Thursdays – Famous Jewish Personalities in Politics, Science, Music and Art

2/5 @ 3:15 PM/CH

2/12, 2/19 & 2/26 @ 3:00 PM/ CH

Instructor: Stuart Liss 

2/5 Born into slavery and moved constantly across a chaotic nation, Dred Scotts life drifted on the currents of shifting laws, military posts, and bitterly contested ideas about freedom. Long before his name arrived in the Supreme Court, Scott’s life showed how slavery operated across borders, territories, and jurisdictions. His story is best followed as a chain of relocations, ownership changes, and legal decisions.

2/12 Jean-Francois Champollion born in 1790 in Figeac, France, was the scholar who finally decoded ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. His work at last transformed the mysterious “picture writing” into a readable language. His life was cut tragically short, but his talent, determination, and breakthroughs set in place the foundations of modern Egyptology, giving voice to a lost civilization.

2/19 The immediately recognizable voice behind some of America’s most-loved classics like “The Christmas Song” and “Smile,” Nat King Cole is one of America’s great success stories. But navigating life in a United States torn over racial inequalities, he definitely knew a thing or two about what it really meant to “smile when your heart is aching.”

2/26 Before Sandra Dee and Meg Ryan hit Hollywood as America’s sweetheart, there was Doris Day. Over the course of her glorious career, Doris Day enchanted fans and made millions—but behind the scenes, she endured deep disappointment and tragedy.