Cassen to discuss new antisemitism history book at St. Louis festival
The former Washington University professor will join three other authors at the Nov. 6 event in Creve Coeur.
By John Wilson ·
Flora Cassen will present her new book, “Stained Glass: A Reflective History of Antisemitism,” at the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival this Friday.
The author traces a family history that began when her grandparents fled Nazi-occupied Europe for the Belgian Congo. That specific escape route serves as the entry point for a wider examination of how Jews have lived with prejudice across generations.
Cassen, a historian who previously specialized in Jews in Renaissance Italy, combines historical research with personal reflection in the text. The book explores religious imagery, medieval myths, and Holocaust memory. It examines how societies inherit ideas about Jewish people and how those inherited concepts shape the present.
The University of Toronto Press published the volume. Cassen’s writing has also appeared in The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, Slate, and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
She spent time as an associate professor of Jewish, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Washington University. She now serves as the Lavine Family Director of the Brandeis Center for Jewish Studies. The St. Louis Jewish Light first introduced the book to local readers in June.
The festival’s “Missouri’s Own” panel will feature Cassen alongside three other authors with connections to the state. Samuel Cohen, author of “Banning Books in America,” will participate. Mark Heller, writer of “Scoop Dreams & Rocky Roads,” will also appear. Debbie Kimberg, author of “A Blind Spot on Autism,” rounds out the panel.
The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. It will take place at The J’s Staenberg Family Complex in Creve Coeur. Tickets are available for $19.46.
Source: St. Louis Jewish Light
