18

FRIDAY

The Jewish-mother stereotype is so universal that even Mongolian women in their yurts probably look to the heavens and lament, “Oy, vey.” Georgetown University’s Ori Z. Soltes explains that both the specific and the universal of family relations are found in the Hebrew Bible. Sure, Ma can be a tough cookie, but she hardly competes with Lot, who offered his virgin daughters to a crowd of would-be rapists. Then there are the sibs: Cain and Abel set the family-feudin’ tone for Abraham’s sons, who were the ancestors of the Jewish and Arab peoples. Joseph had visions and was his father’s favorite, so his brothers sold him into slavery, setting into motion a chain of events that would eventually culminate in his being portrayed by Donny Osmond. Perhaps you’ll appreciate your family a bit more this Thanksgiving after attending “Love and Strife: Family Relations in the Hebrew Bible” at 9:30 a.m. at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW. $121. (202) 357-3030. (Janet Hopf)