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Rothschild Memorial Lecture features George J. Sánchez on creating multiracialism in Los Angeles
Sánchez / book cover combo

George J. Sánchez of the University of Southern California will present this year’s Rothschild Memorial Lecture on Monday, Nov. 7. He will speak on “What’s Good for Boyle Heights Is Good for the Jews: Creating Multiracialism in East Los Angeles During the 1950s.”

On Monday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m., the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies (TIJS) will feature George J. Sánchez of the University of Southern California (USC) as the speaker for this year’s Rothschild Memorial Lecture, which is titled “What’s Good for Boyle Heights Is Good for the Jews: Creating Multiracialism in East Los Angeles During the 1950s.” 

This lecture will discuss the creation of a multicultural radicalism in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles during the 1950s. This new relationship between the Jewish and Mexican American communities took place during an exodus of Jews to Southern California’s white suburbs after World War II, while leftists of all races sought refuge in Boyle Heights to escape the growing conservatism of McCarthyism.

“We are very excited to host Professor Sánchez at Emory through the Tam Institute,” says Miriam Udel, the Judith London Evans Director. “His book offers a rich, nuanced portrait of Jewish immigrants’ and their descendants’ role in developing the vibrant, multiethnic neighborhood of Boyle Heights. His work sensitively portrays the tension between Jewish participation in broader social struggles and the desire of many to preserve a distinctive culture and identity.”

Sánchez is professor of American studies and ethnicity and history at USC. His academic work focuses on both historical and contemporary topics of race, gender, ethnicity, labor and immigration. He is past president of the American Studies Association and is a co-editor of the book series “American Crossroads: New Works in Ethnic Studies” from the University of California Press. He currently serves as director of the Center for Diversity and Democracy at USC, which focuses on issues of racial and ethnic diversity in higher education and issues of civic engagement.

This free, in-person lecture will be held in the Oxford Presentation Room of the Oxford Road Building. Registration is required.

About the Jacob M. Rothschild Memorial Lecture

The Rothschild Memorial Lecture was established in 2007 to honor the late Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild (1911-1973), the spiritual leader of Atlanta's Hebrew Benevolent Congregation (“The Temple”) and a voice for social change in the city and throughout the South. Each year a guest scholar memorializes Rothschild with a lecture on a topic relevant to his life and work, such as Jewish ethics, Jewish social movements, modern Judaism or southern Jewish history.


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