The Jews of Italy Before the Holocaust at EBJC

**THIS EVENT IS HELD AT THE EAST BRUNSWICK JEWISH CENTER (511 RYDERS LANE) AND REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.EBJC.ORG/ITALY **

East Brunswick Public Library teams up the East Brunswick Jewish Center to continue the annual Holocaust Remembrance Program series with "The Jews of Italy Before the Holocaust” on Sunday, April 16 at 2:00 pm. This multi-media program of lecture and music is held at the East Brunswick Jewish Center (511 Ryders Lane). This event is part of the legacy of the late Dr. Michael Kesler, who began this program series since in 2014. "The intent is to bring to light the legacy of my Jewish ancestors, prior to their annihilation during the Shoah," he said during an interview in 2018.

After his retirement in 2006, Kesler wrote three books of his and his late wife's experiences during World War II. His last book, “The Remnant,” was published in April 2021. This year’s program focuses on the Jewish populations of Italy before the Holocaust. There will be a presentation from Francesca Bregoli, as Associate Professor of History at Queens College and the at The Graduate Center at CUNY. Her research focuses on early modern Italian and Sephardic Jewish history. Bregoli is the author of "Mediterranean Enlightenment: Livornese Jews, Tuscan Culture, and Eighteenth-Century Reform" and co-editor of "Connecting Histories: Jews and Their Others in Early Modern Europe” and "Italian Jewish Networks from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Centuries: Bridging Europe and the Mediterranean".

Her current project, influenced by the history of the family and the history of emotions, looks at the creation and preservation of affective and business ties in trans-regional Jewish merchant families, and at overlaps between family, commerce and Judaism. Following the presentation, a concert will feature classical Jewish Italian compositions performed by an ensemble of local musicians. They will be under the direction of Dave Schlossberg, an accomplished pianist, who was awarded a Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement from the Global Music Awards in 2021. May Kesler, the founder of contemporary dance company Keslerdances, will lead a choreographed dance performance.

"The Jews of Italy" is sponsored through a partnership of the East Brunswick Public Library and the East Brunswick Jewish Center. This program is free and open to the public, with limited seating. Registration is required; to register for free tickets, go online to www.ebjc.org/italy.