Mikhail Iampolski to Lecture on Anti-Semitism

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On Thursday, Nov. 6, Mikhail Iampolski will present “The Invention of Franz Kafka: Walter Benjamin and Hannah Arendt’s Response to Anti-Semitism” at 7 p.m. in Griffin Hall, room 6. The lecture is the second in a yearlong series on anti-Semitism sponsored by the Bronfman Advisory Committee-Wiener Lecture Fund, the Gaudino Fund, and the Jewish Studies Program. Iampolski is an associate professor of comparative literature at New York University. He specializes in Russian and Slavic studies, with an emphasis on the theory of visual representation. His most recent publication, “The Memory of Tiresias: Intertextuality and Film,” examines films by D.W. Griffith, Sergei Eisenstein and Luis Bunuel. His other works include “Visible World” (1993), “Daemon and Labyrinth” (1996), and “Amnesia as a Source” (1997). He received his B.A. in 1971 from the Moscow Pedagogical Institute, and then went on to earn his Ph.D. in 1977 from the Russian Academy of Pedagogical Sciences. The next speaker in the series, William G. Dever, will present a lecture, “The Age of Solomon: Biblical Revisionism, Archaeology, and Anti-Semitism” on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in Biology 112. Dever’s talk will play off his years of experience as an archaeologist in Israel and Jordan, where he did fieldwork at Gezer, Beth-shan Valley, and sites on the West Bank. DIRECTIONS: For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Public Affairs (413) 597-4277. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/home/campusmap/
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Pittsfield CPA Committee Funds Half of FY24 Requests

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A few projects are not getting funded by the Community Preservation Committee because of a tight budget.

The projects not making the cut were in the historic preservation and open space and recreation categories and though they were seen as interesting and valuable projects, the urgency was not prevalent enough for this cycle.

"It's a tough year," Chair Danielle Steinmann said.

The panel made its recommendations on Monday after several meetings of presentations from applications. They will advance to the City Council for final approval.  

Two cemetery projects were scored low by the committee and not funded: A $9,500 request from the city for fencing at the West Part Cemetery as outlined in a preservation plan created in 2021 and a $39,500 request from the St. Joseph Cemetery Commission for tombstone restorations.

"I feel personally that they could be pushed back a year," Elizabeth Herland said. "And I think they're both good projects but they don't have the urgency."

It was also decided that George B. Crane Memorial Center's $73,465 application for the creation of a recreational space would not be funded. Herland said the main reason she scored the project low was because it didn't appear to benefit the larger community as much as other projects do.

There was conversation about not funding The Christian Center's $34,100 request for heating system repairs but the committee ended up voting to give it $21,341 when monies were left over.

The total funding request was more than $1.6 million for FY24 and with a budget of $808,547, only about half could be funded. The panel allocated all of the available monies, breaking down into $107,206 for open space and recreation, $276,341 for historic preservation, and $425,000 for community housing.

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