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Annual Events

Paul and Dorothy Grob Memorial Lecture Series on American Jewish Life

The children of Paul and Dorothy Grob, inspired by their parents’ dedication, endowed the Paul and Dorothy Grob Memorial Lecture Series at the University of Virginia in their memory. Every spring, the Jewish Studies Program invites an eminent scholar to Charlottesville to deliver a community-wide presentation on important issues relating to Jewish-American life. The scholar also participates in other events with faculty and students in the Jewish Studies Program. On March 28, 2024 Jeremy Eichler presented on the subject of music, memory, and the Holocaust, followed by a string quartet concert conducted by Benjamin Rous, in the Dome Room of the Rotunda. 

The Conference Series on Jewish Life in the Diaspora

The Conference Series on Jewish Life in the Diaspora, funded by Samuel A. Waxman, brings world-renowned scholars and speakers to the University of Virginia to explore the richness and diversity of Jewish Life in the Diaspora. The first conference, in Fall 2023, focused on Sephardic lives, with a keynote address by novelist Andre Aciman and scholarly panels focusing on the lives of Sephardic women. The second annual conference included a keynote panel and individual learning sessions with three Jewish authors focused on American Jewish life.

Past Events

The Nir Family Speaker Series for Jewish Studies

The Nir Family Speaker Series began in 2014 with the goal of inviting distinguished speakers from around the world to UVA to speak on Israel and Holocaust issues. Aaron Nir (’87) and his family made this gift to offer the University community ongoing exposure to these important issues and to enrich the environment for Jewish Studies at UVA. In the spring of 2021, the series hosted Israeli diplomat Dr. Tal Becker to discuss his diplomatic work with the Abraham Accords and the prospects for Middle East peace. In Spring 2023, Holocaust scholar Victoria Barnett spoke on religious responses to the beginning of Nazi terror. 

Deborah Gabry Memorial Lecture Series on Contemporary Jewish Issues

The University of Virginia's Jewish Studies Program hosted the Deborah Gabry Memorial Lecture Series on Contemporary Jewish Issues, which brought distinguished scholars to the University of Virginia to deliver lectures on contemporary Jewish issues of import. The first lecture was given in Fall 2012 by Qiao Guoqiang (Shanghai U). Other speakers included Benny Lappe, David Nirenberg, Fu Youde, Raz Segal, and Joanna Michlic, Research Fellow at the University College of London Centre for Collective Violence, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, who spoke on the resurgence of antisemitism in contemporary Europe.