Censorship Unbound: A Panel on Book Bans and the Right to Read in K-8 Schools and Libraries (10/25/23)

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 19:42:28 +0000

Censorship Unbound: A Panel on Book Bans and the Right to Read in K-8 Schools and Libraries (10/25/23) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/25/2023 - 13:42

A Panel on Book Bans and the Right to Read in K-8 Schools and Libraries

Oct 25, 2023 | 5:30 - 7:30pm | Boulder Public Library - Canyon Theatre

>> Register Here

Part of the 5th Annual Children's Book Festival, partnered with the �� Boulder's School of Education.

In response to the alarming surge in challenges to literature, the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) is taking a stand. The CHA is co-sponsoring a panel titled "Book Censorship and Honoring the Right to Read in K-8 Schools and Libraries" at the upcoming Children's Book Festival. The event aims to shed light on the critical issue of book bans and the preservation of academic freedom in educational institutions.

We invite teachers, students, families, librarians and all who are concerned about book bans and challenges to join us for the panel on Book Censorship and Honoring the Right to Read in K-8 Schools and Libraries. This panel event will take place on October 25, from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at the Canyon Theater & Gallery - Boulder Public Library (Main Library). Opportunity to purchase the festival authors’ books, signing, and a reception will follow the panel.

Event Hosts

This event is in partnership with the �� Boulder's School of Education, Boulder Book Store, Boulder Public Library, and the �� Boulder Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA).

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Difficult Dialogues: Antisemitism and Being Jewish in the US (9/13/23)

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 17:12:30 +0000

Difficult Dialogues: Antisemitism and Being Jewish in the US (9/13/23) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/13/2023 - 11:12

Antisemitism and Being Jewish in the US

This panel discussion focused on the rise of antisemitism in the last decade—a rise that some might say has never disappeared and has resurfaced with events like the march on Charlottesville, the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue, and recent comments by celebrities. This event was part of the semi-annual Difficult Dialogues event — a series of panel conversations that bring together people from on and off campus to discuss challenging issues from their own perspectives.

It is hard to know how to talk about antisemitism, and this difficult dialogue engaged with multiple topics as well as what it means to be Jewish today, especially in a multi-religious and multi-racial space such as Boulder county. Among the questions our panelists pondered was is: “How does antisemitism manifest in our communities today?", "Are Jews white?", "How is antisemitism different from or similar to to other forms of racism, bias, exclusion, and discrimination?", "Is criticism of Israel antisemitic?"

Event Information

Registration: https://colorado.edu/cha/dd23rsvp
Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Time: Doors Open: 6:30pm | Event Timeframe: 7pm - 8:30pm
Location: in-person at Grace Commons Church, Oerter Hall: 1820 15th Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Flyer Download: www.colorado.edu/cha/sites/default/files/attached-files/fall_dd_print_flyer-antisemitism_and_being_jewish_09.13.2023.pdf
Event is free and open to the public. This event will not be recorded.

Panelists

Alex Bulkacz, MD, Family Medicine Specialist in Boulder County

Dr. Alex Bulkacz, MD, is a family medicine physician who has practiced in Colorado for over 30 years. He has experienced antisemitism in both the professional setting as well as personal, particularly during my time growing up in the American South but also here in Colorado. Dr. Bulkacz attended the Medical College of Pennsylvania and completed his residency in family medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver.

Gregg Drinkwater, PhD, inaugural Program Director for the UC Berkeley Antisemitism Education Initiative (AEI)

Dr. Gregg Drinkwater is the inaugural Program Director for the UC Berkeley Antisemitism Education Initiative (AEI), a project of the Center for Jewish Studies. An award-winning writer, educator, trainer, researcher, and organizational leader, Drinkwater’s work is rooted in fostering inclusive communities. He earned a PhD in U.S. History at the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a specialization in Jewish history and LGBTQ history. As a visiting professor at Boulder and at Rutgers University, Drinkwater has taught courses on American Jewish history; genocide and the Holocaust; queer U.S. history; gender and sexuality in Judaism; and global Jewish history from the ancient world to the present. Starting in 2003, Drinkwater served as the founding executive director of Jewish Mosaic, a national Jewish LGBTQ organization, where he built and managed a team across multiple cities, designed and oversaw the creation of a library of Jewish community resources, and conducted research, trainings, and conferences on issues of inclusion.

Stacey Aviva Flint, Director of Education and Community Engagement with Jewish Federations’ JEDI Initiative (Jewish Equity, Diversity and Inclusion)

Stacey Aviva Flint is a longtime nonprofit professional in the areas of Community Development and Jewish Engagement. She hails from a multicultural family of five generations and is passionate about relationship building to combat racism and antisemitism. Stacey is a national and internationally sought speaker and writer with Universities, Jewish institutions, and various coalitions of Jews of Color.

Jerry Pinsker, Chair of the Boulder Steering Committee of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)

Jerry spent 31 years as a middle school educator, 5 in the NYC public schools and 26 in the Aurora Public Schools. Since retiring, Jerry has been a facilitator for the Anti-Defamation League's World of Difference program working with public school students throughout Colorado on anti-bias and diversity education. In addition, Jerry is a facilitator for ADL’s Words to Action program, working with Jewish students on strategies to recognize and combat antisemitism. Along with his work with ADL, Jerry was the facilities director for the Boulder Jewish Community Center. Jerry has lived in Boulder for over 45 years with his wife of 50 years, Marilyn. Both are founding members of Congregation Bonai Shalom. He has two children, Rachel and Aaron, one son-in-law Ryan and a granddaughter Daliah.

Pedro Silva, CHA Community Advisory Board member and former pastor at Boulder’s First Congregational UCC

Pedro Silva, YOUnify Director of Engagement, grew up with a Jewish mother and is the former pastor at Boulder’s First Congregational UCC. With his background, Pedro brings a unqiue perspective to this panelist discussion. For 3 years, Pedro served as the State Representative for the Boulder Caucus of Together Colorado, an organization of the Faith In Action Network, where he worked on a variety of issues at the local to state levels from affordable housing, gun violence, and voting to living wage legislation and the Family Leave Act. Pedro has hosted numerous in person and online conversations on race in Boulder County, has been an advocate for the homeless community, and has made a mark on the bridging movement through his volunteer work with Living Room Conversations and now as a Director of Engagement with YOUnify.

Rabbi Marc Soloway, Rabbi at Bonai Shalom (Boulder)

Rabbi Marc Soloway has been Bonai Shalom’s Spiritual Leader in Boulder, CO since 2004, the same year that he was ordained at The Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies at The American Jewish University in Los Angeles. His rabbinical training spanned six years in London, Jerusalem, and Los Angeles. Before that, he was an actor and storyteller in his native London, and developed and performed a spirited one-man show of Jewish stories called The Empty Chair, as well as a show for children called The Jewish Princess and Other Stories with the acclaimed Besht Tellers Theatre Company. Marc is a fellow of Rabbis without Borders, an alum of the Institute of Jewish Spirituality, the former chair of Hazon’s rabbinical council and was in the Forward’s 2014 list of America’s most influential rabbis. Marc values dialogue and diversity and strives to integrate creativity, spirituality and sustainability into his life and his work.

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