The Shtetl: The Real, The Fictitious and the Nostalgic – Part II

Guest speaker: Joseph Gilbert

This companion to our winter 2021 series examines the people who lived and worked in the Shtetls, including the challenging responsibilities of women, the influence of the Hasidim, and the role the feldshers played in treating illness and disease. Join us as we continue to understand why the Shtetl is so important in contemporary Jewish consciousness and how it shapes our understanding of Ashkenazi Jewish history.

March 7 – Women in the Shtetl

March 14 – Hasidism in the Shtetl

March 21 – Medicine and health in the Shtetl

Dr. Joseph Gilbert is a retired physician, researcher, research administrator and hospital executive. As a lifelong fan of classical music, Dr. Gilbert has in recent years concentrated on studying the interface of Judaism and Jewish subjects with opera, music and history. He has lectured on these subjects in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Florida, in addition to his hometown of London, Ontario.   Some of his lecture topics include The Music and Legacy of Felix Mendelssohn; French Opera and Anti-Semitism; The Dybbuk and The Golem, The Portrayal of Jews in Opera. Shostakovich, Stalin and Russian Jews. For the Miles Nadal JCC, Dr. Gilbert has spoken about Jewish Folk Tales that Have Become Operas, Entartete Musik – Degenerate Music and the virtual lecture Salamone Rossi and Jewish Music in the Italian Renaissance. Last winter, Dr. Gilbert gave the very popular 3-part lecture series about The Shtetl, and we are so pleased to welcome him back virtually for this winter’s companion series. For more information visit https://www.josephgilbertmusic.com/about