January 23, 2003
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Renee Levine Melammed, assistant dean of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Israel, will present "Defying the Spanish Inquisition: The Crypto-Jewish Women of Castile" on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. in Room 103 of Wilson Hall at Vanderbilt. The event is free and open to the public with a reception to follow.
In 1478 the Spanish Inquisition set out to stop heresy in the form of Catholic converts’ secret observance of Judaism. Melammed’s study of the Inquisition trials in Castile will examine the central role women played in clandestine observance of Jewish Law, risking the lives of their entire families to practice and pass on their faith.
Melammed will present a second topic, "The Forgotten Holocaust Victims: Sephardic Jewry," on Monday, Feb. 3, at 4 p.m. in Room G-23 at the Divinity School. In addition to the Yiddish-speaking Jews in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jews were also victims of the Holocaust. The Germans invaded Greece, made a pact with Bulgaria and divided up Yugoslavia; as a result, each group suffered a different fate. Melammed will explore the history of this lesser-known aspect of the Nazi’s Final Solution.
Melammed’s book "Heretics or Daughters of Israel: The Crypto-Jewish Women of Castile," won an unprecedented two National Jewish Book Awards in 2000 for Best Research in Sephardic Studies and Best Research in Women’s Studies.
In addition to more than 20 published articles, Melammed recently edited a Hebrew publication titled “Lift Up Your Voice”: Women’s Voices and Feminist Interpretation in Jewish Studies. As head of the M.A. track in Women’s and Gender Studies at the Schechter Institute, she is pioneering a field of graduate studies unique in Israel, combining Jewish Studies with an in-depth analysis of women’s and gender issues.
Melammed earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from Brandeis University’s Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and a B.A. in religion from Smith College. She currently resides in Jerusalem.
Melammed’s program is co-sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program at Vanderbilt and the Divinity School’s Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender and Sexuality.
Wilson Hall is located on the Vanderbilt campus at 21st Avenue South at Terrace Place. Public parking is available in the Terrace Place Garage behind the Baker Building on 21st Avenue South. The Divinity School is located at 411 21st avenue South, across from Ben & Jerry’s. Public parking is available in the Wesley Place Garage located at 21st Avenue South at Wesley Place.
For more information on either event, contact Monika Kosich via e-mail: monika.f.kosich@vanderbilt.edu.
-VU-