In this episode, presented in collaboration with The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at UC Berkeley, we explore “Lilith,” a short story by Primo Levi, featured in his 1981 collection Moments of Reprieve. Dr. Francesco Spagnolo, Curator of The Magnes Collection and Professor of Music and Jewish Studies at UC Berkeley, discusses the ways in which “Lilith,” with its combination of memoiristic storytelling, sharply drawn characters, and mythic resonances, speaks not only to the work Levi created throughout his career but to Italian Jewish history and beyond.

In this episode, presented in collaboration with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE), we explore Fiction without Romance; or the Locket-Watch, a novel which was written by Maria Polack in the East End of London and published in 1830.

Dr. Heidi Kaufman, Professor of English at the University of Oregon and Regional Museum Educator at OJMCHE, discusses the ways in which the novel, believed to be the first by an Anglo-Jewish writer, upends some of the misconceptions and stereotypes about 19th century life in the East End.

This illuminated lecture brings together readings from the short play "The Marvelous Puppet Show" by Miguel de Cervantes, published in 1615, with a talk from Dr. Barbara Fuchs, Distinguished Professor of Spanish and English at UCLA and director of Diversifying the Classics. Dr. Fuchs reveals the ways in which Cervantes' uncannily prescient interlude dissects the foibles of belief and belonging and poses uncomfortable questions for the here and now.

This episode was recorded live on April 20, 2024 at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles and is presented in collaboration with Diversifying the Classics at UCLA. The podcast presentation is supported in part by a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.