Jewish Immigration in Myth and Reality: A Conference to uncover the stories and explore the truths in the Virtual World (via Zoom)
This conference is about uncovering the myths about immigration that Jewish families and communities have created. Migration is a transformational, sometimes traumatic experience that has played a central role in Jewish life from the Biblical Period to the present day. It is the stuff of powerful mythologies that wield an ongoing influence on Jewish thought and imagination. Mythology is important because it tells people about the desires that communities or families have, as well as their underlying fears and anxieties. It tells us how a particular group chooses to represent itself and its actions, obscuring and manipulating the reality of what was actually done, by whom, and why. We welcome papers that examine either myths or facts or both in any time period of Jewish history, so long as it is about migration. Graduate student papers welcome.