Women’s Initiative for Jewish Studies (WIJS) at Young Israel of New Rochelle is proud to present Dr. Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 10:30 a.m. on Zoom. Morsel-Eisenberg will be the third speaker of the 2024-2025 season in the monthly scholarly programming offered by WIJS at YINR.

Morsel-Eisenberg will speak on the topic “Persecution and the Art of Responsa: Halakha in the Louvre.” In a gallery of the Louvre, near the Mona Lisa, hangs one of the most famous pieces of early Renaissance art: Mantegna’s “Madonna della Vittoria.” Duke Francesco Gonzaga, who commissioned the painting, is depicted prominently. The painting’s real sponsor, however, is not mentioned anywhere, nor is his terrible predicament. In this talk, we will discover the unfortunate Jewish sponsor, his difficult circumstances and how a halachic text can provide a response of sorts to the most impossible of situations.

Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg is assistant professor of Jewish History at New York University’s Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Her research focuses on the intellectual and cultural history of halacha in the early modern period. Morsel-Eisenberg’s articles have appeared in academic journals, including the Journal for the History of Ideas, AJS Review and Critical Inquiry, as well as in more popular outlets such as Tablet Magazine and Lehrhaus. Prior to her appointment at NYU, she was a junior fellow at Harvard’s Society of Fellows. Starting in 2025, she will be teaching at Tel Aviv University.

All WIJS programming is open to women and men. Please visit https://www.yinr.org/wijs.html to view the complete WIJS 2024-25 schedule. For more information, to be added to the WIJS email list or for Zoom information, please call 914-636-2215 or email [email protected]. Individuals on the WIJS mailing list will automatically receive the Zoom information.