With a population of close to half a million, the Jews of Latin America are a microcosm of parallel diasporas. A portion dates back to the colonial period and is defined by a converso identity, another traces its roots to the Pale of Settlement and yet another is linked to the Ottoman Empire. These disparate family trees result in a rich, astonishingly heterogeneous demographic forest. Distinguished scholar and author Ilan Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College, will survey the forest. Refreshments and a book signing will follow the lecture.