During this class, George will explore three books written to preserve his family's Italian Jewish heritage for future generations. The first, Remembrance and Renewal, delves into 500 years of European wars and politics and their impact on five Hebrew families. The second book, Memories of Memories, features essays on the bicultural education of a first-generation member of America's Italian-Hebrew diaspora. Lastly, The Wisdom of Leone Levi examines the life of one of the last individuals to possess a near-comprehensive understanding of a wide range of knowledge. The presentation will cover both the content of these works and the research process that informed their core narratives.

George Sacerdote studied mathematics at MIT and earned a PhD. from the University of Illinois in 1971. Following post-doctoral studies at Oxford and Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, he had a brief academic career on the faculty of Amherst College.

George left academia for a career in management consulting. Initially he worked at Arthur D. Little, and subsequently led his own firm, Sacerdote & Co. His business focused on ibusiness strategy and operational effectiveness for Fortune 500 companies in the information and communications industries. Along the way he also was involved in two start-ups. In addition, George has served on several public and private company boards.

In his retirement, George has authored three books. A 500-year history of five Italian-Jewish families and how they adapted to European wars and political changes over the centuries, a personal memoir as a first generation American of Italian Jewish descent, and a third book published earlier this year about a forgotten Victorian-era polymath who was one of the last people to know almost everything about almost everything when that was still possible.

George and his wife Carol have been married for fifty-six years; they have two sons and four grandchildren.