Event

A panel discussion with

Tony Michels (Wisconsin)Author of A Fire in Their Hearts: Yiddish Socialists in New YorkAnnie PollandSenior Vice President of Education and Programs at the Lower East Side Tenement MuseumJoseph Schwartz (Temple)Vice-Chair of the Democratic Socialists of AmericaRefreshments will be served.As the presidential primary season heats up, Americans are witnessing the unexpected rise of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described "democratic socialist" and recently the first Jewish American to win a major-party nominating contest. What can we learn about the Sanders candidacy by engaging with the rich history of American Jewish socialism since the late 19th century? In this panel, historians Tony Michels (Wisconsin) and Annie Polland (Lower East Side Tenement Museum) explore the social and political world of yiddish socialists at the turn of the century, while political scientist Joseph Schwartz (Temple) connects his work as Vice-Chair of the Democratic Socialists of America with the Jewish radical tradition.Sponsored with the Progressive Jewish Alliance, and the Departments of History and Political Science.