This year, the full group sessions (8:15-9:15 pm) explore 
Cosmopolitan Jewish Communities at the Edge of Modernity.

The sessions will cover three of the large Jewish communities that developed in central and western Europe in the centuries after the expulsion of Jews from Spain. These communities were significant for their rich cultural and social diversity, intellectual and religious vibrancy, and their engagement with the non-Jewish world.

The first session, on February 5, explored 
The Jewish Community of Amsterdam
presented by Dr. Dean P. Bell.

This second session, on February 12, explored 
The Jewish Community of Venice 
presented by Dr. Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern. 

The third session, on February 19, will explore
The Jewish Community of Prague 
presented by Dr. Benjamin Frommer.

Dr. Dean P. Bell is Dean, Chief Academic Officer, and Professor of History at Spertus Institute. He has taught at DePaul University, Northwestern University, Hebrew Theological College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of California, Berkeley, and is a widely published author in the areas of Medieval and Early Modern Jewish history.