Lecture with Dr. Natan Meir

Dr. Natan Meir will explore the history and meaning of a peculiar ritual that emerged among East European Jews in the 19th century, to stop the spread of an epidemic, the community would marry its most vulnerable and marginalized members—orphans, beggars, and the disabled—to each other in a wedding held in the cemetery. He will examine an array of historical and literary sources that illuminate this hidden corner of Jewish life in his lecture “The Cholera Wedding: A Magical Ritual to End an Epidemic.” Presented by Classrooms Without Borders. 4 p.m. Free. classroomswithoutborders.org/natan-meir