Marc Epstein, professor of religion and director of Jewish Studies at Vassar College, will deliver a talk on "The Art and Artifacts of the Jews," followed by a special gallery tour in the Sherman Museum of Jewish Civilization, to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition at the museum.

This event, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Epstein's talk will take place in Wilde Auditorium. The Sherman Museum of Jewish Civilization is located in Mortensen Library.

The Art of the Jews: 3,000 Years in the Making opened on Nov. 1 and will run through Feb. 1, 2010 in the Singer Family Gallery of the Sherman Museum.

The exhibition features the ongoing biblical archaeology artifacts on loan from the State of Israel from the Bethsaida excavations, the Irving and Fran Waltman Cantorial Collection, and two new collections: 35 items from the Joel and SusAnna Grae Mediterranean and Judaic Collections, and new oil paintings from artist Susan Weinreich.

Weinreich's exhibit will have a limited four-month run in the Sherman Museum, and was specifically created for this show. Weinreich's exhibition, Kiss, The Breath of Life, is a tribute to the Westchester Four Winds Hospital and is based upon the biblical image of the "Dry Bones" from the Book of Ezekiel.

The Grae Collection will be on loan to the Sherman Museum for the next two years, and includes antiquities from Mesopotamia and Egypt, as well as items from the Middle Ages and the Modern period. In addition, the personal collections of local individuals will be highlighted, including a rare family Bible from the 16^th century on loan from Judge Howard Scheinblum.

The Sherman Museum is free and open to the public and available for group and individual visits five days a week, and for special pre-arranged visits with student docents. For hours, please consult the Greenberg Center website at www.hartford.edu/greenberg, or contact the Greenberg Center at 860-768-4964 or mgcjs@hartford.edu.