Longing To Belong: The Wonderful Promise and Daunting Challenge of National Identity with Jacob Meskin

This unusual course focuses on how Jews—and some non-Jews—responded to one of the biggest new challenges of modernity: the problem of belonging, in particular, of belonging to a nation or country. Originating in the nineteenth century, the phenomenon of nationalism encouraged each more or less distinct group to think of itself as forming a separate nation, with its own beloved language, literature, history, music, cuisine and above all its own country.

How were Jews to fit into these newly understood national homelands and cultures?

Instead of reading classic academic materials to get at these kinds of concerns, in this unusual course, we will be reading selections from three immensely famous novels — written by non-Jews — and viewing video clips from classic Broadway musicals created by secular American Jews.

The course will meet weekly on Tuesdays beginning on October 27, 2020
The fee for Members of Kerem Shalom: $200 Fee for Non-Members: $300
Contact Rosalie Gerut with any questions at .