Sunday, March 8, 2026
9:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Temple Israel
130 Riverside Drive
Dayton, OH 45405

In partnership with Temple Israel, as part of the Ryterband Lecture Series, and the Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History

Richard Kreitner
Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery

The author of several books and many articles in publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and others, Richard Kreitner turns to the story of the engagement of American Jews in the moral and political dramas of the Civil War era. Kreitner tells the story through the lives of six American Jews who shaped the complexities of the time. They include Judah P. Benjamin, a brilliant Louisiana senator who became Jefferson Davis’s confidant, as well as three rabbis spanning the political spectrum. We also learn about August Bondi, who fought with John Brown in the Bleeding Kansas affair, and the Polish émigré Ernestine Rose, an ardent abolitionist who championed “emancipation for all kinds.” As they struggle to make sense of a polarized time, American Jews debated with one another about religion, morality, and politics – conversations that prefigure many of our own today.

Cost: $10
Includes brunch

RSVP by March 1, 2026. Questions? Contact Stacy Emoff at semoff@jfgd.net.