Staff

Ted Merwin

Director of The Milton B. Asbell Center for Jewish Life, Part-time Assistant Professor of Religion and Coordinator of the Hillel Program (2001).
B.A. in American Studies, Amherst College, 1990; M.A. in Theatre, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 1998; Ph.D., 2002.
Email: merwin@dickinson.edu

His teaching interests are in American Jewish history and popular culture, with a particular focus on the Lower East Side and Yiddish culture.

His first book, In Their Own Image, showcases vaudeville, theater and film about New York Jewish families leaving the Lower East Side and entering the mainstream of American society. The book shows how Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson and other entertainers created performances that spoke to a generation of American Jews struggling to reconcile their Jewish and American identities. Their popularity set the stage for today's openly Jewish comedians like Billy Crystal, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld.

For more information, please check out: www.intheirownimage.com

Denise McCauley

Program Assistant
Email:mccauled@dickinson.edu