Event
Donald Weber is Lucia, Ruth, and Elizabeth MacGregor Professor of English at Mount Holyoke College. He is the author of Haunted in the New World: Jewish American Culture from Cahan to The Goldbergs. He writes frequently on Jewish American literature and popular culture for The Forward, Tikkun, and other publications.
“On and Off the Derech [path, or way]” explores an emerging literary genre, what Tablet Magazine calls “ex-frum” narratives: stories of Jewish turning away from strict religious subcultures, as well as stories of re-turn to the ultra-orthodox fold. Drawing on recent novels, memoirs, and film documentaries, the presentation situates this rich zone of contemporary Jewish American expressive culture through personal narrative and cultural analysis.Co- sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program and the Department of Religious Studies.