Annabelle Gurwitch
Oakland University is hosting a lecture by Annabelle Gurwitch, an author, humorist, popular television host and storyteller to help celebrate the launch of the university’s Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement. The event takes place on Monday, April 8, at 7 p.m. in the Oakland Center Founders Ballroom B.
Gurwitch is author of the New York Times bestselling memoir I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50s, and Wherever You Go, There They Are. She is the former host of TBS television's Dinner & A Movie. Her essays have appeared in The New Yorker, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and she makes regular appearances on the PBS NewsHour and NPR.
Gurwitch is a past finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor Writing and gives insightful and inspiring talks on finding humor in life’s many challenges. She uses the redemptive power of storytelling, aging, and Jewish and humanist themed messages in her talks.
“Ms. Gurwitch is a masterful speaker when it comes to weaving Jewish identity and Jewish culture into her stories,” said Professor Michael Pytlik, director of the Judaic Studies program at Oakland University. “More than just a comedy show, this event will leave attendees in a mood of celebration and very upbeat. Her visit is the start of many new opportunities the center will provide our campus and community members.”
The Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement was created through a generous gift by Cis Maisel, a community leader in southeastern Michigan and a staunch advocate for education. The newly created center will focus on the study of Judaism from an academic standpoint as well as provide an important space for research that enhances the understanding of the rich traditions of Judaism from around the world. It is the donor’s hope that the center will create new collaborations and build a new level of understanding about Judaism in southeast Michigan and beyond.
Professor Pytlik added, “The Maisel Center will allow OU to develop ongoing programs and conversation series, host lectures, display important cultural artifacts and collaborate with other local institutions and community groups in new and exciting ways.”
There is no cost to attend the Gurwitch lecture celebration, but RSVP’s are requested. Free self-parking is available on campus in parking lot P-1. For more information, call the University Advancement Events department at 248-370-4916.
Event info:
Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement
Oakland Center Founders Ballroom B
Oakland Center
312 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester, MI 48309
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