Previous news items and past events are listed here.
2016 Winter/Spring Author Series: Jewish History and Genealogy
For more information about these author talks, visit AmericanAncestors.org/Education
Lincoln and the Jews
Presented by: Jonathan Sarna
Wednesday, April 6, 6:00-7:30 pm
Cost: Free
One hundred and fifty years after Abraham Lincoln’s death, the full story of his extraordinary relationship with Jews is told here for the first time. Lincoln and the Jews: A History provides readers both with a captivating narrative of his interactions with Jews, and with the opportunity to immerse themselves in rare manuscripts and images, many from the Shapell Lincoln Collection, that show Lincoln in a way he has never been seen before. In this groundbreaking work, the product of meticulous research, historian Jonathan D. Sarna and collector Benjamin Shapell reveal how Lincoln’s remarkable relationship with American Jews impacted both his path to the presidency and his policy decisions as president. The volume uncovers a new and previously unknown feature of Abraham Lincoln’s life, one that broadened him, and, as a result, broadened America. Book signing to follow. Register today!
Saturday Evening Girls: Jewish and Italian Immigrant Artists and Scholars of Early 1900s Boston
Presented by: Dr. Dorothy E. King
Wednesday, May 18, 6:00-7:30 pm
Cost: Free
Created in 1899, the Saturday Evening Girls began as a reading group at the North Bennet Street Industrial School in Boston. It expanded into an educational club of the Boston Public Library and became a progressive movement to educate and socialize young women in the North End. Best known for establishing Paul Revere Pottery, the organization also published a newsletter, sponsored ethnic and cultural events, and trained women for leadership responsibilities in local and broader arenas. Join Dr. Dorothy E. King, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Penn State Harrisburg, to learn more about the organization and the young Jewish and Italian women who participated in the program. Register today!
When God Looked Down and Wept
Presented by: Frederick Thomas Golder
Wednesday, June 8, 6:00-7:30 pm
Cost: Free
This incredible story is one that was almost never told. Out of the millions that were imprisoned and perished in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, Benjamin Sharnofsky survived the Mauthausen sub-camp at Melk and the hellish nightmare that was Gunskirchen. He immigrated to the United States and became a respected public school teacher. One day he was unceremoniously fired for being “too Jewish.” When Boston-based civil rights attorney and author, Frederick Golder, heard about the “reason” for Benjamin’s dismissal he took on the case-pro bono. During subsequent legal meetings, Benjamin slowly and painfully related the details of his ordeal to the author.When God Looked Down and Wept is the result. Join author Frederick Golder to hear his account of one man’s physical and spiritual endurance as well as his battle against discrimination and for the First Amendment right to freedom of religious expression. Book sale and signing to follow. Register today!
Unless otherwise stated, all events will be held at the NEHGS library at 99-101 Newbury Street in Boston.
Questions?
Call 617-226-1226 or email education@nehgs.org
Jewish Heritage Center at New England Historic Genealogical Society 
