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Gallery Chat: Eddy Portnoy

In this talk entitled "Ink is not just for writing Yiddish novels: Jews and Tattoos," best-selling author Eddy Portnoy returns with more stories about Jews behaving badly in early twentieth-century New York. This talk is presented in conjunction with Lew the Jew and His Circle: Origins of American Tattoo.

About the speaker

Eddy Portnoy received his Ph.D. from the Jewish Theological Seminary. His dissertation was on cartoons of the Yiddish press. He also holds an M.A in Yiddish Studies from Columbia, having written on artists/writers Zuni Maud and Yosl Cutler. His articles on Jewish popular culture phenomena have appeared in The Drama Review, Polin, and The International Journal of Comic Art. In addition to speaking on Jewish popular culture throughout Europe and North America, he has consulted on museum exhibits at the Museum of the City of New York, Musée d'art et d'histoire du judaïsme in Paris, and the Joods Historisch Museum in Amsterdam. He is Senior Researcher & Exhibition Curator at YIVO, as well as YIVO’s Academic Advisor for the Max Weinreich Center.  

related exhibition

“Lew the Jew” (1880–1954) was one of the most influential artists tattooing in NYC’s Bowery at the beginning of the twenti­eth century. The exhibition includes previously unpublished and rare original tattoo artwork, photos, and correspondence between Lew and San Francisco tattooers “Brooklyn Joe” Lieber and C. J. ”Pop” Eddy. 

LEARN MORE

Lew the Jew and His Circle: Origins of American Tattoo is organized by The Contemporary Jewish Museum. Sponsorship is generously provided by Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt, Joyce Linker, and Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Leadership Support for digital media at The Contemporary Jewish Museum is generously provided by the Jim Joseph Foundation.