Menachem Fisch and Debra Band: Qohelet, An Exhibit

In this lunchtime discussion, artist and scholar Debra Band and philosopher Menachem Fisch, Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy of Science at Tel Aviv University, focus on their innovative commentary, Qohelet: Searching for a Life Worth Living. The discussion will be followed by a visit to Band's Qohelet art exhibit on display with thanks to the Duke Initiative in the Arts, the Divinity Library, and the efforts of Professors Ellen Davis and Laura Lieber, who are hosting Professor Fisch and Ms. Band for an intensive week in their advanced doctoral seminar on Ecclesiastes/Qohelet and Esther. Menachem Fisch is Joseph and Ceil Mazer Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy of Science, and Director of the Center for Religious and Interreligious Studies at Tel Aviv University, and Senior Fellow of the Goethe University Frankfurt's Forschungskolleg Humanwisseschaften, Bad Homburg. He is former President of the Israel Society for History and Philosophy of Science, and former Chair of the National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science at the Israel Academy of Science. He has published widely on the history of 19th century British science and mathematics, on confirmation theory and rationality, on the theology of the talmudic literature, and the philosophy of talmudic legal reasoning. His recent work explores the limits of normative self-criticism, the Talmud's dispute of religiosity, the possibilities of articulating a pluralist political philosophy from within the assumptions of halakhic Judaism, the history and philosophy of scientific framework transitions, and the theo-political roots of Israel's reaction against political Zionism. Debra Band's work in Hebrew illuminated manuscripts draws upon her love of both the manuscript arts and biblical studies. She holds a BA Honours in History from Concordia University in Montreal and an MS in Political Science from MIT and turned full attention to Hebrew manuscript arts in 1987. Her work, celebrated for its intellectual and spiritual depth as well as visual beauty, includes illuminated and papercut books and ketubot, other manuscript pieces and papercuts, in exhibits, private collections, community institutions and galleries across the English-speaking world. Among her many publications is. Kabbalat Shabbat: the Grand Unification, and Arise! Arise! Deborah, Ruth and Hannah.