"Browsing Through Birke's" Documentary Film and Panel Discussion

Join us for a free screening of Browsing Through Birke’s,  followed by a panel discussion facilitated by UMass Lowell professor Robert Forrant.  Panelists  include Szifra Birke and members of Lowell’s refugee communities (African, Southeast  Asian, Middle Eastern).

This documentary profiles a family whose business was well-known for its eccentricity. The Birkes’ personal history was less well-known: proprietors Nathan and Sally Birke were Holocaust survivors. At a time when rhetoric about immigrants and refugees makes daily news, the film shows that whatever compels people to flee their homeland can have powerful and long-lasting effects, but human resilience is equally or more powerful.

Refreshments from Lowell’s ethnic restaurants