Class Note 1997
Issue
March-April 2021
Congratulations to Karen Stern Gabbay, whose book, Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity won the Association of Jewish Studies Jordan Schnitzer Book Award in the category “Jews and the Arts: Music, Performance, and Visual.”
I asked Karen, a professor at Brooklyn College, about her work and research: “Until pretty recently, most histories of ancient peoples, including Jews, tended to focus on the lives and activities of ancient elites, analogous to today’s 1 percent. My research, to this point, has used unconventional methods to focus on more overlooked and non-elite groups in antiquity, including Jews and their pagan, Christian, and early Muslim neighbors who lived along the Mediterranean coastline. My current book project takes these objectives a step further. By scrutinizing seemingly odd and eclectic archaeological features—including magical amulets and tombstones, scrawled notes and marriage contracts, grave goods and graffiti, and even tiny amulets and human teeth secreted within synagogue doorways—it promises rare insights into the daily lives and cultural histories of non-elite Jews throughout antiquity while paying special attention to questions of class, race and ethnicity, status, life-stage, and gender. Working outward from written inscriptions, objects, and drawings, this approach challenges understandings of what today counts as Jewish history and why that matters, offering new insights into forgotten dimensions of the past.”
Karen journeyed to Spain in January 2020 (pre-Covid) to see objects in Toledo and Mallorca museum collections. “But I am still waiting to resume my travel in North Africa, Greece, Israel, Turkey, and Croatia, among other places, to do additional field study for the book. I really hope this will be possible in the year or so ahead!”
Kristin Brenneman Eno was recently featured on early childhood educator Renee Dinnerstein’s blog in a program called Living by Wonder: The Imaginative Life of Childhood.
Kristin teaches at Beginnings Nursery School, a progressive New York preschool inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, which emphasizes child-driven learning focused on exploration, creative expression, and active learning in a nurturing, relaxed environment. Kristin and early childhood educator Richard Lewis discussed their work and the nature and power of imagination.
“Our role is to validate that idea inside or that imaginary friend or that invention or that poem or that painting,” Kristin said. “We as educators are given the privilege of listening to that. The question we then ask ourselves is how do we respond.”
Kristin has taught art to children for more than two decades and has documented young children’s imaginative play and original stories in more than 20 short films, including Spirit Ship, a mystery shot in Brooklyn. Her work is also featured in several books.
Kristin explained her approach, which involves working with a wide range of materials for children to explore. “Once I’ve seen or heard from the children or heard from teachers what the children are interested in, I offer materials as vehicles to give depth to children’s investigations. My presentation of materials and the words I say vary depending on the group, and thankfully my school works a lot with small groups, so this affords me time to have conversations with children about their work. The children’s words give me more insight for what I want to present next time.”
To check out the blog, visit www.investigatingchoicetime.com and search for “eno.”
Finally, a big congratulations to Alexandra Scheibe, who welcomed Julia Clementine Scheibe to the world in New York on April 9, 2020. Alexandra reported Julia is “healthy and well and a total delight.” Alexandra is a partner at McDermott Will & Emery in New York, where she co-heads the firm’s fintech and blockchain practice group.
—Jason Casell, 10106 Balmforth Lane, Houston, TX 77096; jhcasell@gmail.com
I asked Karen, a professor at Brooklyn College, about her work and research: “Until pretty recently, most histories of ancient peoples, including Jews, tended to focus on the lives and activities of ancient elites, analogous to today’s 1 percent. My research, to this point, has used unconventional methods to focus on more overlooked and non-elite groups in antiquity, including Jews and their pagan, Christian, and early Muslim neighbors who lived along the Mediterranean coastline. My current book project takes these objectives a step further. By scrutinizing seemingly odd and eclectic archaeological features—including magical amulets and tombstones, scrawled notes and marriage contracts, grave goods and graffiti, and even tiny amulets and human teeth secreted within synagogue doorways—it promises rare insights into the daily lives and cultural histories of non-elite Jews throughout antiquity while paying special attention to questions of class, race and ethnicity, status, life-stage, and gender. Working outward from written inscriptions, objects, and drawings, this approach challenges understandings of what today counts as Jewish history and why that matters, offering new insights into forgotten dimensions of the past.”
Karen journeyed to Spain in January 2020 (pre-Covid) to see objects in Toledo and Mallorca museum collections. “But I am still waiting to resume my travel in North Africa, Greece, Israel, Turkey, and Croatia, among other places, to do additional field study for the book. I really hope this will be possible in the year or so ahead!”
Kristin Brenneman Eno was recently featured on early childhood educator Renee Dinnerstein’s blog in a program called Living by Wonder: The Imaginative Life of Childhood.
Kristin teaches at Beginnings Nursery School, a progressive New York preschool inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, which emphasizes child-driven learning focused on exploration, creative expression, and active learning in a nurturing, relaxed environment. Kristin and early childhood educator Richard Lewis discussed their work and the nature and power of imagination.
“Our role is to validate that idea inside or that imaginary friend or that invention or that poem or that painting,” Kristin said. “We as educators are given the privilege of listening to that. The question we then ask ourselves is how do we respond.”
Kristin has taught art to children for more than two decades and has documented young children’s imaginative play and original stories in more than 20 short films, including Spirit Ship, a mystery shot in Brooklyn. Her work is also featured in several books.
Kristin explained her approach, which involves working with a wide range of materials for children to explore. “Once I’ve seen or heard from the children or heard from teachers what the children are interested in, I offer materials as vehicles to give depth to children’s investigations. My presentation of materials and the words I say vary depending on the group, and thankfully my school works a lot with small groups, so this affords me time to have conversations with children about their work. The children’s words give me more insight for what I want to present next time.”
To check out the blog, visit www.investigatingchoicetime.com and search for “eno.”
Finally, a big congratulations to Alexandra Scheibe, who welcomed Julia Clementine Scheibe to the world in New York on April 9, 2020. Alexandra reported Julia is “healthy and well and a total delight.” Alexandra is a partner at McDermott Will & Emery in New York, where she co-heads the firm’s fintech and blockchain practice group.
—Jason Casell, 10106 Balmforth Lane, Houston, TX 77096; jhcasell@gmail.com