Jewish Culture 101

David Shneer is a one-man dynamo when it's come to bringing into focus the divergent cultural wings of the Jewish diaspora locally, in the past as a professor and director of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver and currently in a similar role at CU-Boulder. And he's starting off his new gig in Boulder with bang, with the Goldberger Week of Jewish Culture.

The series kicks off tonight with "1000 Years of Yiddish Performance: An Evening of Yiddish Culture" with Berliner Jalda Rebling (pictured), a true Renaissance woman in the field, whose talents as a performer and cantor include the interpretation of a musical repertoire stretching from the Middle Ages to modern times. The program, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will be delivered in true cabaret style at the b-side lounge, 2017 13th Street, Boulder, replete with music and storytelling. Rebling returns tomorrow for a discussion on "Jewish Life in Today's Berlin," also with artist/stage designer Anna Adam, at 2 p.m. in UMC 247 on the CU-Boulder.

A multimedia presentation on Jewish vaudeville humor, a film on funny Jewish women and a culminating lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman round out the series. For a complete schedule, go to www.colorado.edu/jewishstudies/docs/Goldberger_Jan2009.pdf or call 303-492-7143. Admission to all events is free.
Jan. 14-25, 2009