Annual Cherrick Lecture in Jewish Studies

March 20, 2007 -- Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert, associate professor of religious studies at Stanford University, will present the 2007 Adam Cherrick Lecture in Jewish Studies, "Making a Home in the Diaspora: Judaism and the Neighborhood" at 7 p.m. March 21 in Anheuser-Busch Hall, Rm. 204 on the Danforth Campus.

A kosher reception will follow the lecture, which is free and open to the public.

Fonrobert's talk will focus on the concept of eruv. With the eruv, the rabbis of the Talmud instituted a fascinating ritual system to enable that which is normally prohibited on the Sabbath: carrying out of the house into the street and vice versa. However, while on the face of it the eruv seems to have been motivated by concerns for practical convenience, it has come to function as a prominent tool for neighborhood politics.

As such, it has led to controversies among Jews and non-Jews in cities around the world. Fonrobert's lecture explores the significance of the eruv for Jewish life in the diaspora, and the stakes at play in these controversies.

For more information, call 935-8567.