The Age of Pogroms

The period immediately after WWI was a perilous time for religious and racial minorities. The war promised to upend settled hierarchies in politics and society, but extremists on the right fought hard to hold pre-war arrangements in place.

That meant using lethal force against the Other in societies across the globe. The savage pogroms against Jews in this period were a harbinger of Nazi atrocities. In places like Tulsa, white supremacists turned their guns on black veterans of the war and destroyed their homes, commercial establishments, and religious institutions in Greenwood.

As a way of honoring these victims during Black History Month, Congregation B’nai Emunah (the Synagogue) has partnered with Magic City Books to present a virtual conversation in the Synagogue’s Zoom Room between Dr. Jeff Veidlinger, Joseph Brodsky Collegiate Professor of History and Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan and activist/author Hannibal Johnson of Tulsa, on Monday, February 21, at 7:00 p.m. CST. The two will speak with Rabbi Marc Fitzerman on the similarities and differences between the European pogroms and their American counterpart in Oklahoma. The event will begin with a short slide presentation, setting the stage for the discussion to follow.

No reservations are necessary and no advance purchases are required. The Synagogue’s Zoom Room Access Number is 918 583 7121. Please call if you’d like a copy of Dr. Veidlinger’s most recent book, In the Midst of Civilized Europe, or Mr. Johnson’s most recently published work, Black Wall Street 100. Both are available at Magic City Books in store or online.