Elliot Ratzman, chair of Jewish studies with Earlham College’s Religion department, will present the talk Judaism and Pacifism: From the Rabbis to the Refuseniks, 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27 at the International Peace Museum, 10 N. Ludlow St., Dayton.

“While many modern Jews have been involved with social, racial, and economic justice struggles, few would readily associate with absolute pacifism,” Ratzman explains. “In the 20th century, significant Jewish thinkers revitalized a tradition of Jewish pacifism based on their readings of Scripture, the sages, and a philosophy of Jewish non-violence.

“In this talk, I discuss the history of Jewish pacifism as articulated by Rabbis Abraham Cronbach and Stephen Schwarzschild — both with deep Ohio connections — and how their thought coheres with contemporary movements of Jews refusing to serve in armed forces.”

At Earlham, in Richmond, Ind., Ratzman teaches courses on nonviolence, antiracism, activism, and the modern Jewish condition.

For more information about the talk, part of the Peace Museum’s Building Peace Series, email jacobnbauer@gmail.com.