three-hour version of this documentary aired in three parts on French television in 2007. The segment to be screened at Temple Emanu-El on February 10th focuses on the end of World War II and the return of incarcerated Jews to the cities and villages of France, then considers the impact in France of birth of the state of Israel, the influx of Sephardi Jews from France’s liberated North African colonies, and continues into the 21st century, investigating the charges of rising anti-Semitism and the country’s shifting attitudes toward Israel.
Throughout the documentary, more than a dozen leading French politicians, intellectuals, and artists contribute personal stories, analyses and insights that enhance the film’s portrait of the French-Jewish cultural and historical experience. The screening at Temple Emanu-El on February 10th will be followed immediately by a panel discussion in response to the film, led by Dr. William F. S. Miles, Professor of Political Science, Northeastern University, and also including Loiza Miles and Henri Flikier.
“Comme un Juif en France – Being a Jew in France” will be followed by three more events open to the community: A book discussion, a French breakfast with guest lecture, and a major musical concert. The book discussion on Sunday March 8 at 10 am will consider Robert Harris’ 2013 book An Officer and a Spy!, an account of the Dreyfus Affair, told from the point of view of the French colonel who was intimately involved with every occurrence of that sordid affair.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThen, at the French breakfast on Sunday May 3, at 10 am Prof. Maud S. Mandel, Dean of the College, Brown University, Associate Professor of History, and former Director of the Program in Judaic Studies, will explain “Muslims & Jews in France Today: History of a Conflict.”
Finally, on Sunday May 17 at 7 pm A Tangled Legacy comes to a close with “The Jewish French Musical Connection,” the story of French Jewry told through music and narration. This concert will include the world-renowned pianist Judith Lynn Stillman, members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and mezzo-soprano Cantor Lynn Torgove. Tickets for these events go on sale three weeks prior to the event date.
To purchase tickets for the February 10, 2015 screening of Comme un Juif en France – Being a Jew in France at 7 pm at Temple Emanu-El Providence: Go to TEProv.org for tickets.
Ticket Price: $10 includes the film and panel discussion.