Capacity in the hall is limited, so please RSVP by submitting this form.
The SLC’s mission is to provide a unique living laboratory that educates and encourages sustainable practices in daily life, and we believe that understanding the history of this living laboratory is important to achieving our mission.
The seventh presentation in this series is “Rethinking Jewish Pioneers”, presented by Dr. Ellen Eisenberg.
Western historians have long framed the high level of acceptance and inclusion experienced by early Jewish settlers in the region in celebratory terms. Yet over the last several years, this story has begun to shift, as tales of heroic pioneers have been called into question by narratives of settler colonialism, land theft and genocide. In this presentation, Eisenberg will explore the impact of these shifting historical narratives from the point of view of a western Jewish historian, sharing how she rethought, revised and reframed her own work on Oregon Jewish pioneers in response to recent racial reckonings in western history and society.
Dr. Eisenberg is the Dwight and Margaret Lear Professor of American History at Willamette University, where she has taught since 1990. She teaches courses on the U.S. since the Civil War, with an emphasis on immigration, ethnicity and race, particularly in the West. She has recently developed several new courses that partner with local historical institutions as they work to diversify the stories they tell.
Her published work includes five monographs, one edited anthology, and a number of articles, focusing on history of Jews in the American West and their relationships with other ethnic/racial minorities. Jewish Identities in the American West: Relational Perspectives, was published in 2022 in Brandeis University Press’s series on American Jewish History, Culture and Life. Her two volume history of Jews in Oregon, titled Embracing a Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849-1950 and The Jewish Oregon Story, 1950-2015, was published in 2015 and 2016. The First to Cry Down Injustice? Western Jews and Japanese Removal during WWII was a 2008 National Jewish Book Award finalist.
WU webpage https://my.willamette.edu/people/eeisenbe
Jewish Identities in the American West https://brandeisuniversitypress.com/title/jewish-identities-in-the-american-west-relational-perspectives/
The SLC appreciates any help we can get to continue hosting events like this! A $10 donation would be greatly appreciated, but feel free to donate what you are able to. You can donate online or in person at the event.
Capacity in the hall is limited, so please RSVP by submitting this form.