A new University of Colorado Boulder lecture series brings CU Boulder humanities scholars to communities around Colorado to share innovative perspectives on historical figures, events and enduring questions. This month, the lecture series lands in Trinidad in collaboration with local arts and humanities organizations.

The CU Boulder Peak to Peak Lecture Series is a partnership of the Program in Jewish Studies, a non-religious academic program that explores Jewish culture, history and society, and the CU Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement’s Arts and Humanities Initiative.

The Office for Outreach and Engagement supports the free public series by connecting to arts and humanities organizations and communities in Colorado, with a special focus on areas beyond Colorado’s Front Range. During 2016-17, lectures are scheduled in Aspen, Trinidad and Carbondale, and the goal is to offer lectures with other communities as well.

 “Through shared programming with communities, the arts and humanities initiative seeks to join together campus and community expertise and interests,” said Lisa H. Schwartz, the office's community outreach program manager who is leading the initiative. “Our goal is to develop lasting and mutually beneficial relationships among communities across Colorado and CU Boulder faculty, staff and students.”

Professor Nan Goodman’s lecture in Trinidad on Sept. 24 exemplifies this approach to community engagement, Schwartz said. The talk, titled "False Jewish Messiah or Puritan Hero,” is part of an event that will showcase Trinidad’s unique legacy and burgeoning arts scene, and involves several local arts organizations and artists.

The events begin at 4:30 p.m. at Temple Aaron, the oldest synagogue in Colorado, and will celebrate the majestic building’s rich history before it closes its doors after 127 years.

Goodman, director of the Program in Jewish Studies, will lead off the event with a talk about Sabbatai Sevi, an eccentric 17th century Jew who declared himself the Jewish Messiah, inspired the greatest messianic frenzy in Jewish history, and, despite a quick downfall, became an unlikely hero for Puritans in the New World.

The evening also will feature:

• An artist and author soirée, the culminating event of the Trinidad Literary Arts Festival hosted by the Trinidad Area Arts Council.
• A discussion of Temple Aaron’s history by Kirby Stokes, director of the Trinidad History Museum, and Randy Rubin, whose family has served as synagogue caretakers since the 1980s.
• An exhibition by local Trinidad artists introduced by Marilyn Leuszler, chair of the Trinidad Creative District.
• An oral history opportunity for participants to share their stories about Temple Aaron and the Jewish history of Trinidad.

Counter culture and cultural movements are no stranger to Trinidad. From Drop City, America’s first rural hippie artists’ commune, to the present day’s ArtoCade art car parade, and the first “Space to Create” state program for affordable housing for artists, Trinidad is again making history.

These events are sponsored by the Trinidad Area Arts Council, Corazon de Trinidad Creative District, History Colorado Trinidad and the Rubin family in partnership with the CU Boulder Program in Jewish Studies and the CU Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement.

To find out more about bringing the Peak to Peak Lecture Series to your community contact:

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