Thursday, Nov 19, 2026
How U.S. Citizenship Has Worked – and Not Worked – for Jews with Lila Corwin Berman
6 pm ET (and recorded)
$12 plus applicable fees
$54 gives you access to all live and recorded events in the series
Livestream
A presentation by Professor Lila Corwin Berman as our series celebrating 250 years of Jewish life in America continues on Nov. 19.
The history of Jews in the United States is often told as if they immigrated, gained citizenship, and almost immediately achieved full legal rights. Yet this story fundamentally misses how citizenship worked for Jews and countless others who have arrived on American shores. Far from a settled point of arrival, citizenship involves a constant process of asking which groups belong and which do not. In this talk, highlighting some of the most significant historical debates about Jewish belonging, Professor Berman shows how the question of Jews’ status persistently linked them to other groups through the mutable yet consequential legal categories of race, nationality, and religion. The history of American Jewish citizenship provides necessary context for understanding today’s struggles over citizenship, rights, and belonging.
More About Lila Corwin Berman:
Professor Lila Corwin Berman is the Paul & Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History at New York University, where she directs the Goldstein-Goren Center for American Jewish History. She is the author of four books, including most recently Who Is American? Belonging and the Question of Jewish Citizenship. In 2021, she received the Ellis W. Hawley Prize from the Organization of American Historians for The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex: The History of a Multibillion-Dollar Institution. In addition to her scholarly articles, Berman has written guest columns for the Washington Post, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Philadelphia Inquirer, MSNBC, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
So how does this all work?
- By purchasing our 250 Years of Jewish Life in America series, you are gaining access to a year’s worth of events with the nation’s top Jewish historians. You will be able to watch them all live on Zoom, and they will also be recorded for later viewing. Each event will be one hour long.
Can I purchase a ticket to individual events if I don’t want to buy the full package?
- Yes. (But the entire package for just $54 is quite a deal!)
How many events will there be?
- At least eight, spread out throughout the year.
What if I have more questions about how this works?
- You can email events@70facesmedia.org.
