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Literary Scholar to Examine Relationship between Polish Underground and the Jews in World War II

(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)March 9, 2016

MAHWAH, N.J. – Dr. Kerry Wallach, Assistant Professor of German Studies at Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania, will discuss “Jewishness on Display: Gender and Jewish Visibility in Weimar Germany” on Thursday, April 21 at 4 p.m. in the Robert A. Scott Student Center at Ramapo College of New Jersey. The Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies will sponsor this event.

Dr. Wallach will argue that there was a pronounced desire for visibility among Jews in Weimar Germany, and that gender played a central role in decisions about displaying Jewishness. Instead of “passing” as non-Jews or overtly displaying Jewishness at all times, many Jews inhabited a state of ambiguity in public, but adopted signifiers of Jewishness such as badges or hairstyles that became perceptibly Jewish to certain observers. Dr. Wallach will show that articles in the Jewish press, memoirs, films, literature and other cultural texts depict such conspicuous displays of Jewishness or the absence thereof.

Kerry Wallach’s work has been supported by fellowships and grants from the Leo Baeck Institutes in New York, London and Jerusalem; the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C.; and the German Academic Exchange Service. The holder of a Ph. D. in Germanic Literatures from the University of Pennsylvania, her doctoral dissertation was awarded the Women in German Dissertation Prize. She is also a co-editor of the new book series “German Jewish Cultures,” a joint endeavor of Indiana University Press and the Leo Baeck Institute London.

Recent publications include articles on Weimar film, journalism, Jewish beauty queens, fashion, department stores and Jews in popular culture.

For information on the event, contact Professor Michael Riff at mriff@ramapo.edu

 

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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