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Politics of Israel: Theocracy vs. Democracy
For 50 years, the Israeli government has shared decision making
with orthodox political parties. Now Israeli and American
Jews are advocating for "freedom of religion" for
all Jews in Israel. How are the Knesset, Prime Minister, Supreme
Court and Israeli citizens responding? How democratic is the
process? How does it affect the values of the American Jewish
community? How does it impact on the changing relations between
synagogues and Jewish Federations? How will this influence
our personal institutional relations with Israel?
The Cutting Edge -Jewish Perspectives on Contemporary
Issues
All serious learners are welcome to join the discussion on
three cutting-edge issues presented by three exciting scholars
who are experts in their fields. These scholars will outline
the essence of each issue and engage the class in an exciting
dialogue. Students will receive readers in advance and will
be expected to prepare for the discussion.
The Rise of Jewish Mysticism
What are the causes of the modern rise of mysticism and various
forms of meditation? Has mysticism always been here? What
are the historical reasons prompting what appears to be an
explosion of interest Jewish mysticism?
Judaic Aspects of Cloning and other Genetic Advances
This lecture will provide insight into making positive decisions
about medical choices in the sea of uncertainty created by
modern techniques and conflicting viewpoints. While exploring
positive and negative aspects of new medical technologies,
we will also draw on the wisdom of Jewish ethical values to
offer meaningful responses to some of the most difficult decisions
we will face in the future.
Israel: The Challenge of the Next 50 Years
The real story of today's Israel is that what for years used
to be the focus of news consumers world wide - the conflict
with the Arabs - is no longer THE story. It is not the chief
conflict, not the chief issue, on the public agenda. In the
next 50 years, that story will subside even further.
What will govern the agenda in Israel is the struggle within.
Talking Tachlis: Jewish Perspectives for Contemporary
Living
This roundtable discussion is designed to inspire dialogue
and discovery. In this intimate and welcoming forum, come
and explore what it is like to be young and Jewish in San
Francisco in the 1990's while meeting others with common interests.
*Tachlis is Yiddish for getting down to the nitty gritty
Sex, Drugs, & Violence in the Jewish Tradition
This class will open to both teens and their parents of our
Hebrew High School Tichon program as well as all members of
our congregation and community. We will apply the wisdom or
our tradition to the timeless yet contemporary topics of dealing
with anger and coping with violence, the use of drugs and
alcohol, and the Jewish approaches to sexuality.
Discover Israel! A Learning Resources Workshop
Don't know much about Israel, ancient or modern? Want to learn
more and have fun doing it? This two-session workshop will
give you the information and tools you need.
Our first session will provide a quick and fascinating visual
overview of Israel's ancient heritage and modern history so
you can appreciate the 'big picture' of people, events, and
places that have made Israel so central to Jewish identity.
The second session will explore Jewish learning software and
internet resources, both for adults and children, as well
as upcoming educational programming offered through Lehrhaus
and the community.
"1948" in a Day
Much of today's Arab-Israeli crisis can be traced back to
momentous events that occurred in a single year--1948. This
one-day seminar will focus on that fateful moment in history.
Drawing upon recent scholarship, and using a series of helpful
maps, we will examine the conflict between Jew and Arab, the
reasons behind the flight of 600,000 Palestinian refugees,
and Israel's War of Independence against five Arab armies.
In addition, we will ponder the complex role of the United
States and the Soviet Union in 1948, both of which quickly
extended diplomatic recognition to the new Jewish state. Finally,
we will look at the "first Israelis" themselves,
and the society they brought into being in 1948 despite a
number of deep conflicts among them.
The Arab-Israeli Wars Since 1948
Following Independence in 1948, Israel has been engaged in
a major war every decade. This hard fact has deeply defined
its political, military, and social culture. In this course,
we will review the military history of the State of Israel
since 1948 in order to better appreciate the crucible of fire
that has come to shape the Jewish state in the Middle East.
Using digital media, this class will include excerpts from
the Heritage Series, "Civilization and the Jews"
by Abba Eban and the recent PBS documentary film series, "The
Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs," along with other
resources to provide a compelling and comprehensive overview
of modern Israel's military history from the 1956 Suez campaign
to the current Intifada.
3,001 Years of Jerusalem
Lehrhaus offers its first World Wide Web course on a topic
of timeless interest. We will tell the story of Jerusalem
in words and pictures, spanning the ages from Jerusalem's
infancy as a small walled town in the time of Abraham to the
dramatic growth this city has seen in the 20th century.
Along the way, students will discover the tragi-comic world
of one of Jerusalem's earliest rulers, Abdiheba, as he vainly
struggles to please a super-power and fight off local enemies.
. . in 1370 BCE. We'll pay a visit to the besieged city when
the Assyrian Empire should have destroyed it, but instead
the wisdom of King Hezekiah and the courage of the Prophet
Isaiah prevailed. We'll walk through the ruins of the house
of Ahiel, a man who probably saw Solomon's Temple destroyed
by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. In later centuries, we'll visit
what may be the tomb of Jesus; read a Jewish pilgrim's words
of hope as he prayed for a restored Temple in 362 CE; marvel
at the magnificent Dome of the Rock; and ponder the atrocities
of Crusaders who broke through the city's defenses in 1099.
We'll close with the impressive revival of Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel under the leadership of one of its most
charismatic leaders, Mayor Teddy Kollek.
The course features numerous illustrations, a hyperlinked
glossary, recommended readings, and plenty of opportunities
to study topics of related interest online. Best of all: it's
free. Two chat sessions with the instructor will be scheduled
in July for America Online users, so that you can delve even
deeper into the majesty and mystery that is Jerusalem.
Jerusalem: Controversial Religious Center
Jerusalem, founded 3000 years ago, is a mosaic of people,
neighborhoods, cultures and nationalities. From antiquity
to contemporary times, we will analyze its political and religious
importance for Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
From the Golden Age of Spain to the Goldeneh Medineh
The 500 years after the expulsion from Spain were witness
to phenomenal innovations in Jewish concepts of God and prayer.
Join Rabbis Steven Chester and Andrea Fisher and Educator
Lori Abramson as we explore many aspects of this period through
history, theology and liturgy. We will begin with the historical
foundations: through Kabbalah, false messiahs, the rise of
Hasidism, the growth of Reform, Orthodox, and Conservative
Judaism, and immigration to North America. We will then delve
more deeply into comparative Judaism, studying the theology
of each movement for several weeks. Finally, we will examine
the liturgy (prayers) of the movements and answer the question
of why we pray the way we pray today.
Generation J: A Journey Towards Identity
"I am not alone. I'm part of a generation of fragmented
Jews. We're in a kind of limbo...between Judaism and atheism,
between a desire to believe in religion and a personal history
of skepticism. Call us a bunch of searchers."
---Lisa Schiffman, Generation J
Are you searching? Are you trying to figure out what it means
to be Jewish? Join us for a revolutionary dialogue with Rabbi
Jane Litman, a scholar who has explored the boundaries or
Jewish thought and Lisa Schiffman, author of the best-selling
Generation J. Talk about your own journey, pose your own questions,
add your voice to the fray, as we practice the kind of personal
exploration that brings religion close to heart. To enable
a richer discussion, we request that you read Generation J
before the meeting.
Courage and Compassion: The Righteous Gentiles of
the Holocaust
In the flood of recent articles and books on the subject,
it is understandable, if we sometimes think that Good Deeds
and the Holocaust were mutually exclusive phenomena. But in
the midst of a horrendous and systemic evil, a small, but
a faithful remnant of Christians and other individuals risked
their lives to protect and deliver Jews from Nazi genocide.
In this course, we will introduce the historical background
and setting for the Holocaust. We will also explore how some
Christians transcended centuries of European anti-semitic
teaching and tradition to act righteously in defense of fellow
human beings. A central focus will be to examine the lives
of righteous gentiles: what was it in their upbringing and
character that made Raoul Wallenberg, Oskar Schindler, Fritz
Graebe and other fight impossible odds and face the prospect
of certain death? Finally, we will face perhaps the most important
question: how can we reconcile and ultimately transform the
relationship between Jews and Christians worldwide to prevent
a future episode of genocide?
Exploring Our Personal Conflicts Around Religious
Diversity
There is a growing sense that the Jewish community has become
excessively diverse, fragmented, and embittered . Many, in
fact, wonder whether we have not become so divided into contending
religious factions, competing agendas and world views (each
claiming sole authenticity), that it no longer makes sense
to speak of ourselves as One People with one Judaism.
In this course we will try to gain insight into the source
of the diversity and conflict. But we will do this, not through
intellectual debate or argument, but rather through self-exploration,
lessons learned from research on race relations and intergroup
conflict, and respectful dialogue with representatives of
various religious positions. This course will meet for six
sessions. The first evening will present a psychological framework
for understanding intergroup conflict. In the second, we explore
our own personal conflicts in this area and inquire into their
sources. In sessions 3-5 we will meet with knowledgeable representatives
from Orthodoxy, Reform and Jewish Renewal for an honest, open,
and respectful discussion of sources of conflict. In our final
evening we will explore avenues towards resolution.
The History of Intermarriage from Ancient Times to
the Present
Throughout the ages, Jews and non-Jews have worked and lived
together on both professional and social levels. But historically,
a line was frequently drawn between theses groups over the
issue of intermarriage. While Abraham, Moses, Solomon and
others took foreign wives/concubines, later Jewish leaders
such as Ezra strongly condemned mixed marriages. Opposition
to intermarriage apparently strengthened in the later Hellenistic,
Roman and Medieval periods, with both Jews, pagans and Christians
avoiding members of the other groups as marriage partners.
This course will present four historical 'snapshots' of interfaith
marriages/relationships, from the Biblical (ca. 1800-400 BCE),
early Talmudic (ca. 100-500 CE) Medieval and Modern periods.
Each snapshot will explore the degree to which Jews and non-Jews
interacted in these eras, both on a social and marital level.
From the Biblical 'convert' Ruth, to Esther and her marriage
to the Persian king, to a non-Jewish woman who was president
and chief benefactor of an ancient synagogue, we'll discover
various kinds of interfaith relationships are woven through
our history. We'll close with a look at the Modern era, whose
response to intermarriages varies from "the Jewish people
will be completely assimilated,' to 'the unchurched will become
Jews, brining a rebirth of Judaism." Join us for this
compelling exploration of interfaith relationships.
Zion by the Golden Gate: A History of the Jews of
the San Francisco Bay Area
Beginning with the first settlement of pioneer Jews during
the frenzied Gold Rush, this course will cover the rise of
the powerful German-Jewish family dynasties (including "merchant
princes" such as Levi-Strauss); the elegant Temple Emanu-El
and the excesses of ultra-Reform Judaism; the earthquake and
fire of 1906; and the Boss Ruef scandal. We will examine the
influx of East European Jews and the colorful neighborhoods
they built; the anti-Semitism of the interwar period; the
rancorous debate over the merits of Zionism in the 1940's
and Black-Jewish relations and the exodus to the suburbs in
recent decades. We will also explore our area's Jewish institutions,
both establishment and alternative, and how they have responded
to the changing needs of one of North America's most dynamic
and diverse Jewish communties.
How Hebrew Was Born: Archaeology and Language
Did God give the alphabet to Moses when He also gave him the
10 Commandments on Mt. Sinai? Archaeologists agree that the
alphabet was born in the Sinai, but at a desolate and intriguing
site just north of Mt. Sinai. This and many other mysteries
of the development of the Hebrew language will be explored
in this one session seminar. With slides, artifacts and other
tools of the archaeologist's trade, you'll discover the role
of Egyptian hieroglyphs in the birth of Hebrew, the earliest
known Hebrew inscriptions from 3000 years ago (they don't
like today's Hebrew), and how our Aramaean cousins gave us
the key to developing the Hebrew script of the Torah and modern
Israel.
Exotic Jewish Communites: India, Yemen and Central
Asia
Jewish life, history, character and culture vary greatly around
the world. Tribes of ancient Jews, exiled from Israel from
730 BCE to 135 BCE and dispersed in far-flung regions over
three continents, were frequently out of touch with one another
or with any central community. Largely as a result of the
revival of Jewish life in Israel, contacts were re-established
with these communities. Peoples of exotic dress and speech,
of different color, habit and custom-tattooed, hut-dwelling,
proto-Mosaics from the highlands of Ethiopia, dagger-wielding
polygamists from the Southern Arabian Peninsula; pious, conjuring
troglodytes from the mountaintops of Kurdistan and the Maghreb--these
and other tribes have been rediscovered. Some have disappeared,
while still others have broken away or renounced their Judaism.
In this series, we will examine the Jewish communities of
India, Yemen and Central Asia. In particular we will look
at the diversity among these communities and explore their
similarities, differences and uniqueness. Some lectures will
be supplemented by video documentaries
Ten Jews who Changed History: The People Whose Lives
Defined Our Own
This 4-week class will examine ten great men and women in
Jewish history, people whose lives, leadership and teachings
created the identity of Modern Judaism. Some were political
leaders, some were writers, some were philosophers...yet each
one of them contributed a lasting and indelible imprint of
their lives on Judaism as it enters the next millennium.
We will examine each of these remarkable individuals in their
historical contexts, trying to understand how their greatness
came to fruition, and isolating their unique contributions
to what it means to be a Jew in modern times.
Among the giants (and giantesses!) of our history that we
will investigate are such varied characters as Moses, Rebecca,
Rabbi Hillel, Maimonides, Isaac Luria, Baruch Spinoza, Golda
Meir and Rabbi Menahem Schneerson.
The Birth of God: The Origins of Monotheism
Relive the amazing journey of the ancient societies of Mesopotamia,
Egypt and Israel as they struggled through a world of many
gods toward a universal vision of One. We'll examine how ancient
Israel's monotheism offers a common heritage for today's Judaism,
Christianity and Islam.
From Abraham to Jesus: The World of the Bible
From 2000 BCE to the early Christian centuries, remarkable
events took place in the land of the Bible. From Egypt to
Palestine, we will trace the origins and development of Judaism
and Christianity, looking at the spiritual and physical world
of the Bible.
Jewish Identity in Three Countries: America, Israel,
Russia
Jewish identity is affected by where Jews live. We'll look
at the Jews of Russia, America and Israel and the Jewish struggle
for individual and political identity in the context of the
rise of Zionism, the Holocaust trauma, and the birth of Israel.
Shifting Traditions
Interfaith marriage in the Jewish community is, and will continue
to be, an absorbing subject for Jews. A new film, "Shifting
Traditions," is a brief documentary that takes an incisive
look at the issue of interfaith marriage in America. Through
the diverse voices of three interfaith couples and two rabbis,
the film reveals the contemporary struggle of both the couple
and the community.
After the film screening, director and producer, Brett Schwartz,
will discuss the challenges of making the film.
Sharing Leadership in the Jewish Community: Building
for the Future
The Jewish community in the next century will face both many
challenges and opportunities that will require all of us to
have knowledge of the community's past, know how we operate
today, and what we aspire to become in the future. This course
is designed to provide background and perspective for current
and future leaders of our Jewish community. It will begin
with an overview of the community's history including: the
Jews of the Gold Rush, and the evolution of community institutions,
such as the Jewish Family and Children's Services. Subsequent
sessions will explore how the community and our service agencies
work; the underlying values upon which the community's identity
and operations are based; tzedakah and fundraising; looking
into issues that affect the rights and protections of Jews
in our community, and our involvement in the American political
process, with a special analysis of this November's elections.
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