Starting in 2004 the Institute for Judaic
Studies
launched
the
"Literary Salon" series. The original "Literary Salons" were popular
cultural and social gatherings in the age of the Enlightenment and
Romanticism. A small number of Jewish women ran such salons before the
French Revolution and full emancipation. The Jewish Museum of Berlin
has an interesting discussion of those salons
HERE.
Prof.
Deborah Hertz of UC San Diego has written much on the subject of
Berlin's Jewish society in the 18th and 19th centuries. An article on
the salons by Prof. Hertz is included in the anthology
Jewish
Women in Historical Perspective, by
Prof.
Judith
Baskin, Associate Dean of Humanities and director of the Harold
Schnitzer Family
Program in Judaic Studies at the University of Oregon. Prof. Baskin was
the scholar-in-residence at the Institute's 2010 Weekend in Quest.
The world today is very different from 18th century Europe yet
the concept is still very attractive: a more intimate setting to
listen to and interact with a local author. Members of the Board
volunteer to open their homes to a limited number of guests and host a
local poet, writer or artist.
Our most recent salon was hosted by Muriel Feuer and our guest was Mark
Zusman, editor of Willamette Week.
