First 2024 Judah Touro program to feature Esther

Touro Synagogue Foundation announces the first presentation of its 2024 Judah Touro Program Series. On Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. via Zoom, Salve Regina University professor Dr. Emily Colbert Cairns will present "Esther in Early Modern Iberia and the Sephardic Diaspora: Queen of the Conversas" based on her book. There is no fee to participate, but reservations are required to receive the Zoom login information.

Dr. Colbert Cairns will share the story of Queen Esther in both Inquisitorial Iberia and throughout the Sephardic Diaspora in this period (roughly 1500-1700). She will explore texts written from Christian and Jewish perspectives to see why Esther was such a significant figure across the religious divide. Although Esther is a minor figure for today’s mainstream Jews and Christians, her cameo role at the Jewish feast of Purim hints at the far richer and more prominent place she has held for marginalized Jewish women over many centuries.

Please visit the “Programs & Events" page at https://tourosynagogue.org/touro-synagogue-foundation/programs-and-events/ for a complete talk overview, speaker bio and the reservation link. To access the registration form directly, please use this link: http://tinyurl.com/3sfspn9w.

For more information or assistance with registration, please contact Meryle Cawley at meryle@tourosynagogue.org or 401-847-4794, ext. 207.

Submitted by the Touro Synagogue Foundation