W. David Nelson, a noted scholar of rabbinic literature and the Hebrew Bible at Groton School in Massachusetts, will discuss how the Bible has been used out of context in the past to promote anti-Semitism during a Thursday (Sept. 6) public lecture at the University of Mississippi.<\/p>\n
Norton\u2019s lecture, \u201cSay Again!: Race, Religion and Realities of Reading the Bible,\u201d is set for 5:30 p.m. in the Overby Center auditorium. The next day (Sept. 7), the scholar will participate in an informal discussion with faculty and students on how the Bible has been misused to advance racist agendas.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Nelson\u2019s presentation is the first in the lecture series, titled \u2018Intertwining Legacies: Jews and African-Americans in the Deep South,\u2019\u201d said Kirk Johnson, UM associate professor of sociology and African-American studies. \u201cThe goal of the lecture series is to bring together scholars, students and community members to explore anti-Semitism, racism and the shared and divergent histories of these two groups.\u201dOther scholars scheduled include Sander Gilman, an internationally-renowned cultural and literary historian from Emory University, who will address the twin legacies of anti-Semitism and racism in the deep South on Oct. 25; and Jonathan Kaufman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of \u201cBroken Alliance: The Turbulent Times Between Blacks and Jews in America,\u201d who will speak Feb. 6 on the historic relationship between Jews and African-Americans.<\/p>\n