The annual Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies is sponsored by Fairfield's Bennett Center for Judaic Studies.
On Thursday, Sept. 26, the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies will host Aomar Boum, PhD, to deliver the annual Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies. A distinguished professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Boum's lecture, "Jewish Identity in Contemporary Morocco: Memory, Reconciliation, and Citizenship," will take place at 5 p.m. in the Kelley Center Presentation Room.
Co-sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, Dr. Boum's presentation will explore the evolving relationship between Jewish and Muslim communities in Morocco and the country’s efforts to reconcile its Jewish memory with its modern-day national identity.
Dr. Boum, a professor and the Maurice Amado Chair in Sephardic Studies in the Department of Anthropology, Department of History, and Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA, has dedicated his research to Jewish-Muslim relations spanning from the 19th century to the present. His lecture will address important historical milestones, including the royal endorsement of new national representative bodies for the Jewish community in 2022 by King Mohammed VI. This pivotal decision introduced a National Commission of Moroccan Jews Living Abroad and a Foundation of Moroccan Judaism, as Morocco seeks to reconcile with its Jewish heritage amidst political and social changes.
