Office of Academic Affairs - Hostos Community College

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The Jewish Diaspora in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Interdisciplinary Conference to be presented on Tuesday, April 17, 2006 with pre-conference activities held on Monday, April 16, 2006 will be hosted by Hostos Community College. The conference will present a selection of speakers, activities, and presentations that guide participants through the history and development of the Jewish Latin American culture.

Spearheaded by Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, this conference aims to foster conversation among speakers and participants who descend from different backgrounds and nationalities. It will bring together academicians, writers, and artists who have produced or promoted bodies of knowledge pertinent to the presence of the Jewish culture in Latin America and the Caribbean. Plenary sessions, panel presentations, and round-table discussions in English and Spanish, will explore history, tradition, ethnicity, and politics. At the same time, conferences and panel discussions will explore the meaning of being Jewish, Latin American and Latin American Jewish through its literature and artistic expressions. Writers, artists, and scholars from the U.S. and Latin America will address such issues as language, exile, religion, and identity within the context of contemporary literary and artistic production. Also, U.S.-based Jewish Latin American writers, artists, and scholars from different countries will take part in readings and conferences, thus underscoring the prominent role Jewish Latin Americans play in U.S. cultural life.

The conference will also feature a virtual exhibit of virtual arts - together with a lecture on the topic- inspired by the experiences of the Jewish diaspora. Also, there will be a concert of Sephardic music, together with a presentation on the topic, as well as two film presentations about Jewish life in Latin America, introduced by a lecture.

1. To discuss and investigate the important role of Jewish diaspora and the contributions of Jewish culture in Latin America and the Caribbean.
2. To celebrate and disseminate the history and culture of the Jewish diaspora throughout the continental United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
3. To provide opportunities for cultural enrichment and intellectual growth for faculty and students throughout The City University of New York.
4. To bring together the Jewish Latin American community with its American counterpart in New York City.
5. To stimulate reflection, expand Jewish and American perspectives and reach a deeper understanding of the Jewish Latin American identity.
6. To increase communication and strengthen cultural relations among Jews from different nationalities and religious affiliations.
7. To increase communication and strengthen cultural relations among Latin American Jews and Latin Americans of other religions, cultures, and ethnicities.
8. To Show the Jewish and non-Jewish population in New York City the wide range of Jewish Latin American culture.

Distinguished Professor Isaac Goldemberg, Director, Latin American Writers Institute
Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

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