Lunch & Learn

Tight up against the Chinese border in northern Vietnam is a mountainous, tribal area from which, almost daily, Hmong girls are tricked, drugged, kidnapped and smuggled deep inside China. There, they’re sold into coercive marriages and domestic, agricultural or sexual slavery. Disoriented, most lack the language, means and skills to escape. Most disappear forever. Long-time OZ member Sue Schein will describe how she worked with partners to design and launch workshops aimed at interrupting this practice, by teaching girls how to identify and resist grooming, negotiate their own safety and, at times, even effect their own escape. About OZ's Lunch and... Read More

Germany is today home to about 120,000 people who identify as Jews: less than one percent of the world's Jews and to less than two-tenths of one percent of Germany's total population. But for obvious historical reasons there is great interest in Jewish life, as well as antisemitism, in contemporary Germany. Alan Steinweis, Professor of History and Raul Hilberg Distinguished Professor of Holocaust Studies at the University of Vermont, will share his insights into that subject based on his extensive experience living in Germany and teaching Jewish history and the history of the Holocaust at several German universities. About OZ's Lunch... Read More

Janie Cohen, past Director of UVM’s Fleming Museum, will provide an illustrated talk about the work of several artists who experienced the Holocaust directly or indirectly. Cohen will also focus on two of the former, Henryk Ross, who clandestinely photographed life in the Lodz ghetto while serving as the Jewish Council’s official photographer, and Hannelore Baron, a New York artist who witnessed Kristallnacht as a child and escaped Germany with her family. Sponsors of this Talk: Thanks to Mary Fillmore and Joanna Rankin for generously sponsoring Janie Cohen's talk. For details on sponsoring a Lunch & Learn talk, see the... Read More

In this talk with music, composer, writer, and pianist Michael Schachter will explore his forthcoming music-theatrical project based on the history of the Terezín Ghetto, a WWII concentration camp outside Prague where the Jewish inmates resisted the Nazis through musical, dramatic, and artistic expression. In particular, he’ll focus on the musical activities of Eric Vogel, a trumpeter who founded a jazz band in Terezín called the Ghetto Swingers, and Rafael Schächter, a pianist and conductor who led the inmates in performances of such monumental works as Verdi’s Requiem. Sponsors of this Talk: Thanks to OZ Members Elisa Freeman and Brett... Read More

The dying process is daunting and brings forth a plethora of emotions that are felt by all. While there are signs that indicate when someone has reached the end stages of the dying process, the most moving indicator is called “abstract speech.” Often overlooked, abstract speech offers an opportunity for a final connection with the departing person. Join Sarah Villanueva, who is both Director of Beth Jacob Synagogue and an End of Life Doula, as she explores this phenomenon. About OZ's Lunch and Learns: Speakers cover a wide range of topics. A delicious lunch will be offered, which is served... Read More