Columbia's Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies presents
Rosenwald
a new documentary by Aviva Kempner
(Partisans of Vilna, The Life & Times of Hank Greenberg)
followed by a special discussion with:
Hasia Diner
on the history & philanthropy of Julius Rosenwald
and
Rachel Grant Meyer
on maintaining alliances between the Jewish community
and civil rights struggles
Wednesday, November 18
8pm
501 Schermerhorn Hall
RSVPs to iijs@columbia.edu are appreciated
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyLWd5F3CPQ
Synopsis: "Rosenwald" is the incredible story of Julius Rosenwald, who never finished high school, but rose to become the President of Sears. Influenced by the writings of the educator Booker T. Washington, this Jewish philanthropist joined forces with African American communities in the Jim Crow South to build over 5,300 schools during the early part of the 20th century. Rosenwald also endowed fellowship grants benefitting artists and intellectuals such as James Baldwin, Katherine Dunham, W.E.B. DuBois, Zora Neale Hurston, and Langston Hughes. Inspired by the Jewish ideals of tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), and a deep concern over racial inequality in America, Julius Rosenwald used his wealth to become one of America’s most effective philanthropists, giving away $62 million in his lifetime. (96 min)
Film provided by The National Center for Jewish Film,
