In partnership with Institute for Judaic Studies, Lewis and Clark Professor Oren Kosansky will speak at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education as part of Portland Jewish Book Month's month-long series of book-related events. 

The book chosen for the month is 'In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist' by Ruchama King Feuerman.

Between idealized portraits of Jewish-Muslim civility in Morocco and presumptions about primordial religious antagonisms which shape the sociopolitical scene in the Middle East, there lies a much more nuanced reality. Rather than searching for an elusive master key in understanding interactions between Jews and Muslims, Dr. Kosansky will explore some of the diverse processes which continue to characterize religious co-existence in Morocco.

A selective survey of political discourse, religious rituals, historical memory, and daily interactions in Morocco reveals that there are multiple frameworks that can be invoked by Muslims and Jews as they alternatively emphasize their differences or highlight their commonalties.