Winter 2027 Elliott Katz Lecture Series 

10:00 am -11:30 am in person and on zoom

$30 per lecture or all 7 Fall dates for $180

Lecture 1, Wednesday, January 13 

Not a Nice Jewish Girl: 14-year-old Pearl Adler arrived at Ellis Island alone, uneducated, and penniless. She was determined to realize the American dream. She did, but in a way she never imagined. She would become the most famous Madam in America. This is her story and it's unbelievable ending.

Lecture 2, Friday, January 22

Funny You Don't look Jewish. The Forced Conversion of Jews in the Iberian Peninsula in the 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th centuries created a worldwide Jewish dispersion. Called Conversos, they and their descendants would migrate to New Spain known as Mexico and then the United States. Many are now discovering their Jewish roots. This is their story.

Lecture 3, Monday, February 8

We Lost the War Whom Should We Blame?  In 1862 Judah Benjamin became the Secretary of State of the newly formed Confederate States of America, the second highest position in the Confederacy. Prior to his appointment, he was considered the South's brightest star. His light would soon begin to dim and eventually be extinguished as he would be blamed for the Confederacy's loss during the Civil War. Why him? Perhaps you can guess the answer. 

Lecture 4, Wednesday, February, 17

Messiahs, The Famous and The Not So Famous. Although the Messianic age has not yet arrived, Christianity and Judaism have shared a Messianic tradition that has defined their theology. Today you will learn about commonality. You might very well be surprised. 

Lecture 5, Monday, March 8

Popes, The Good, The Bad and the Somewhere In-between. Historically, the treatment of Jews living in predominantly Catholic countries depended almost entirely on the attitudes of the then reigning supreme pontiff, the pope. Today you will learn it could be malignant, benign, or somewhere in between. 

Lecture 6, Monday, March 15

The NY Times: A Pattern of Editorial Oops and the Apologies That Followed. From the Holodomor and the Holocaust to Fidel Castro's Cuba and Israel's response to the October 7th massacres, The New York Times has repeatedly found itself walking back its own reporting. This presentation examines those specific moments, what was reported, what was missed or distorted, and the corrections and apologies that followed.

Lecture 7, Monday, March 22

The Oslo Syndrome, Self Destruction on Steroids. There is an old proverb: "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Equally as foolhardy and dangerous is to assume that unreasonable hatred and hostility directed towards Israel can be eliminated by accepting its veracity. Thus, the evil of the Oslo Syndrome.

Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center
4720 Pine Ridge Road, Naples, FL, 34119

Lectures are available via Zoom*

*For those who select Zoom, the Zoom link will be emailed to you the day prior to each lecture.
These lectures will be live at the start time and will NOT be recorded.