The meeting will be in person at The Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Avenue at East 92nd Street).

 J. H. (Yossi) Chajes, Wolfson Professor of Jewish Thought in the Department of Jewish History at the University of Haifa will speak on "The Kabbalistic Tree", based upon his recently published book of this title. Professor Chajes is the preeminent authority on the Kabbalistic custom of Ilanot, the genre of graphic tree-like displays on parchment rolls as aides to visualizing kabbalistic understanding that were created and used by rabbis since the fourteenth century for study and contemplation. He will present the history of Jewish kabbalah generally but with a particular emphasis on one of its most striking material manifestations, the Kabbalistic ilan or tree, a graphic form that promoted and facilitated engagement with kabbalah. Chajes’s book is the first study published about this material. After the meeting, Professor Chajes will be happy to autograph copies of his book which will be available for purchase in the Jewish Museum bookstore.