Judith's Writings

The recent dance book Dignity in Motion - Dance, Human Rights, and Social Justice (edited by Naomi Jackson and Toni Shapiro-Phim, Scarecrow Press, 2008) includes Brin Ingber's essay, "If I Survive," an interview with Yehudit Arnon, who survived Auschwitz, other death camps and a Nazi death march. She later reached Israel and founded the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. Brin Ingber interviewed the internationally renowned Arnon over a period of several years and the essay is based on those interviews.

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Dancing Despite the Scourge: Jewish Dancers During the Holocaust (PDF) Recently published essay from the Proceedings for International Conference on Dance and Human Rights held in Montreal by the Congress on Research in Dance, Nov. 2005.

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For a sneak preview of Judith's new book, read the following interview by Yiddish dancing-master Felix Fibich with Judith Brin Ingber. Book to be published by Wayne State Univ Press. For further info contact Judith Brin Ingber.

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Her essay, "Is Sephardic Dance Too Sexy?" appears in the book Sephardic Identity: Essays on a Vanishing Jewish Culture, edited by George Zucker and published by McFarland, 2005. Judith is guest editor of the special dance issue of the Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Review, vol. 20 #1-2, 2000. Other essays by Judith on Jewish women dancers including Yardena Cohen  can be found on the website for the Jewish Women's Archive.  See "Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia." Publications include her book Victory Dances: The Biography of Fred Berk, a bi-lingual publication of the Israel Dance Library; "Shorashim: The Roots of Israeli Folk Dance" published by "Dance Perspectives"; "Dancing Into Marriage: Jewish Wedding Dances," in Congress on Research in Dance’s Dance Research Journal; "The Priestesses, on Ze'eva Cohen and Sara Levi-Tanai" in Dance Chronicle; “The Gamin Speaks, on Gertrud Kraus" in Dance Magazine; "Dance in Israel" in the Oxford University Press International Dance Encyclopedia "Jewish American Women Dancers" in the Jewish Women in America, An Historical Encyclopedia; and entries in the International Encyclopedia of Modern Dance.

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Judith's columns on Jewish dance appeared in the 2003-2004 national newspaper "The Forward." Some of her columns include: "Unlikely Pair Brings Jewish Dance to Poland," about Jacek Luminski and Zvi Gotheiner from the Aug. 22, 2003 issue; "A Modern-Day Miriam, Dancer and Choreographer Yehudit Arnon Basks in Long Overdue Recognition," from Oct. 17, 2003; "A Legend Dances through the 'Rusty' Years" about Felix Fibich on Dec. 19, 2003 and a special on Ruth Goodman and the Annual Israel Folk Dance Festival in March.

She won high praise from the Congress on Research in Dance for the publication she edited on Jewish dance and Israeli dance, "The Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Review," published in 2000. CORD's "Dance Research Journal" called it "an ambitious project that makes significant headway in addressing the complicated question of What is Jewish dance? The project is especially welcome at this moment in the evolution of both Jewish and dance studies. (The issue) is a substantial, well-edited project effectively demonstrates the richness and complexity of an under-researched field of inquiry and provides a solid foundation on which to build."

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Bibilography

Judith's Book and Major Monographs

1. Ingber, Judith Brin, Editor, Jewish Dance Special, Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Review, Volume 20, 1-2, 2000. (Details, A Table of Contents, and ordering information).
   
   
2. Victory Dances: The Story of Fred Berk, A Modern Day Jewish Dancing Master, Tel Aviv: The Israel Dance Library, 1985.
   
   
3. "Shorashim: The Roots of Israeli Folk Dance", Dance Perspectives 59, Autumn 1974, Pp. 1-60.

Judith's Magazine Articles, A Selected List

1. Ingber, Judith Brin, Editor. "Dancing Into Marriage: Jewish Wedding Dances." Dance Research Journal 17/18 (Fall 1985/ Spring 1986). Includes several articles on different wedding dance subjects; given at a Congress On Research and Dance conference held in Minneapolis, MN.
   
   
2. "Fred Berk: The Metamorphosis of a European Dancer, 1939-1949." Dance Chronicle 7.1, 1984, pp 1-32.
   
   
3. "The Priestesses." Dance Chronicle 18, #3 (Winter 1995): 453,
   pp. 39-58. Biographies of Yardena Cohen and Sara Levi-Tanai.
   
   
4. "Vilified or Glorified? Views of the Jewish Body in 1947," Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Review, Summer 2000.
   
   
5. "Felix Fibich, Dancer and Choreographer," Excerpts from an Oral History for the New York Public Library's Dance Division, pp. 78-86.
   
   

Encyclopedias and Dance Dictionaries

1. Jewish Women, A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. A CD-Rom publication of Shalvi Publishing, Ltd., Jerusalem in conjunction with the Jewish Publication Society, edited by Paula E. Hyman and Dalia Ofer.This is now available on the website of the Jewish Women's Archive.  See "Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia." It includes many articles about dance of different Jewish communities, dance personalities and Jewish dance events. The extensive article about Jewish women dancers in the United States is written by Judith Brin Ingber as well as the bios of Yehudit Arnon and Yardena Cohen.
   
   
2. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, published by Yale University Press and YIVO. The new two volume encyclopedia has just been issued, an inspiring accomplishment with invaluable text and fine illustrations. Dance is covered from pages 387-392, the Theatrical Dance essay and also the essay on dance theater personality Felix Fibich by Judith Brin Ingber.
   
   
3. The new Second Edition of the Encyclopedia Judaica, published by Keter in Jerusalem. Includes many expanded articles and a new focus including Jewish women. The dance section is found between pages 409 and 416 and includes an essay "Contemporary American Dance" by Judith Brin Ingber. Essays on individual dance artists also include her entry on Pearl Lang.
   
   
4. Ingber, Judith Brin. American Biography, New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Articles on George Amberg, p. 400-401; Fred Berk, pp. 645-646; and Lillian Shapero, pp. 713-714.
   
   
5. "Ze’eva Cohen: Dancer, Choreographer, Educator." International Dictionary of Modern Dance, Detroit: St. James Press, 1998. Extensive article on Ze’eva Cohen. The article lists her works and includes biographical information, pp. 135-138.
   
   
6. "Dance." The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. Editors R.J. Zwi Werblowsky and Geoffrey Wigoder. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
   
   
7. "Jewish American Women Dancers." Jewish Women in America, An Historical Encyclopedia.2 vols. New York and London: Routledge, 1997. Article on theater dance in America and its intersection with Jewish culture and Jewish dance artists.
   
   
8. "Jewish Dancers in America." Jewish-American History and Culture, An Encyclopedia. Editors Jack Fischel and Sanford Pisker. New York and London: Garland, 1992. Includes information on Jewish dancers in American ballet, American modern dance, and Yiddish theater.
   
   
9. Ingber, Judith Brin and Giora Manor. "Israel: An Overview." International Encyclopedia of Dance. 6 vols. Edited by Selma Jeanne Cohen. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Ingber also wrote the articles on Fred Berk, Sara Levi-Tanai and Gurit Kadman.
   
   

Video

Judith Brin Ingber and Alice Bloch, Editors. Dancing into Marriage: Jewish Wedding Dances. Minneapolis Jewish Community Center, 1982. Videotape recorded during the CORD conference of the same name at the Jewish Community Center of Minneapolis. Includes excerpts from some of the papers and workshop demonstrations of Yemenite, Hasidic, Eastern European, and Persian Jewish wedding dances.

The video tape Dancing into Marriage: Jewish Wedding Dances can be ordered for $28 plus postage. Send inquiries to judith@jbriningber.com.