From Black Death To Aids: Epidemics And Their Impact On Culture January 20, 2009

Many things can shatter a society, but none more so than an epidemic. On Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 6:00 p.m., Yeshiva University Museum and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University will present From Black Death to AIDS: Epidemics and their Impact on Culture featuring a tour of the exhibition, Erfurt: Jewish Treasures from Medieval Ashkenaz, followed by a panel discussion. The panel will examine the impact of disease in shaping culture and will feature medical practitioners with backgrounds in the history of science and art history for an enlightening discussion blending arts, literature, science and history.

Speakers will include Ruth Oratz, MD FACP, clinical associate professor at NYU School of Medicine; and Liise-anne Pirofski, MD, Mitrani Professor of Biomedical Research and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center.

The Erfurt treasure represents one of the largest collections of personal jewelry from the Gothic period. Discovered in 1998 hidden within the foundations of a mid-12th century house in the Jewish quarter in central Germany, this treasure contained coins, gold, and silver jewelry. Jewish merchants and moneylenders often buried their wealth because of the Black Death and other persecutions. Scholars believe that a Jewish merchant or moneylender buried the treasure just before the vicious massacre of Erfurt's Jews in 1349. Organized by Thüringisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie, Germany, this exhibition is sponsored by the Leon Levy Foundation, with additional funding provided by the David Berg Foundation and Lufthansa.

Admission is free. Reservations are suggested. Please call 212-294-8330, ext. 8816. The exhibit, Erfurt: Jewish Treasures from Medieval Ashkenaz, runs through January 29, 2009.

Official Website: http://www.yumuseum.org