Series of firsts lead Susan Estrich to Ed Landreth
Susan Estrich, the first woman to manage a presidential campaign, will speak at the Gates of Chai Lectureship tonight.
By Joi Harris
Staff Reporter

Susan Estrich, a columnist known nationally for her expertise in criminal law, politics, civil rights and gender inequality, will add another first to her résumé today: the first woman speaker of the Gates of Chai Lectureship.

Estrich, the Robert Kingsley Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of Southern California, will present “Power Politics and Social Justice in Contemporary Judaism” at 8 p.m. today in Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium.

David Nelson, Rosenthal assistant professor of Jewish studies at Brite Divinity School, said the speaker selection committee was interested in having a woman speak at the lecture, now in its fifth year.

Nelson said because Estrich is dynamic, intelligent, successful and powerful, she will appeal to a large portion of the student population, which is nearly 60 percent female.

“She is both scholarly and very politically active,” Nelson said. “We wanted someone who was not only interesting but a good role model for students.”

Estrich became the first woman president of the Harvard Law Review in 1976 and was the youngest woman ever granted tenure at Harvard University. In 1988, she became the first woman to head a presidential campaign, by managing Michael Dukakis’ 1988 bid for the White House after serving as a senior policy advisor to the Mondale/Ferraro ticket in 1984. She also served as director and platform coordinator for Edward Kennedy’s failed presidential bid in 1979.

Nelson said Estrich is qualified to speak on contemporary issues in Judaism because she is savvy and an active Jew. She was appointed by former president, Bill Clinton, to the National Holocaust Council and by the Los Angeles mayor to serve on the city’s Ethics Commission.

“She knows the scene of American Judaism in the 21st century,” he said.

The Gates of Chai Lectureship was established in 1998 by Marcia Kurtz in memory of her husband, Larry Kornbleet, and other family members who died in the Holocaust.

Nelson said the purpose is to help students and the community better understand that Judaism is not only a religion but a whole civilization and way of life.

Tickets for the lecture are $35 for reserved seating. General admission is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Student admission is free. For ticket information, call 257-7626.