Morris Bart, Sr. Lecture Series at the J

Morris Bart, Sr. Lecture Series at the J

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new, monthly lecture series at the Uptown JCC which has been made possible through a generous donation from Morris Bart. The Morris Bart, Sr. Lecture Series at the J will feature local experts in the fields of history, architecture, religion, politics, food, music, theater and so much more. Each one-hour lecture will be preceded by a catered kosher lunch. There will be no charge for this event.  However, an RSVP is appreciated to Rachel Ruth at 504.897.0143 or rachel@nojcc.org.

Second Monday of the Month*
11:45 AM - 1:30 PM<
Uptown JCC

MARCH 11:  John Ettinger, EPA Liaison to the Army Corps of Engineers

“State of Coastal Louisiana”

John will provide an overview of the causes of Louisiana's massive ongoing loss of  coastal wetlands, and the threat this poses to the economy and communities across the State.  John will also discuss the status of efforts to address this land loss, including the use of penalties from the BP oil spill.

APRIL 8:  Leon Miller, Louisiana Research Collection

“Morris Bart, Sr., Tulane University, and the Role of Archives in Modern Society”

Mr. Miller will speak about the purpose of archives in modern society, with a particular emphasis on the role of the Louisiana Research Collection in preserving the heritage of the New Orleans Jewish community.

MAY 13:  Poppy Tooker, Slow Food Movement

“Delicious New Orleans - The Food and People Who Created and Continue to Curate the Famous Cuisine of Our City”

Poppy Tooker will look back to the city's beginnings, examining how the market system grew, inspiring the Creoles with dazzling ingredients that resulted in New Orleans originals, like Oysters Rockefeller, Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee and more.  She will introduce us to Elizabeth Kettenring Dutrey Begue, the woman who invented the brunch over one hundred years before the first breakfast was cooked at the Royal Street Brennan's Restaurant.  You will learn indigenous dishes you may have never heard of, much less eaten, and be ready for a full serving of what the Crescent City has to offer.

JUNE 10:  Dr. Erin Greenwald, Historic New Orleans Collection

“Atlantic Crossings in the Age of Sail”

Historian Erin Greenwald explores what life was like for passengers and crew during the Atlantic crossing from France to Louisiana. This talk focuses on shipboard ritual and reality during the first half of the eighteenth century.

JULY 8:  Daniel Hammer, Historic New Orleans Collection

“History of the New Orleans German Community”

Daniel Hammer will speak about the history of the German community in New Orleans as told by the archival holdings of The Historic New Orleans Collection.  Beginning with some of the earliest accounts of German speaking denizens of the city and their activities, and continuing through the 20th Century, his talk will concentrate on the social and benevolent organizations that defined the German community of New Orleans.

AUGUST 12:  Pamela Metzger, Tulane University Law Professor

On the 50th anniversary the Gideon decision's establishment of the right to counsel, Pamela Metzger will speak about the state of criminal justice in Louisiana.

SEPTEMBER 9:  Tom Beller, Tulane University English Professor

“Fact and Fiction:  Biography, Autobiography, and JD Salinger”

Thomas Beller will discuss his recent work on a biography of JD Salinger and how biography intersects with and changes the way you think about your own personal history. Issues of the interplay between memory and place will be discussed in the context of JD Salinger's work and career. All this will be interwoven with Beller's own recollections of his work as an author as well as a staff writer at such publications as The New Yorker, Travel and Leisure Magazine, and The Cambodia Daily. 

OCTOBER 14:  John Magill, Historic New Orleans Collection

“The Geographic Basis for the Settlement of New Orleans”

John Magill will trace the urban development of New Orleans and its suburbs using maps, bird’s-eye views and other images.  It will highlight the city’s nineteenth-century growth patterns on high grounds along the Mississippi River, its twentieth-century expansion on low-lying ground toward Lake Pontchartrain with establishment of the city’s drainage system, as well as post-World War II suburbanization. 

NOVEMBER 11:  Dr. Michael Cowan, Loyola University and Common Good

“Seeking the Well-Being of the City: Transforming New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina”

Hurricane Katrina brought tragedy and devastation to New Orleans and also an opening for deep, constructive social change which few American cities have ever been granted. As one of the leaders of the ongoing post-Katrina effort to reform public institutions, Dr. Cowan will discuss progress made, remaining challenges, and the likely impacts of reform on the future of the city.

DECEMBER 9:  Nell Nolan, The Advocate

"Social Life in the Crescent City"

For decades, Nell Nolan has chronicled the New Orleans social scene.  She will share insight and stories gathered over the past 34 years.

*February is held on the 3rd Monday due to Mardi Gras schedules.