Lectures
Osher at Dartmouth frequently offers special lectures; these are single-session presentations on a variety of topics, delivered by guest lecturers.
Growing up Jewish in Communist Budapest
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Judit Price
1 Court St., Lebanon, NH
Cost:
Osher Members: $10
Non-Members: $15
In this gripping lecture, Judit Price will present a short historical background of the persecution and survival of the Hungarian Jewish population originating from the 11th century, and their consequent progression into the 21st century, including an overview of education, culture, and commerce. Judit will then focus on her life surviving under a Communist authoritarian regime, its many challenges, creating a stable life under threat, and how her family created an atmosphere of optimism enabling them to thrive within the limits of Communist rule.
Before retirement, Judit Price was a career transition consultant/coach and motivational speaker in private practice
for over 35 years. She holds a double Masters Degree in Counseling and Coaching.
She coached and counseled mid-level professionals to senior-level executives in career direction/career transition, and developing an online presence on social media. She was an in-demand speaker for various women’s organizations in the greater Boston area, and led workshops and training seminars for other trainers in employment and world-of-work related topics. She frequently appeared on various local TV and radio stations in MA and NH as a career expert.
She is married with three children and four granddaughters and retired to Naples, Florida, spending her time as a volunteer to various nonprofit organizations including the Naples Jewish Federation, Naples Holocaust Museum, Hadassah, and others. Judit is also a Holocaust survivor and can thank her life to Raul Wallenberg, a Swedish Diplomat who saved thousands of Jews from the gas chambers.
Gertrude Stein: Paris, Modernism, and a Family Connection
Saturdays, August 29 and September 5, 2026
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Speaker Nicholas Stein
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Auditorium E
Cost:
Osher Members: $65
Non-Members: $80
Step into the legendary Paris salon of Gertrude Stein, where modern art was born and literary revolutionaries gathered. Nicholas Stein — documentary producer, author, and grandson of Gertrude Stein's favorite first cousins — brings his two-part presentation to Osher at Dartmouth after sold-out California engagements. Through family insights and cultural history, Nick will illuminate the woman who became one of the 20th century’s most influential figures. He’ll show how Gertrude’s radical experiments with language transformed literature, how her salon became the creative epicenter for Picasso, Hemingway, Matisse, and countless others, and why her fearless approach to art and life still resonates today. No background in modernist literature is needed for this presentation—just curiosity about a brilliant, unconventional woman who changed how we think about words, art, and creativity itself.
Nicholas Stein is a television producer (Border Wars, National Geographic; series for Discovery, PBS, Smithsonian, and A&E), author, and lifelong learning educator. Through a direct family connection — his grandparents were Gertrude Stein’s favorite first cousins — he brings extraordinary primary material to life, including rare 16mm home movies, personal correspondence, and stories passed down across three generations.
The presentation transports audiences inside the legendary Paris salon at 27 rue de Fleurus, where Picasso, Matisse, and Hemingway gathered, and explores Stein’s profound influence on both literature and the visual arts. As one attendee described it: “art history, biography, and intimate family memoir woven into one unforgettable experience.”
David Bisno, M.D. (Harvard, Dartmouth, Washington University School of Medicine) has led dynamic discussion programs for lifelong learners since 1993, across the U.S. and internationally.
The American Revolution and the Fate of the World
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Richard Bell
Zoom
Cost:
Osher Members: $10
Non-Members: $15
When we think of the American Revolution, we picture 13 colonies squaring off against the British Crown in a spirited bid for independence. But this version of the story is only half the truth—and perhaps not even the most interesting half. In this riveting program, historian and author Richard Bell invites us to rediscover the Revolution as a world war that unleashed chaos, opportunity, and transformation across six continents—from the sugar fields of the Caribbean to the court of the King of Mysore, from refugee camps on the Canadian frontier to political uprisings in Sierra Leone and Peru—and traces the far-flung reverberations of the war through the lives of the people it displaced, empowered, or destroyed.
Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the book Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home, which was a finalist for the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, and the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar award and the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. His new book, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, was published by Penguin in November 2025.
He maintains a list of upcoming events at Richard-Bell.com.
107 Days at Sea: The Journey That Changed Everything
Saturday, October 10, 2026
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Speaker: Jill Siegal Chalsty
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Auditorium E
Cost:
Osher Members: $10
Non-Members: $15
At 63, Jill Chalsty boarded a ship alone, grieving her husband’s death and battling cancer. What began as a voyage around the world became far more than a trip. In this lecture, Jill shares the story behind her memoir Packets of Hope, inviting participants to travel alongside her through the ports she visited, the people she met, and the reflections that transformed personal adversity into strength and global impact. Jill demonstrates how one person’s courage can create ripples that span continents.
Participants are encouraged to read her memoir, available free at www.packetsofhope.com, before the presentation.
Jill Siegal Chalsty has devoted her life to the transformative power of education. As founder of Overcoming
Obstacles, the nonprofit she launched in 1992, Jill pioneered life skills instruction
that has now reached more than 180 million students worldwide. What began as a mission
to help young people navigate life’s challenges has evolved into a global movement
for youth empowerment. Following the profound loss of her husband and her own battles
with cancer, Jill embarked on a voyage of healing and reflection. That journey inspired
her memoir, Packets of Hope, an exploration of resilience, love, and finding meaning
through service. She's made her book available for free at packetsofhope.com.