In recent years, the Jews of Cuba have become a source of fascination to numerous travelers who have gone to the island. Why is this community at once so exotic and so endearing to outsiders?

As a member of the Jewish Cuban diaspora herself and a longtime scholar of and writer about the community, Ruth Behar will speak about the history and current situation of the Jews of Cuba, and will offer a reflection on the process of writing Lucky Broken Girl, a novel for young readers from the perspective of a Jewish-Cuban immigrant.

Ruth Behar was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in New York City. She is the Victor Haim Perera Collegiate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan and the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. A traveler, storyteller, poet, educator, and public speaker, her books include An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba.

Lecture preceded by a community brunch at 9AM.