From the April Bulletin:
Greetings to all on behalf of the Adult Education Committee! The warm days of spring are now beginning, and Adult Ed has some interesting offerings in store for you prior to the arrival of the summer holidays. But first, let us do a quick overview of some recent programs:
The Lure and Lore of Jews in Sports, by popular Bay Area personality Frank Winston, included an impressive presentation by Jewish knife-thrower Rick Lemberg. Quite a memorable morning for all who attended, this was also our most widely-covered event to date, with articles appearing in the J news weekly, the San Mateo County Times, San Mateo Daily Journal, the Pacifica Tribune and the San Francisco Examiner.
In her informative presentation on Human Rights, Israel and the Middle East, the B’nai B’rith Director of U.N. Affairs, Sybil Kessler, provided some important yet unsettling insights into the inner workings of the United Nations. She brought out the fact that Israel is frequently the sole nation accused of human rights violations, a result of key committees being dominated by member states hostile to Israel. Meanwhile, countries with documented human rights violations avoid condemnation, underscoring the lack of objectivity in U.N. politics.
In The Miraculous Rebirth of the Hebrew Language, visiting scholar Rabbi Eliezer Ben-Yehuda mesmerized listeners with a fabulous personal glimpse into the life work of his grandfather, a visionary who spurred the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language. Colorful and humorous family anecdotes gave added sparkle to this multi-layered presentation incorporating history, politics, religion and linguistics. As a large percentage of attendees were non-members, this was a perfect opportunity for outreach and to showcase what great things our synagogue can do. Audience feedback was stellar.
Many thanks to Rabbi Glazer for inviting Rabbi Ben-Yehuda and for giving Adult Ed the chance to present this amazing program. Thanks are also due to our Adult Ed Committee members for taking time from their busy schedules to volunteer and participate whenever possible, both at events and behind the scenes. Finally, a hearty thanks to the Oneg Committee for providing refreshments at Rabbi Ben-Yehuda’s talk, and to Ronnie Zuckerberg and Sue Horst, who generously lent a helping hand during the human rights presentation.
Now for upcoming offerings:
This spring, Claire Mikowski has a special gift for the BIJ community: a mini-course on the Jewish calendar entitled THE BEAUTY OF JEWISH TIME, which will take place on four non-consecutive MONDAYS: MAY 5, 12, 19 AND JUNE 2, from 7:30 – 9:00 PM. The class will explore how the concept of time factors into the Jewish tradition, and the meaning and rituals connected with Shabbat, Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashana and Tu B’Shvat. Pre-registration is kindly requested at adult.educ@yahoo.com or by phone at (415) 678-0327.
On SUNDAY, JUNE 22, from 10:00 AM – 12 PM, hear genealogist and nationally-known speaker Ron Arons talk about his new book, THE JEWS OF SING-SING, set for release by the publisher early in June. Ron’s interest in the infamous New York State prison arose from the unexpected discovery that his own great-grandfather had actually been an inmate there! Following his well-documented lecture and power-point presentation, Ron will do a book signing, and then chat with attendees over refreshments. For more information, visit www.ronarons.com.
Exciting new directions in Adult Ed programming for the fall include an adult beginners’ Hebrew course, which will hopefully be taught by Rabbi Glazer as part of the READ HEBREW AMERICA campaign of the National Jewish Outreach Program. Rabbi will also be working closely with the Adult Ed Committee to set up other courses of longer duration. Classes under consideration include writing your spiritual autobiography, a learners’ minyan, a siddur course, how to write a d’var Torah, and a projected year-long course in Jewish lifecycles and holidays. If you have a special interest in a particular topic, please let us know! Our aim is to make Adult Ed as responsive to your interests and needs as possible.
Thanks for your support of Adult Education at BIJ, and I hope to see you soon!
Sonya Hicks, Adult Ed Chair