Moving To Israel: 14 Rhode Islanders

From Cranston Library: For the month of November, the Cranston Public Library will host “Aliyah from Rhode Island: A Photo-Text Exhibit” by Shai Afsai. The exhibit features the interviews and photographs of 14 Rhode Islanders who made “aliyah,” moving to what in Judaism is considered the spiritually elevated land of Israel.

The exhibit will open at the Central Library on Sunday, November 5 at 2 PM with a panel discussion. Both the exhibit and the panel discussion are made possible through a grant to Providence's Congregation Beth Sholom from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.

The exhibit and panel discussion are free and open to the public and will serve as the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association's 2017 meeting. The two-hour event will welcome five local experts, scholars, and researchers to speak on the subject of aliyah from Rhode Island and will be moderated by Providence College’s Dr. Adam Myers, a professor of American political science who was born in Israel and immigrated to the U.S. at age seven.

Members of the panel will include:

• Shai Afsai Writer, researcher, photographer, and teacher
• Miriam Abrams-Stark Rhode Island Jewish education professional, with a background in sociology, social work, and Judaic studies; Mother of an "olah" from Rhode Island
• Rabbi Barry Dolinger Rabbi of Providence’s Congregation Beth Sholom
• Dr. George Goodwin New England historian; Editor of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes, the annual journal of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association

Rhode Island’s Jewish population is fewer than 20,000. Over several decades, and for a variety of reasons, scores of Rhode Island Jews of different backgrounds have made aliyah — which translates literally to “ascent.” For much of Jewish history, vast numbers of Jews did not have even one country wherein they could feel secure and know that they belonged. The fourteen American Jews presented in this exhibit, whom Shai Afsai interviewed and photographed between December 2015 and October 2017, have been fortunate to have not only one such place, but two.

The Central Library is located at 140 Sockanosset Cross Rd, Cranston, RI 02920. To learn more about Cranston Public Library, visit cranstonlibrary.org.

Image Via Pixabay