Jewish “influencers” in the arts and entertainment industry had a profound impact on the cultural identity of America throughout the twentieth century. Maestro Karl Middleman, Founder and former Music Director of the Philadelphia Classical Symphony, will join us for his second presentation at AJ this year on Sunday, January 25. Middleman will be offering his insights, wit, and musical talents to explore “Please Pass the Grits and Gefilte Fish: Jewish Contributions to the Harlem Renaissance.”

The jazz tradition expanded from its African-American origins to include the work of many famous Jewish composers and performers. With its speakeasies and dance halls, Harlem, as one of the northern cultural capitols of jazz, became a nexus of both racial-ethnic antagonism and cooperation, and a prototype for relations between Blacks and Jews in subsequent decades.