Nathaniel Isaacs, shipwrecked on the shores of Zululand as a 19-year old in the early 19th century, helped establish the Zulu kingdom, only to later become a ruthless warlord and slaveholder. Professor Rovner’s meticulous archival research and travels to the site of Isaacs' island stronghold in Guinea, allow the telling of a little known story and deal with the harsh realities and moral ambiguities of colonial power and exposes the entangled forces of Jewish emancipation and antisemitism, slavery and abolition, the stark dichotomies of civilization and “savagery”, and the creation of whiteness versus Blackness.
ALL ADULT MEMBERS of the congregation are welcome! The fee is $20 to attend in person and enjoy the deli buffet dinner.
Please RSVP by Friday, May 15, and pay online using the button below. If you need help with online payment please contact Valentina Sharabi at (858) 900-2512.
We ask that all those attending in person to share the cost and enjoy the meal. If you prefer to “listen only” please join remotely (at no charge) via Zoom.
Adam Rovner is Professor of English and Jewish Literature and serves as Director of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver, where he has taught since 2008. He received his MA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1998) and a PhD from Indiana University-Bloomington (2003). Professor Rovner was selected as a Lady Davis Fellow in the Department of English at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2015-2016). He has published academic work on literature and history in leading journal and scholarly volumes. His general interest articles have appeared in numerous outlets, including History Today (UK), American History, World Literature Today, and Words Without Borders. Rovner is the author of two acclaimed books, In the Shadow of Zion (NYU, 2014), and The Jew Who Would Be King (UC Press, 2025).
PLEASE BRING Art Supplies to Send to Israel Preschools!
For a second year, the Men’s Club is supporting an ongoing project with the Bill & Sid Rubin Preschool to send much-needed art supplies to preschools in Israel. Filled suitcases will be delivered by preschool families traveling to Israel. Gently used suitcase donations are welcome.
Please bring preschool-safe, easy-to-ship art supplies (no liquids or permanent markers) to this Speaker’s Forum, future Men’s Club events, or the preschool office. Suggested items: washable markers, crayons, stickers, safety scissors, colored pencils, glue sticks, colored tape or ribbon, construction paper, modeling clay or Play-Doh, and pipe cleaners.