WHY STUDY HISTORY? {the following is excerpted from an essay written by Peter N. Stearns}
People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future. History, however, is the study of the past. Given all the demands that press in from living in the present and anticipating what is yet to come, why bother with what has been? The study of History is in fact very useful, actually indispensable, it helps us understand people and societies, it helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be. History contributes to moral understanding. It provides basic factual information about the background of our political institutions and about the values and problems that affect our social well-being. It also contributes to our capacity to use evidence, assess interpretations, and analyze change and continuities. No one can ever quite deal with the present as the historian deals with the past—we lack the perspective for this feat; but we can move in this direction by applying historical habits of mind, and we will function as better citizens in the process. Historical study, in sum, is crucial to the promotion of that elusive creature, the well-informed citizen. We hope that you will join us for our special Sunday history series with Prof. Stephen Berk as we delve into 4 historical case studies that help us understand modern Jewish history and hopefully make us well-informed citizens!

JANUARY 8, 2023
A Tale of Two Popes: Pope Pius XII and John Paul II
Two brilliant men faced different and difficult times. One by the sin of omission dishonored his church. The other changed history and transformed Jewish Catholic relations.

JANUARY 15, 2023
FDR and the Holocaust
He was the greatest president of the twentieth century, a magnificent leader during the Depression and in the war. But when it came to the Jews he failed.

JANUARY 22, 2023
Our People are Your People: American Jews and the Struggle for Civil Rights
Jewish involvement in the Civil Rights movement is perhaps the most glorious moment in American Jewish history. Yet even in the midst of close collaboration there was the beginning of tension that continues up to the present.

JANUARY 29, 2023
Putin, Ukraine and the Jews
Personality counts in history. The former KGB man rolled the dice. We shall see how they come up. His future and the future of Europe hang in the balance.

Stephen M. Berk, who served as CSP’s 10th Annual One Month Scholar in Residence in February 2011, is Professor of History at Union College in Schenectady, New York, former Chair of the Department of History, Director of the Program in Russian and Eastern European Studies and Faculty Advisor to the Jewish Student Organization. He is the author of Year of Crisis, Year of Hope: Russian Jewry and the Pogroms of 1881-1882 (Greenwood Press, 1985). He is currently writing a book titled: ”Our People Are Your People: American Jewry and the Struggle for Civil Rights 1954-1965.” The book provides an interesting discussion of an extremely important chapter in the history of the civil rights movement and attempts to dispel the myths and misunderstandings surrounding the Black-Jewish relationship. A recipient of the Citizens Laureate Award of the University of Albany Foundation, Professor Berk has been a consultant to the Wiesenthal Holocaust Center in Los Angeles, has written articles on Russian and Jewish history, anti-Semitism, and the Middle East and has lectured on throughout the United States and Canada including such distinguished colleges and universities as Princeton, Vanderbilt, The University of Texas at Austin and Williams College.

CSP Partners: Beth Israel (San Diego, CA), Brotherhood Synagogue (Gramercy Park, NYC), Congregation Adath Jeshurun (Elkins Park, PA), Congregation Beth Shalom (Seattle, WA), Congregation B’nai Tzedek (Fountain Valley, CA), Congregation B’nai Israel (Tustin, CA), Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, Shomrei Torah Synagogue (San Fernando Valley, CA), Temple Bat Yahm (Newport Beach, CA), Temple Beth David (Westminster, CA),Temple Beth El of South Orange County (Aliso Viejo, CA), Temple Beth Emet (Anaheim, CA), Temple Beth Ohr (La Mirada, CA), Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA), Temple Beth Shalom (Santa Fe, New Mexico), Temple Beth Sholom (Santa Ana, CA), Temple Emanuel (Newton, MA), Town & Village Synagogue (NYC, NY), Temple Judea of Laguna Woods, CA, University Synagogue (Irvine, CA), Valley Beth Shalom (Encino, CA) & Walnut Street Synagogue (Chelsea, MA).