The 2011 Naamani Memorial Lecture, presented this year in cooperation with the University of Louisville History Department’s Gottschalk Lecture Series, is only a few days away and anticipation for the talk is mounting. This year’s lecture will be delivered by Dr. Josh Perelman, Deputy Director for Exhibitions, Programs and Collections at the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) in Philadelphia.
Dr. Perelman’s talk, “Building History: The New National Museum of American Jewish History,” will be presented in the Shumaker Research Building on the U of L campus at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30. The talk will explain what it took to create a new, national organization dedicated to 350 years of Jewish life in America and will provide an inside look at how the NMAJH tells the story of the history and traditions of the Jewish people and their relationship to the broader history of the United States. This program is free and open to the public, and it will be followed by a reception.
The Naamani Memorial Lecture Series is supported by donations to the Naamani Memorial Lecture Fund. The series was established in 1979 to honor the memory of Professor Israel T. Naamani, long a beloved member of the Louisville community. Dr. Naamani first came to Louisville in 1948 to head the city’s Bureau of Jewish Education, and he remained a key figure in the educational efforts of the community all his life. He also taught in the Department of Political Science at the University of Louisville for many years. Ten years of Dr. Naamani’s early life were spent in Palestine, and he was recognized as an expert on Middle East politics and particularly on Israel; and he published widely on these subjects. His interests also included Jewish history in general, Hebrew language, and Islamic culture.
Those desiring more information about the Naamani Lecture or wishing to contribute to the Naamani Memorial Lecture Fund may contact Professor Lee Shai Weissbach in the History Department at the University of Louisville at 852-3755 or weissbach@louisville.edu.
