RIPON, Wis. – Jewish storyteller Noa Baum will make two presentations on the Ripon College Campus 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. on May 1. at Born and raised in Jerusalem, Baum is an acclaimed performance artist, educator and workshop facilitator who brings stories to life with her animated and energetic style. Her storytelling builds a bridge of understanding and compassion between East and West, American and Israeli, Arab and Jew, past and present.

At 11:15 a.m. in the Great Hall if Harwood Memorial Union, she will explain how one of her most famous performances, "A Land Twice Promised," came to be. It is the story of how she, an Israeli, began a heartfelt dialogue with Palestinian woman while in the United States, weaving together their memories and their mothers' stories. It is a moving testimony of the complex and contradictory history and emotions that surround Jerusalem for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

At 1 p.m., Baum will make a second presentation in Rabbi David Brusin's class, "Judaism and the Jewish People," 101 East Hall (Little Theater). She will give excerpts from her storytelling piece, "The Wicked Tongue and Other Stories of Peace and Justice."

Baum’s performances and residencies include The Mayo Clinic for Humanities in Medicine in Rochester, Minn., the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., and the Jewish Museum in New York City. Her visit to Ripon College is made possible by a statewide initiative program grant from the University of Wisconsin’s Hillel Foundation These grants support student-focused projects that enhance an understanding of Jewish life on college campuses throughout the state.

Both presentations are free and open to the public.

About Ripon College
Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon’s liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. Ripon has been recognized as a “best value” and “Best 361 College” by The Princeton Review, a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s, and among the 160 best schools in the nation by Colleges of Distinction. For more information about Ripon College, visit www.ripon.edu.