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April 2020
Medieval Jewish Thinkers in Their Historical Contexts II
Adult Education Maimonides was the most important and most studied medieval Jewish philosopher, yet we still argue over what he really believed. How should we understand God? Do people have free will? Why is there evil in the world? What is the role of the Messiah? Will the dead be resurrected? Why should Jews observe halakha (Jewish law)? This course will explore the writings of Maimonides and compare his views on these questions to those of his predecessors including Saadia…
Ambition, Activism, and Adaptation: Jewish Women of the Lower East Side
Adult Education Young immigrant women at the turn-of-the-20th century were often pulled between old and new worlds, gender expectations and evolving ways of life. How were young, single women able to navigate their new environment? This six-session course will examine the lives of the many Jewish women who arrived on the Lower East Side between 1870-1914. Through memoirs, letters and other historical material, you will explore the nature of life for Jewish women in Eastern Europe, the changes they faced…
From Freedom to Slavery and Back Again: The Biblical Book of Exodus
Adult Education The exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt is the most important event in the Bible, and it became a powerful model for other liberation narratives. With expert instructor Dr. Regina Stein, you will read the story carefully, analyzing the way it unfolds, its characters and their motives, as you try to answer the simple question: what is the Torah trying to tell us and why? No previous knowledge of Hebrew or of the Bible is required.…
Who is a Woman of Valor?
Adult Education What does it mean to be a woman of valor? A Hebrew verse cites virtue, but over centuries the definition has been applied to women who are trailblazers, advocates, unflinching and unstoppable. This four-session course, led by expert guide and educator Barry Feldman, will explore the history of the women who get things done. In guided discussions with Barry and your classmates, you’ll fly through time from women in the Bible, to colonial Americans, to the activists 100…
Medieval Jewish Thinkers in Their Historical Contexts II
Adult Education Maimonides was the most important and most studied medieval Jewish philosopher, yet we still argue over what he really believed. How should we understand God? Do people have free will? Why is there evil in the world? What is the role of the Messiah? Will the dead be resurrected? Why should Jews observe halakha (Jewish law)? This course will explore the writings of Maimonides and compare his views on these questions to those of his predecessors including Saadia…
Ambition, Activism, and Adaptation: Jewish Women of the Lower East Side
Adult Education Young immigrant women at the turn-of-the-20th century were often pulled between old and new worlds, gender expectations and evolving ways of life. How were young, single women able to navigate their new environment? This six-session course will examine the lives of the many Jewish women who arrived on the Lower East Side between 1870-1914. Through memoirs, letters and other historical material, you will explore the nature of life for Jewish women in Eastern Europe, the changes they faced…
From Freedom to Slavery and Back Again: The Biblical Book of Exodus
Adult Education The exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt is the most important event in the Bible, and it became a powerful model for other liberation narratives. With expert instructor Dr. Regina Stein, you will read the story carefully, analyzing the way it unfolds, its characters and their motives, as you try to answer the simple question: what is the Torah trying to tell us and why? No previous knowledge of Hebrew or of the Bible is required.…
May 2020
Women of Valor, Today
Panel Discussion Our history is full of strong, accomplished women who are remembered for their tenacity and their influence in our culture – Frances Perkins, who dedicated her career to securing labor protections after witnessing the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire; suffragettes who marched in the streets until they won the right to vote in America; Esther, whose cunning ways saved her people. But who are today’s women of valor? What are the issues in 2020 that bring women into the streets…
Medieval Jewish Thinkers in Their Historical Contexts II
Adult Education Maimonides was the most important and most studied medieval Jewish philosopher, yet we still argue over what he really believed. How should we understand God? Do people have free will? Why is there evil in the world? What is the role of the Messiah? Will the dead be resurrected? Why should Jews observe halakha (Jewish law)? This course will explore the writings of Maimonides and compare his views on these questions to those of his predecessors including Saadia…
Ambition, Activism, and Adaptation: Jewish Women of the Lower East Side
Adult Education Young immigrant women at the turn-of-the-20th century were often pulled between old and new worlds, gender expectations and evolving ways of life. How were young, single women able to navigate their new environment? This six-session course will examine the lives of the many Jewish women who arrived on the Lower East Side between 1870-1914. Through memoirs, letters and other historical material, you will explore the nature of life for Jewish women in Eastern Europe, the changes they faced…
