This year’s Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Conversations Series — which starts in October — will be renamed in honor of longtime Baltimore Jewish community activist and philanthropist Sandy Silberman.
A Pikesville resident, Silberman is the mother of Debra S. Weinberg, immediate past chair of the board of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, and the widow of businessman and philanthropist Eugene Silberman.
HBI decided to honor Silberman for her strong support of the series over the years.
The Sandra Seltzer Silberman HBI Conversations Series brings authors and readers together in a virtual setting to share stories exploring the diversity of Jewish women’s experiences across the world, from yesterday and today. The series was founded more than two decades ago.
This year’s series — which is free — kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. with Judy Bolton-Fasman, a former Baltimore resident and author of “Asylum: A Memoir of Family Secrets” (Mandel Vilar Press). Author Howard Axelrod called the book a “tender investigation into [Bolton-Fasman’s] own detective work as a girl builds into a profound investigation of family secrets, memory, and the legacy of being the daughter of a spy.”
On Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m., the series will feature Judy Batalion, author of “The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos” (William Morrow).
Rabbi Haviva Ner-David will speak on Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 12:30 p.m. about her novel, “Hope Valley” (Bedazzled Ink Publishing), the story of a friendship between a Jewish-Israeli woman and a Palestinian-Israeli woman living in the Galilee at the start of the Second Intifada in 2000.
The series will conclude 2021 with biographer Dr. Carole Kessner, co-author of “Marie Syrkin: Values Beyond the Self” (Brandeis) with Peter Osnos, a former Washington Post reporter. Syrkin was a polemical journalist, socialist Zionist, poet, educator, literary critic and feminist. Kessner and Osnos will be featured by the series on Wednesday, Dec. 15, at 12:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, at 7 p.m., Rachel Sharona Lewis, the author of “The Rabbi Who Prayed with Fire” (Ladiesladies Press), a detective mystery novel, will be featured. The book is written in the spirit of the Harry Kemelman’s Rabbi David Small sleuth mysteries.
Dr. Laura Arnold Leibman will be the featured speaker on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. She is the author of “Once We Were Slaves: The Extraordinary Journey of a Multi-Racial Jewish Family.” Published by Oxford University Press, “Once we were Slaves” tells the story of Blanche Moses, descendent of one of the most prominent Jewish families since the American Revolution.
On Wednesday, Mar. 23, at 7 p.m., Judy Heumann will speak about “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist” (Beacon Press). Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said of “Being Heumann,” “This important book will help ensure that every person gets a chance to live up to their full potential and will always have a place at the table.”
And in April at a time and date to be announced, HBI scholar Tamar Biala will discuss “Dirshuni: Israeli Women Writing Midrash” (Yediot).
For information about the series, visit, brandeis.edu/hbi/programs/conversations/index.html.
A committed philanthropist and community leader, Russel was president of R&H Motors.
The mother of four was a native of Winchester, Virginia, who spent most of her life in Northwest Baltimore.
The remaining 6,000 members of the community are expected to immigrate by 2030.
The Columbia resident worked on the Gemini and Apollo space missions.