Center for Jewish History

How has antisemitism shaped American life, and what makes this moment different? Join historian James Loeffler and&nbsp;The New Yorker&nbsp;staff writer Emma Green for a conversation about antisemitism, free speech, and the challenges facing American democracy. Drawing on Loeffler’s new book, they will explore why Jews and Israel so often stand at the center of debates over free expression — and how we can confront hatred while protecting fundamental freedoms. Together, they will consider what history reveals about the fragility and resilience of liberal democracy, and where we might go from here.
James Loeffler&nbsp;is the Felix Posen Professor in Modern Jewish History at Johns Hopkins University, where he also directs the Jewish Studies Program. His research explores Jewish history, antisemitism, free speech, and human rights. His books include&nbsp;Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight over Free Speech in Modern America&nbsp;and the award-winning&nbsp;Rooted Cosmopolitans: Jews and Human Rights in the Twentieth Century.
Emma Green&nbsp;covers education and academia as a staff writer for&nbsp;The New Yorker. Previously, she reported on religion and politics for&nbsp;The Atlantic, where she also served as managing editor. Her honors include the George W. Hunt, S.J., Prize and the Religion News Association’s Supple Award for feature writing.
This event is cosponsored by the&nbsp;American Jewish Historical Society, the&nbsp;Center for Jewish History, and the&nbsp;Shalom Hartman Institute.
Ticket Info: Pay what you wish, registration required

Local Event: Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free Speech in America, Past and Present

New York County

Chelsea

New York

Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free...

How has antisemitism shaped American life, and what makes this moment different? Join historian James Loeffler and The New...

Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free Speech in America, Past and Present

Eighty years after the Nuremberg verdicts, historian&nbsp;Natalie Livingstone, author of the&nbsp;Sunday Times&nbsp;bestseller&nbsp;The Nuremberg Women, joins award-winning Israeli journalist&nbsp;Nadav Eyal&nbsp;for a conversation about the Nuremberg Trials, justice after the Holocaust, and their legacy today.&nbsp;The conversation will be moderated by&nbsp;Gavriel Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History.
Livingstone will discuss the enduring importance of the trials and highlight the vital contributions of the overlooked women - prosecutors, journalists, witnesses, and activists - who helped shape the principles of modern international justice. Eyal will then turn to the present, exploring how those principles and institutions are interpreted and debated today, including their implications for Israel and Jewish communities around the world.
A book signing and light reception will follow the program.
About the Speakers Natalie Livingstone is a British journalist and historian whose books recover the stories of remarkable women who shaped Jewish, European, and modern history.
Livingstone is the author of The Women of Rothschild, a sweeping history of the women of one of the world’s most prominent Jewish families, and The Mistresses of Cliveden, which tells the story of five extraordinary women connected to one of Britain’s most storied houses and has been optioned for television.
Livingstone began her career as a feature writer at the Daily Express and has contributed to publications including The Times, Tatler, Harper’s Bazaar, US Vogue, Elle, and The Mail on Sunday.
She is the founder and chair of the Cliveden Literary Festival, one of Britain’s leading forums for literary, political, and cultural debate.
Nadav Eyal is one of Israel's most prominent journalists and a winner of the Sokolov Award—Israel's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. He writes for Yediot Ahronot and Ynet, Israel's most widely circulated newspaper and news website, respectively, and is a contributor to the Call Me Back podcast. He is a Senior Research Scholar at the Institute of Global Politics and an Adjunct Professor in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld is the President of the Center for Jewish History and the Robin and Joseph Kanarek Professor of History at Fairfield University. His areas of specialization include the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, memory studies, and counterfactual history.
He is the author of numerous books, including the two-volume study Predicting the Past: Counterfactual History from Antiquity to the Present (De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2026).
Ticket Info: $18, including a copy of The Nuremberg Women; registration required

Local Event: Truth on Trial: 80 Years After Nuremberg A Conversation with Natalie Livingstone & Nadav Eyal

Truth on Trial: 80 Years After Nuremberg A...

Eighty years after the Nuremberg verdicts, historian Natalie Livingstone, author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Nuremberg...

Truth on Trial: 80 Years After Nuremberg A Conversation with Natalie Livingstone & Nadav Eyal

Join Phoenix Chamber Ensemble pianists Vassa Shevel and Inessa Zaretsky for an unforgettable evening of Classical, Romantic, and modern music by Schubert, Beethoven, Bach, and Shostakovich, featuring guest violinist Anna Elashvili and cellist Serafim Smigelskiy.
Program: J.S. Bach Three Two-Part Inventions, transcribed for violin and cello C Major • D minor • F Major Anna Elashvili - violin, Serafim Smigelskiy - cello
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 1, No. 2 Anna Elashvili - violin, Serafim Smigelskiy - cello, Vassa Shevel - piano
Intermission
Dmitri Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67 Anna Elashvili - violin, Serafim Smigelskiy - cello, Inessa Zaretsky - piano
Johannes Brahms Hungarian&nbsp;Dances, arranged for violin, cello and piano, 4 hands by F. Hermann No.1 in G minor • No.2 in D minor • No.3 in F Major • No.4 in F minor • No.5 in F-sharp minor/G minor Vassa Shevel &amp; Inessa Zaretsky - piano

Founded in 2005 by pianists Vassa Shevel and Inessa Zaretsky, the Phoenix Chamber Ensemble has become a vital part of the New York classical community, presenting more than 70 public concerts at the Center for Jewish History. The ensemble has garnered a devoted following with its innovative programming and sensitive interpretations, earned an international reputation presenting concerts in Russia, Poland, Italy, and other European venues, and collaborated with numerous acclaimed guest artists, including clarinetist David Krakauer, the Grammy-nominated Enso Quartet, the Tesla Quartet, members of the Jasper String Quartet, the New York Little Opera Company, the Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Ballet.
Made possible by the Stravinsky Institute Foundation through the generous support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
Ticket Info: In-person:&nbsp;$18 general, $10 seniors, $8 members <a href="https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=8427e3ed-8272-4e58-a78c-4b6747ee9bb8&amp;envId=p-p5deaeQD90Set1rWZim8Tg&amp;zone=usa" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">click here to register</a> YouTube:&nbsp;Pay what you wish;&nbsp;<a href="https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=850015ad-749f-47b6-998c-c4eefa1671b9&amp;envId=p-p5deaeQD90Set1rWZim8Tg&amp;zone=usa" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">click here to register</a>

Local Event: Four Voices, Four Worlds - In-Person Concert & Live on YouTube

Four Voices, Four Worlds - In-Person Concert &...

Join Phoenix Chamber Ensemble pianists Vassa Shevel and Inessa Zaretsky for an unforgettable evening of Classical, Romantic,...

Four Voices, Four Worlds - In-Person Concert & Live on YouTube

To mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and in conjunction with the new exhibition, All We Have Standing Between Us: 250 Years of Jews and American Democracy, the Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society are proud to present a full-day symposium, Jews and American Democracy: 250 Years of Debate.
While Jews have been deeply involved in the American democratic experiment since 1776, they have seldom spoken in a unified voice about how best to achieve its guiding ideals. Across generations, Jews have vigorously debated the opportunities and challenges presented by the principles of freedom, equality, popular sovereignty, and economic opportunity, voicing their views from multiple political perspectives. Whatever their differences, however, Jews have remained united in their pursuit of the promise of American democracy.
Jews and American Democracy brings together a distinguished group of scholars to explore questions surrounding the history and present-day engagement of Jews in American political life. The symposium features four panels: “One Community, Many Voices: American Jewish Political Traditions”; “The Paradox of Belonging: Antisemitism in American Jewish History”; “The World at Large: American Jews and Foreign Policy”; and “After Exceptionalism: The Future of American Jewish History.”
Jews and American Democracy is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Polonsky Foundation with support from the Leon Levy Foundation. The symposium is the latest installment of CJH’s Jewish Public History Forum, which regularly convenes public conversations on historical issues of contemporary relevance.
Breakfast will be served before the first session, with lunch served at 12:30 p.m. Coffee breaks will also be provided throughout the day.
<a href="https://www.cjh.org/jews_and_democracy/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Click here</a> for more information.
Ticket Info: General: $18, $12: Students and Seniors, $9 CJH Members

Local Event: Jews and American Democracy: 250 Years of Debate

Jews and American Democracy: 250 Years of Debate

To mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and in conjunction with the new exhibition, All...

What if history had unfolded differently?
For centuries, historians, philosophers, theologians, politicians, journalists, and novelists have imagined alternative paths the past might have taken. In Predicting the Past: Counterfactual History from Antiquity to the Present, Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld offers the first comprehensive history of this enduring and often misunderstood form of historical inquiry.
Join Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History and author of Predicting the Past, for the celebration of his new book and a conversation with renowned historian Jeffrey S. Gurock, whose own groundbreaking work in counterfactual history includes The Holocaust Averted: An Alternate History of American Jewry, 1938 to 1967. Together, they will explore why we are drawn to historical “what ifs” and what imagining alternative outcomes can reveal about the past we actually inherited.
Spanning more than three millennia, Rosenfeld’s two-volume study examines counterfactual thinking from ancient Mesopotamia to contemporary America, from Herodotus and the Roman Empire to the Crusades, the French Revolution, the American Civil War, and World War II. Along the way, he considers the missed opportunities, close calls, fantasies, and nightmares that have shaped our understanding of history.
By asking what might have happened, Rosenfeld argues, we can gain new insight into what happened and why.
About the Speakers Gavriel D. Rosenfeld is the Robin and Joseph Kanarek Professor of History at Fairfield University and President of the Center for Jewish History. He specializes in the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, memory studies, and counterfactual history. He is the author of numerous books, including What Ifs of Jewish History: From Abraham to Zionism (Cambridge University Press, 2015).
Jeffrey S. Gurock is the Libby M. Klaperman Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University. His scholarship encompasses American Jewish history, Jewish sports history, and counterfactual history. He is the author of The Holocaust Averted: An Alternate History of American Jewry, 1938 to 1967 (Rutgers University Press, 2015).
Please join us for a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. The program will begin at 7:15 p.m. Rosenfeld's two-volume study will be available for purchase at a discounted rate.
Ticket Info: Pay what you wish; registration required.

Local Event: Predicting the Past: Counterfactual History from Antiquity to the Present

Predicting the Past: Counterfactual History...

What if history had unfolded differently?
For centuries, historians, philosophers, theologians, politicians, journalists, and...

Predicting the Past: Counterfactual History from Antiquity to the Present

Ilana Rosenbluth

New York City Metropolitan Area

New York City

West Village

Miranda Levingston

Midtown-Hell's Kitchen

Gramercy-Murray Hill

Hudson County

Caren Lissner

Hoboken

New Jersey

SoHo-Little Italy

East Village

Tribeca-FiDi

Lower East Side-Chinatown

Ainsley Martinez

Upper East Side

Online Auction

Collectors Auction | Fine Jewelry | SIlver | Artwork | Asian Antiques | Historica | Furniture
Collectors Online Auction | Thursday, October 15th, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
Bid via our free app or online at alderferauction.com.
This Collectors Auction brings together jewelry and watches, Native American jewelry, silver, fountain pens, Asian antiques, historical material, period furniture, bronze sculpture, Persian rugs, and an extensive selection of fine art.
<a href="https://bid.alderferauction.com/ui/auctions/164991?category=All&amp;subCategory=Active" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">View and Bid On This Auction</a>
Auction is open for pre-bidding until Thursday, October 15th at 10:00 AM, at which time pre-bidding will cease and the auction will go live at the auction center (no live audience, just our auctioneer and auction staff). 
 
The opening portion of the sale features gold and silver jewelry, Native American and Southwestern jewelry, sterling silver, collectible fountain pens, and watches. Watch offerings include Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, and IWC Schaffhausen, accompanied by antique and modernist silver table and decorative objects, and writing instruments by S.T. Dupont, Montblanc, Pilot, and Waterman. 
 
The sale then moves into Asian decorative arts and antiques. Japanese material includes Satsuma pottery, porcelain, lacquerware, tetsubin kettles, bronze and silver objects, along with 19th-century samurai armor. Japanese art includes woodblock prints by Utagawa Hiroshige II and Kiyoshi Saito. Chinese offerings encompass jade and hardstone objects, snuff bottles, cloisonné, carved and decorative objects, paintings, furniture, screens, bronze, and a Famille Verte porcelain brush pot. 
 
Historical material ranges from early manuscripts and American documents to militaria and archival material. Among the offerings are a President James Monroe autograph on a land grant and an autographed Theodore Roosevelt copy of Big Game Hunting in the Rockies and on the Great Plains. Additional material includes 16th/17th-century Armenian manuscript pages, early American newspapers, Civil War items, a 19th-century Pennsylvania family archive, patent models, and an Imperial Russian Caucasian kindjal dagger. 
 
Furniture and decorative arts include a Baker Milling Road writing desk, Dutch marquetry bombe cabinet, Georgian and French furniture, Campaign and folk-art pieces, Chinese furniture, and other period furnishings. Bronze sculpture includes works by Tim Cotterill along with additional American, European, and Asian sculptural and decorative metalwork.Persian rugs include Tabriz, Farahan Sarouk, Mohtasham Kashan, and Bidjar examples. 
 
The sale concludes with a substantial fine art section spanning Pennsylvania and Bucks County art, landscapes, city scenes, portraiture, abstraction, prints, photography, and works on paper. Artists include Walter Emerson Baum, Robert Spencer, Giovanni and Antonio Martino, Bernard Badura, Benton Spruance, Ranulph Bye, Stow Wengenroth, Humbert Howard, Elizabeth Osborne, Christopher G. Willett, Alan Fetterman, Bert Stern, and Colin Campbell Cooper. 
 
Preview | 501 Fairgrounds Road, Hatfield, PA 
In-House | No Appointment Necessary 
Tuesday, October 13th
| 9AM – 3PM 
Wednesday, October 14th
| 9AM – 3PM 
 
Buyer’s Premium Applies. AlderferAuction.com. Auction Center: 501 Fairgrounds Rd, Hatfield PA 19440. Satellite Sales Offices: 3359 Durham Rd, Doylestown, PA 18902 and Opening October 7th on the Main Line – 303 W. Lancaster Ave. Suite 2C, Wayne, PA 19087. 215-393-3000. See website for Terms &amp; Conditions. <a href="https://www.alderferauction.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">www.AlderferAuction.com</a>. Members of: NAA &amp; PAA: Designations CAI, MPPA &amp; AAA. LIC#AY002260

Local Event: Collectors Auction | Fine Jewelry | SIlver | Asian Antiques | Artwork | Furniture | Historical

Collectors Auction | Fine Jewelry | SIlver |...

Collectors Auction | Fine Jewelry | SIlver | Asian Antiques | Artwork | Furniture | Historical

ZOOM-Solving the Medicare Puzzle

Tonight-Thursday-October 15th-7:30 PM-FREE ZOOM
Class Taught by Expert Medicare Adviser-Robert Remin
After 34 years at WFAN radio, I was ready for retirement and the best possible advice regarding Medicare and all its plans and programs and angles, and found that Robert Remin was the best of all possible people to help me, and eventually my wife, find the right Medicare plans, and its been done, thanks to Robert’s expertise, knowledge and information…simply said, he’s THE MAN”-Steve Somers-“The Schmoozer”
___________________________________________________________
The class will cover the A, B, C’s, and D’s of Medicare — Information you won’t find in the government Medicare Handbook or in any previous presentations you’ve attended.
Who Should Attend:
<ul><li>Those becoming Medicare-eligible soon</li><li>Those already enrolled in Medicare</li></ul>
Adult children helping their parents navigate Medicare decisions
AEP/Annual Enrollment Period- Started Today-Are You Appropriately Set for 2027-Leam Your Options
Medicare Myths We’ll Bust:
<ul><li>Myth: You can only change plans during AEP&nbsp;Myth:The more you pay, the more comprehensive your coverage.</li><li>Myth: Your doctor, Dr. office manager, CPA, financial advisor, or regular insurance person can properly advise you about Medicare.</li></ul>
How to Register: For the class link, E-Mail me at: robertremininsurance@gmail.com or call/text 914-629-1753 (please include your full name).
I am licensed and Medicare-certified in NY, NJ, CT, and FL with all major carriers in these states. Visit my [LinkedIn page] or <a href="https://www.robertremininsurance.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">www.robertremininsurance.com</a> to see my published articles and client testimonials.
Class is Educational only.

Local Event: Solving the Medicare Puzzle/Medicare Myths Exposed

Upper West Side

Solving the Medicare Puzzle/Medicare Myths Exposed

Tonight-Thursday-October 15th-7:30 PM-FREE ZOOM
Class Taught by Expert Medicare Adviser-Robert Remin
After 34 years at WFAN...

Stand Up NY

NYC's premier Comedy Showcase Returns on October 16th at a brand new location!&nbsp;
Happy Time Apocalypse is back with a hilarious lineup of heavy hitters at the legendary Stand&nbsp;Up New York!
Featuring:
Sara Huntington (Comedy&nbsp;Dynamics Special)
Gina Brillon (AGT)
Two Jews (TikTok)
Reg Thomas (Netflix) 
Molly Densmore (HBO)
Alex Gardes
Follow This&nbsp;<a href="https://standupny.com/upcoming-shows/#/events/200118" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Link</a>&nbsp;for Tickets!
Use discount code HTA50 for 50% off tickets!
Showtime:
Friday October 16th, 8:30pm
221 West 46th Street
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Local Event: Happy Time Apocalypse

Happy Time Apocalypse

NYC's premier Comedy Showcase Returns on October 16th at a brand new location! 
Happy Time Apocalypse is back with a hilarious...

St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery

Step into a dystopian world where Big Brother is watching and freedom is just a memory.&nbsp; Join us for a FREE public reading&nbsp;of George Orwell's classic novel, 1984, from 1 pm - 3 pm at St Mark's Church in-the-Bowery. This is a great chance to experience the story in a fresh, concise way—all in one sitting!&nbsp; (Adults and children 14+.&nbsp; Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.)

Local Event: 1984 by George Orwell:  A Public Reading

1984 by George Orwell:  A Public Reading

Step into a dystopian world where Big Brother is watching and freedom is just a memory.  Join us for a FREE public reading of...

Marble Collegiate Church

Explore the rich and interconnected traditions that shaped American sacred music at “Revival: How America Found Its Voice,” a free, concert on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. at Marble Collegiate Church, 1 W. 29th St., in New York City.
From the communal sounds of early shape-note singing and African American spirituals, including the groundbreaking work of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, to the birth and flourishing of gospel, “Revival” traces a musical story of faith, community, resilience and transformation.
Featuring singers and musicians from Marble, alongside The Marble Choir, the Marble Community Gospel Choir and Festival of Voices, the program brings these traditions to life through performance, storytelling and communal song, celebrating the many voices that helped define the sound of American music.
Suggested Donation: $10

Local Event: Revival: How America Found Its Voice Concert at Marble Church

Revival: How America Found Its Voice Concert at...

Explore the rich and interconnected traditions that shaped American sacred music at “Revival: How America Found Its Voice,” a...

Revival: How America Found Its Voice Concert at Marble Church

Zankel Hall

Experience a remarkable musical rediscovery at Carnegie Hall.
On Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 PM, Jason Tramm and the MidAtlantic Philharmonic Orchestra present the world premiere of Teodor Doré’s new orchestration of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Suite in D Minor.
Composed in 1891 while Rachmaninoff was a student at the Moscow Conservatory, the Suite survives through a piano manuscript; its original orchestral score remains missing. Doré’s new orchestration, created with the endorsement of the Rachmaninoff family, offers a rare opportunity to hear this early work brought to life by a full orchestra.
Presented by Renaissance-21, the evening celebrates the movement’s American launch with a program combining classical favorites and contemporary premieres, including Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s beloved Vocalise.
Tramm returns for his third Carnegie Hall performance, joined by guest conductor Olsi Qinami and an international roster of featured artists.
Join us for an evening of musical discovery in Zankel Hall.
Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 7:30 PM Carnegie Hall — Zankel Hall 881 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Reserve your tickets through the Carnegie Hall link below.

Local Event: Rachmaninoff Rediscovered: World Premiere at Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff Rediscovered: World Premiere at...

Experience a remarkable musical rediscovery at Carnegie Hall.
On Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 PM, Jason Tramm and the...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Ilana Rosenbluth, Neighbor

Posting Activity

Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free Speech in America, Past and Present

OCT

21

7:00 PM

Center for Jewish History, 15 W 16th St, New York, NY

Truth on Trial: 80 Years After Nuremberg A Conversation with Natalie Livingstone & Nadav Eyal

NOV

2

7:00 PM

Center for Jewish History, 15 W 16th St, New York, NY

Four Voices, Four Worlds - In-Person Concert & Live on YouTube

NOV

5

7:30 PM

Center for Jewish History, 15 W 16th St, New York, NY

Jews and American Democracy: 250 Years of Debate

NOV

8

10:00 AM

Center for Jewish History, 15 W 16th St, New York, NY

Predicting the Past: Counterfactual History from Antiquity to the Present

NOV

17

6:30 PM

Center for Jewish History, 15 W 16th St, New York, NY

Collectors Auction | Fine Jewelry | SIlver | Asian Antiques | Artwork | Furniture | Historical

Solving the Medicare Puzzle/Medicare Myths Exposed

Happy Time Apocalypse

1984 by George Orwell: A Public Reading

Revival: How America Found Its Voice Concert at Marble Church

Rachmaninoff Rediscovered: World Premiere at Carnegie Hall