January 15, 2026
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Hilit Surowitz-Israel
The Jewish Studies Podcast Project is out! We interview our faculty, visiting scholars, and guest lecturers about their new projects and recent books. Follow us on Spotify for a new episode every third Thursday of the month.
The first episode is dedicated to Dara Goldman, May Her Memory Be a Blessing. Dara was an Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in contemporary Caribbean and Latin American literatures and cultures, gender and sexualities studies and cultural studies. She also served as Director of the Program in Jewish Culture and Society.
Dr. Surowitz-Israel (Rutgers University) explores Curaçao’s pivotal role at the height of its influence by examining the production and circulation of religious material culture, focusing on the significance of “the gift” within Sephardic communities across the Americas. Curaçao strategically used gifts, especially ritual objects, to shape and guide Jewish ritual and practice throughout the Atlantic world during the early modern period. Through this unidirectional flow of religious materials and personnel, the Mikvé Israel congregation of Curaçao not only spread its customs and rituals but also cemented its status as the mother congregation of Jewish communities across colonial America.
Interviewer: Prof. Dana Rabin, Department of History, UIUC
Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JCiIkMtHoJ1e2hi9ewhhi?si=LQTqBNOJQCu7HfBXYHuJag
Technical support is provided by the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Special thanks to Kevin Southworth.
The first episode is dedicated to Dara Goldman, May Her Memory Be a Blessing. Dara was an Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in contemporary Caribbean and Latin American literatures and cultures, gender and sexualities studies and cultural studies. She also served as Director of the Program in Jewish Culture and Society.
Dr. Surowitz-Israel (Rutgers University) explores Curaçao’s pivotal role at the height of its influence by examining the production and circulation of religious material culture, focusing on the significance of “the gift” within Sephardic communities across the Americas. Curaçao strategically used gifts, especially ritual objects, to shape and guide Jewish ritual and practice throughout the Atlantic world during the early modern period. Through this unidirectional flow of religious materials and personnel, the Mikvé Israel congregation of Curaçao not only spread its customs and rituals but also cemented its status as the mother congregation of Jewish communities across colonial America.
Interviewer: Prof. Dana Rabin, Department of History, UIUC
Link to the episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JCiIkMtHoJ1e2hi9ewhhi?si=LQTqBNOJQCu7HfBXYHuJag
Technical support is provided by the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Special thanks to Kevin Southworth.