Bernard-Henri Levy, philosopher and author, lectures
at Jewish Community Center
By Bruce Bellingham

Another remarkable program at San Francisco’s Jewish Community Center (JCC): The famed French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Levy will speak on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Levy is akin to a rock star in France and is known there simply as BHL. His books include Barbarism with a Human Face, American Vertigo, and the bestseller, Who Killed Daniel Pearl?

Levy describes himself as “anti-anti-American”; he embraces an unrepentant admiration for the United States. In his book American Vertigo, Levy follows in the steps of de Tocqueville by touring the U.S. with a critical, but somewhat affectionate eye. But Levy gets his kicks on Route 66. He might fit in well in San Francisco: he doesn’t drive. His tour of the country for his research required a chauffeur who was almost certainly guided by a moral compass.

Levy, who is 57, has written over 300 books and will discuss his latest Left in Dark Times: A Stand Against the New Barbarism, at the JCC.

Bernard-Henri Levy: Kanbar Hall, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St. (at Presidio); Wednesday, Sept. 24, 8 p.m.; tickets & information at 415-292-1233 or www.jccsf.org/arts