The Jewish history of Lawrence, Kansas, will be highlighted this month with a discussion with Dr. David Katzman at the Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation (LJCC) and an exhibition of Judaica at the Watkins Museum of History.
“We are very lucky to have Dr. Katzman presenting his research into Lawrence Jewish history at the same time that the Watkins will be running its exhibition of Judaica,” said Dr. Lara Giordano, LJCC director. “The resonance between these events makes for such a wonderful learning opportunity.”
“Origins of the Lawrence Jewish Community”
The LJCC will host Dr. Katzman for his discussion, “Origins of the Lawrence Jewish Community,” on Wednesday, April 23, at 7 p.m.
Dr. Katzman, a KU professor emeritus, held appointments in American studies, history, African and African-American studies and Jewish studies. Additionally, he is the author or editor of seven books and has held Guggenheim, NEH, Ford and Rockefeller Foundation fellowships, as well as a Fulbright. He is an elected fellow of the Society of American Historians. He heads the Kansas Jewish History Project and, with Andrea Weis, is completing a book about the lives and experiences of Kansas Jews and their communities. He has also been a member of the LJCC since 1969.
Dr. Katzman will talk about the “prehistory” of the LJCC itself and about the Jewish history of the area at large.
Though Lawrence Jews incorporated a congregation and acquired Bene Israel cemetery in 1869, it took nearly 80 years to acquire a building and more than a century to use Bene Israel as a communal burial ground. Dr. Katzman's talk will illuminate these various Lawrence Jewish histories, organizations and individuals and explain why Lawrence Jews did not form a permanent organization until after World War II.
While Dr. Katzman’s talk is free and open to the public, the LJCC requests advance registration at ljcc.shulcloud.com.
“Transplanting Heritage”
Dr. Katzman’s talk at the LJCC coincides with an exhibition of Judaica at the Watkins Museum in downtown Lawrence. The exhibit, “Transplanting Heritage,” features items from The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah’s Michael Klein Collection.
Early Kansas was a land of immigrants, including many Jews from Germany. Committed to establishing lives as Americans, Jewish settlers were equally determined to preserve the heritage carried with them from Europe. Religious observances, and the objects they required, became a way to preserve cultural identity in a new land. The objects that will be on display at the Watkins share this story.
The LJCC will also partner with the Watkins Museum on the evening of April 26 to host a Havdalah candle lighting at the museum. Interested parties are welcome to join at 6 p.m. for a reception and to view the exhibit, with the Havdalah ceremony at 7 p.m.
Community members will also be able to visit the LJCC to see a rotating display of artworks from the Klein Collection. The first Klein Collection display to be featured at the LJCC will be a set of tzedakah boxes in honor of this season in the Jewish calendar between the holidays of Purim and Passover, when the tradition places particular emphasis upon our obligation to attend to matters of justice through our own acts of giving.