Speaker: Paul Socken
Naim Kattan’s memoir, Farewell Babylon (1976), is one of the many stories of the 850,000 Jews forced to
flee Arab lands after the creation of the State of Israel. We will discuss the memoir and gain insight into
the plight of those Jews who lost everything and had to start again. In the process, we will also address the
issue of today’s refugees, such as those in Ukraine, whose suffering we witness on the news every day.
Finally, this talk will demonstrate the significance of the reborn Jewish state for all Jews today.
Professor Paul Socken (Ph.D., University of Toronto) was on the faculty of the University of Waterloo for
37 years and is currently Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He is a former Chairman of the Department of
French Studies and the founder of the Jewish Studies programme at Waterloo. He is the author of several
books, including The Edge of the Precipice: Why Read Literature in the Digital Age? (McGill-Queen’s
University Press, 2013) and has been a contributor to The Canadian Jewish News and other Jewish
newspapers such as Algemeiner and The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles.

Speaker: Gail Bass
The “Joint” is not a hangout, a prison, or something you smoke. It is the crucial Jewish organization better
known as the JDC or Joint Distribution Committee. This century-old global Jewish 911 has been dedicated
to improving lives and strengthening communities in seventy countries. Tonight’s presentation will explore
the evolution of this significant group and its role in the lives of Jews around the world.
Gail Bass, an avid world traveller, was introduced to, and impressed by, the Joint while visiting the Jewish
community of Tbilisi, Georgia. She looks forward to introducing others to the work of this vital Jewish
humanitarian organization.