Author and lecturer Abby Mendelson will discuss the Jewish experience in Hollywood in a four lectures series (May 13, 20 and 27 and June 3). Forced out of New York, a small group of filmmaking immigrant Jews got as far away from Thomas Edison as they could – all the way to the deserts of Southern California. There, they created the Dream Factory – and succeeded far beyond their wildest expectations, creating both an entire new industry and a true American mythos. While they should have been happy and secure in their new positions, they remained afraid – of America and Europe, of Joseph Kennedy and Joseph McCarthy. Hiding in plain sight, signaling their concerns in coded films, they strove to survive, to assimilate, to retain their nascent empire – with highly mixed results. REGISTER BELOW FOR ALL FOUR PROGRAMS. 

Week I: Something New
Neil Gabler, An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood

Week II: Dodging the Holocaust
Aljean Harmetz, Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of Casablanca

Week III: Fighting the Fifth Column
Steven Ross, Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America

Week IV: Battling the Blacklist
Glenn Frankel, High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic

We hope to present these programs in the library building, but we will also offer them on Zoom for anyone who prefers a virtual format. If the library has not resumed "in person" programming, they will be exclusively on Zoom.

These programs will be conducted via the free video conferencing software Zoom and a Library staff member will be supervising the session. The Librarian coordinating the event will email each registrant a Zoom meeting invitation before the start of the program. Zoom is available as a free desktop (for Windows, MacOS, and Linux Operating systems) and mobile application for Android and Apple iOS devices. Once Zoom is installed, you will be able to join the virtual Library program.