New LeFrak Forum Program

The LeFrak Forum and Symposium on Science, Reason, and Modern Democracy in the Department of Political Science present a program on

Modern Jewish Thought: On Franz Rosenzweig and Gershom Scholem Co-Sponsored by the Jewish Studies program at Michigan State University.

These two lectures will explore the work of the important modern Jewish thinkers Franz Rosenzweig and Gershom Scholem, with an eye toward understanding the different ways in which modern Jewish thought has become "historical" thinking.  For Rosenzweig, a certain kind of historical thinking made it possible to grasp the purpose of human existence in the world.  For Scholem, the study of history led to the rediscovery of a forgotten part of the Jewish tradition and its enduring relevance for modern times.

Monday, October 31, 7:00 pm, Kellogg Center, Red Cedar Rooms

Professor Benjamin Pollock, Department of Religious Studies, MSU

“World-Denial or World-Redemption? Franz Rosenzweig’s Struggle with Gnosticism”

Tuesday, November 15, 5:00 pm, MSU Union, Parlor AB

Professor Benjamin Lorch, Jack Miller-Veritas Fund Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, MSU

“Mysticism and Modernity: Gershom Scholem and the History of Judaism”