Dr. Jerrilynn D. Dodds: Beyond Tolerance

About Dr. Jerrilynn D. Dodds: Beyond Tolerance

Medieval Spain has long been seen through warring lenses: as an idyllic, tolerant society where Christians, Jews and Muslims coexisted in harmony — or as a world of unceasing antagonism based on religious animosity. Recently, however, scholars have limned a more complex picture that reflects the diverse political and social contexts in which Jews lived and interacted with Christians and Muslims over seven centuries.

That complexity is revealed in the art of and about Spanish Jews. This evening we will explore how it is manifested in the decorative carpet pages of Hebrew Bibles, remarkable Haggadot — some with figural paintings, in the grand synagogues of Toledo and Cordoba, as well as in newly discovered and excavated synagogue buildings.

Jerrilynn D. Dodds is a scholar focused on how religious groups form their identities through art and architecture. Former dean and chief academic officer of Sarah Lawrence College, she now teaches art history there and has curated exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Alhambra.