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A D U LT

educationSpring 5780 | 2020

Beth Emet Adult Education is supported in part by a generous grant from the David D.

Polk and Marian Polk Fried Adult Jewish Studies Fund of the Beth Emet Foundation.

A grant from the David D. Polk and Marian Polk Fried Fund allows us to off er

Beth Emet members all of the Friday morning 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. classes during

the Spring 5780 term as a package for the reduced fee of $80.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot: Night of Learning

Thursday, May 28, 2020

At Beth Emet

SAVE THE DATE for this study session as we

celebrate our receiving the Torah on Shavuot

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Learning and Growing Together

Lifelong learning is at the core of Beth Emet values. Beth Emet is a

diverse community of individuals with diff erent viewpoints, backgrounds,

and a broad range of Jewish learning experiences. The Beth Emet

Adult Education Program off ers exciting possibilities for meeting new people,

exchanging ideas, and embracing Jewish history, ritual, and culture. Our classes

are taught by experienced teachers and lay leaders from Beth Emet and the

larger community. Off erings range from one-time events to yearlong classes.

The Spring 5780 term features a wide range of classes and special programs.

The variety of topics, opinions, and presenters is indicative of our year-long

theme, 70 FACES OF TORAH, in celebration of Beth Emet’s seventieth

anniversary. The rabbinic concept that there are seventy faces of Torah teaches

that there are multiple facets of Torah. Yayin, the word wine in Hebrew, has the

numeric value of seventy. Like a fi ne wine, Torah has a complexity of fl avors and

nuances. We can understand the many ways of looking at and understanding

Torah as an invitation to draw our own interpretations, while simultaneously

holding the interpretations of others. Engaging in study with questions, sources,

friends, and teachers helps us to fi nd our own share of Torah while nurturing and

challenging the Torah of others.

Classes are listed and described alphabetically. There are also AT A GLANCE

(quick reference) pages by starting date, topic, and day of the week. Everyone is

welcome to listen, learn, contribute, and share new insights with other members

of the Beth Emet community.

Helene Rosenberg, Adult Education Committee Chair

Barbara Berngard, Reva Denlow, Nancy Fink, Douglas Hoff man, Barbara Linn,

Jesse Rosenberg, and Barbara Schoenfi eld, Committee Members

Registration is required for each off ering, including classes without fees.

You may register in print or online.

In Print:

Fill out the form on the registration page at the back of this brochure and

mail or bring it with your payment to the offi ce.

Online:

1. Check your email and use the Adult Education Registration link sent to members.

2. OR, go to the website https://bethemet.org/learning/adult-education.html and

open the registration link. Enter your zip code and your birth date, using the

format mm/dd/yyyy, including the slashes. A pre-fi lled registration form unique

to you will open. If we do not have your birth date and zip code on fi le, a blank

form will open that will allow you to register.

2

AT A GLANCE: CLASSES AND EVENTS BY STARTING DATE

FEBRUARY

14 A Close Look at Torah (continues through June 12)

14 Freud and Herzl: Neighbors from Diff erent Universes

(continues February 21)

23 Jewish Vaudeville

27 Adult B’nei Mitzvah (continues monthly through May 28)

28 Religion and Literature (continues March 6)

MARCH

1 Hebrew 1, 2, and 3 (continue weekly through May 10)

3 Understanding the Threat of Rising Antisemitism

11 The Holocaust: The Lessons, the Legacy, and the Living

13 A Deeper Dive into Tzedakah

15 Women’s Interfaith Collective Spring Retreat

16 Drumming for Self-Renewal

18 Beth Emet Book Club (meets the third Wednesday of each month)

18 Current Politics

19 What Does Judaism Have to Say about Pay Equity?

20 The Poetry of Prayer (continues March 27)

22 What is Your Favorite Bubbe Meisse or Old Wives’ Tale?

23 Elisha and the Shunammite Woman; Samson and His Mother

(continues March 30)

26 Celebrate Spring in the Kitchen

29 Illinois Holocaust Museum Tour

APRIL

3 Your Space, My Space, Our Space: The Sabbath Prohibitions Through

Halachic Eyes

13 Music of the Holocaust (continues April 27)

17 Oral and Written Torah: Why Do We Need Both? (continues April 24)

19 Archeology of Israel and Jerusalem

23 Why Can’t We Talk About It?

MAY

4 Spandex Hides More than Just a Covenant: How Superheroes of

Modernity Refl ect Jewish Identity and Values

5 Stained-Glass Art: A Tour of Jewish Chicago

6 Drumming for Self-Renewal

7 Whiteness and Jewishness (repeated May 8)

15 Christians and Jews (continues May 22)

20 Current Politics

28 Tikkun Leil Shavuot: Night of Learning

3

AT A GLANCE: CLASSES AND EVENTS BY TOPIC

TORAH AND SACRED TEXT

A Close Look at Torah

A Deeper Dive into Tzedakah

Elisha and the Shunammite Woman; Samson and His Mother

Oral and Written Torah: Why Do We Need Both?

The Poetry of Prayer

Your Space, My Space, Our Space: The Sabbath Prohibitions Through

Halachic Eyes

HEBREW AND ADULT B’NEI MITZVAH

Adult B’nei Mitzvah

Hebrew 1, 2, and 3

HISTORY AND CURRENT ISSUES

Archeology of Israel and Jerusalem

Christians and Jews

Current Politics

Freud and Herzl: Neighbors from Diff erent Universes

The Holocaust: The Lessons, the Legacy, and the Living

Illinois Holocaust Museum Tour

Understanding the Threat of Rising Antisemitism

What Does Judaism Have to Say about Pay Equity?

Whiteness and Jewishness

Why Can’t We Talk About It?

Women’s Interfaith Collective Spring Retreat

JEWISH ARTS, CULTURE, AND LIVING

Beth Emet Book Club

Celebrate Spring in the Kitchen

Drumming for Self-Renewal

Jewish Vaudeville

Music of the Holocaust

Religion and Literature

Spandex Hides More than Just a Covenant: How Superheroes of


Stained-Glass Art: A Tour of Jewish Chicago

What is Your Favorite Bubbe Meisse or Old Wives’ Tale?

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AT A GLANCE: CLASSES AND EVENTS BY DAY OF THE WEEK

SUNDAY

Archaeology of Israel and Jerusalem

Hebrew 1, 2, and 3


Jewish Vaudeville



MONDAY

Drumming for Self-Renewal (March 16)



Spandex Hides More than Just a Covenant: How Superheroes of


TUESDAY



WEDNESDAY

Beth Emet Book Club

Current Politics

Drumming for Self-Renewal (May 6)


THURSDAY






FRIDAY

Christians and Jews






Religion and Literature

Your Space, My Space, Our Space: The Sabbath Prohibitions Through

Halachic Eyes


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CLASSES AND EVENTS


with Marci Dickman

Thursdays, February 27, March 19, April 23, May 28 | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Participants study as a small group to become b’nei mitzvah together at Beth

Emet. Requirements include Beth Emet membership, Hebrew 1 and Hebrew 2

or an equivalent, Torah and haftarah cantillation, and participation in this class.

Our next b’nei mitzvah service will be scheduled for the fall of 2021.

If interested in joining this ongoing class, please contact Marci Dickman

([email protected]).

$100 fee in year of b’nei mitzvah

Archaeology of Israel and Jerusalem

with Brett Kaufman

Sunday, April 19 | 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Recent archaeological discoveries across Israel and the

Near East have resulted in a greater understanding of

the Bronze and Iron Ages in the region. Archaeological

remains dating to these periods provide the backdrop for the biblical histories,

in some cases confi rming specifi c events, at other times leading scholars to

question received wisdom. Dr. Kaufman will review some of the major debates

within the fi eld as well as present some of his ongoing research.

No fee (please register)

Beth Emet Book Club

facilitated by Judith Pittel

Continues the third Wednesday of every month | 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

All are welcome, and suggestions for books are always appreciated. Current

selections will be announced in EmetMail and online. Books may be borrowed from

Beth Emet that are on loan from the Skokie Library, or check your local library.

Join the discussion and meet new friends. Participate any time during the year.

No fee or registration.


with Peter Steinhouse

Thursday, March 26 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. in the Beth Emet kitchen

As winter shifts toward spring, a wealth of early vegetables emerge, such as

avocados, asparagus, peas, cucumbers, spinach, beets, carrots, green beans,

baby lettuces and greens. Spring fruits, including strawberries, blueberries, and

rhubarb, appear and so do spring lamb and young chickens. We will use many of

these ingredients to prepare dishes that welcome spring.

$10 fee to cover the cost of ingredients; class size is limited

6

CLASSES AND EVENTS – Continued

Christians and Jews

with David Shyovitz

Fridays, May 15 and 22 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

The relationship between Christians and Jews has been marked by violence and

mutual antagonism for much of the past two thousand years; but at the same

time, Jews and Christians are often assumed to be joint participants in a united

“Judeo-Christian tradition.” These sessions will explore the varying, nuanced ways

in which Jews and Christians have related to and perceived one another, from the

biblical period to the present. These two sessions complete the series begun in

the fall; prior attendance is not necessary.

Member fee $25, or this class is included if you purchase the Friday morning

package; non-member fee $35


with Rabbi Andrea London

Fridays, February 14 – June 12 | 9:30 – 10:35 a.m.

(no class March 6, April 10, and May 15)

There are many ways to interpret Torah and its nuances of meaning that are often

overlooked. We will continue our learning from last year, reading and interpreting

the text line by line as we explore the Book of Numbers. New learners are always

welcome. Texts will be provided.

No fee for members (please register); non-member fee $40

Current Politics

with David Zarefsky

Wednesdays, March 18 and May 20 | 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

A continuing lecture-discussion class on contemporary public issues of interest

to Jews as citizens. We will focus primarily on United States national and

international policy related to economic, diplomatic, and military issues, including

relations with Israel and other nations. Special attention will be given to the

developing 2020 United States Presidential election campaign. The content of

each session will be responsive to latest developments.

No fee for members (please register); non-member fee $10 each session

7



with Rabbi Burton Cohen

Friday, March 13 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Maimonides’ Eight Degrees of Tzedakah is often presented

as a succinct summary of the Jewish model for giving. As

we examine the section of his Mishneh Torah law code,

Matanot L’evyonim (Gifts to the Poor), we will fi nd an

approach that is more detailed and richer in its content in

describing the obligations that the Rabbinic tradition lays

on individual Jews and their communities. We will focus on

some of those lesser known rules and the method of operation of the medieval

“Jewish United Fund.”



Drumming for Self-Renewal

with Linda Schneider

Monday, March 16 and Wednesday May 6 | 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Percussion off ers hands-on, non-verbal access to the spiritual and emotional,

while connecting with others. Treat your mind, body, and spirit to an uplifting

break from your regular routine and join our rhythm circle, where we’ll

make unique music-in-the-moment. No previous experience is needed, and

instruments are provided.

$10 each session


with Hyma Levin

Mondays, March 23 and 30 | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Elisha was the student and disciple of the prophet Elijah; he miraculously

brought the Shunammite woman’s child back from the dead. Samson was prone

to love women and violence, while his mother possessed incredible wisdom

and understood God’s divine plan. We will examine the stories of these biblical

personalities to learn how they can resonate for us.

No fee for members (please register); non-member fee $15

8



(rescheduled from fall/winter term)

with David Gottlieb

Fridays, February 14 and 21 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Sigmund Freud and Theodor Herzl lived on the same block in Vienna for two

years in the early 1900s. Yet these men, so deeply infl uenced by European culture

and literature, had dramatically diff erent views and experiences of Judaism,

and they infl uenced modern Judaism profoundly in very diff erent ways. We will

explore key writings of Herzl and Freud in an attempt to understand how they

experienced and expressed their own conceptions of Jewish identity in the face

of rising nationalism.



Hebrew 1 (continuing)

with Bluma Stoller

Sundays, through May 10 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (no class February 16, April 12)

Contact Marci Dickman if you are interested in joining this ongoing class.


with Nancy Fink




with Dorit Flatt



9



with Yonit Hoff man and Danny M. Cohen

Wednesday, March 11 | 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

This panel discussion encourages participants to consider modern

understandings of the Holocaust, including those drawn from previously

marginalized or silenced narratives, and the lessons we can apply to our world

today. Topics will include current challenges with poverty and social isolation

in our local survivor community, and the place of Holocaust memory in the

design of social justice education. At the conclusion of the program, there will

be an opportunity to connect with organizations that need our help, including

Holocaust Community Services at CJE SeniorLife and Unsilence.



Sunday, March 29 | 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Join us at the Illinois Holocaust Museum for a customized tour that will

complement the panel discussion at Beth Emet on March 11. (Attendance

at the March 11 program is not required to participate in the tour.) Following

the museum tour we will gather for lunch (either boxed lunch or BYO) and

discussion. A portion of the fee will be donated to CJE’s Holocaust

Community Services program.

Fee: tour only, $18; tour and boxed lunch, $30

Jewish Vaudeville (rescheduled from fall/winter term)

with Alan Teller

Sunday, February 23 | 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Distinct from Yiddish theater, Jewish vaudeville had its own fl avor. Alan Teller

grew up with a larger-than-life grandfather in the business—a guy who pulled

quarters out of Alan’s ears and made things disappear before his eyes. He

inherited scrapbooks that include photos and clippings, telegrams and contracts,

playbills, and more, including an early review of his grandfather’s act in Harper’s.

This class will explore the role of iconic stars such as Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson,

Sophie Tucker, Fanny Brice, and The Marx Brothers in the development of

comedy, and will feature period recordings and reenactments of routines by

Weber and Fields, and Gallagher and Shean.


10



with Jesse Rosenberg

Mondays, April 13 and 27 | 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

The persecution and mass murder of

the Jewish population of Europe by the

government of the Third Reich had vast

repercussions on musical life, not only in

the closing years of World War II, but during

the following years and decades. We will examine a number of musical issues

relating to the Holocaust: the fi rst session will focus on music before and during

the Holocaust; the second session on music created in commemoration of the

Holocaust.



with Samuel Fleischacker

Fridays, April 17 and 24 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

The rabbis of the Talmud do not exactly provide a philosophical argument for why

we need to listen to them, but indicate the importance of the “oral Torah” they

teach in a number of rich and fascinating midrashim. We will work through several

of these, and think about why we need an oral tradition to go along with our

written text—and whether we still think today that the Talmud is the authoritative

source of that tradition.


package; non- member fee $35


with Rabbi Kenneth Berger

Fridays, March 20 and 27 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Most of us think of the prayers that we recite every day and every Shabbat as

prose. But many are beautiful poetic responses to our experience of God in

nature and the ongoing history of the Jewish people. In the fi rst session we will

examine two prayers recited at the beginning of the evening service on Shabbat

and on weekdays. In the second session we will study yedid nefesh, a kabalistic

poem of longing for God sung at the very beginning of the Friday evening service

in many congregations.



11


Religion and Literature (rescheduled from fall/winter term)

with Claire Sufrin

Fridays, February 28 and March 6 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

This course will explore diff erent aspects of the relationship between religion and

literature in contemporary novels and poetry. We’ll consider examples including

rewritings of biblical stories, portrayals of religious life, and characters wrestling

with religious ideas and values. Most examples will be focused on Judaism and

Jews, though some may be drawn from other faith traditions.



Spandex Hides More than Just a Covenant:

How Superheroes of Modernity Refl ect

Jewish Identity and Values

with Cantor Kyle Cotler

Monday, May 4 | 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

The ubiquity of superheroes in popular culture is

undeniable. But beyond the industry that began in print

and has since spread to television, merchandise, and

fi lm, there is an underlying signifi cance and relationship

that the superheroes in DC and Marvel comics share with the Jewish people.

Many were created by Jewish writers and artists, and refl ected spiritual and

psychological struggles caused by the circumstances in which they found

themselves. What started in the 1930s and 1940s as mild propaganda, with

heroes such as Superman and Captain America fi ghting against the forces

of fascism, evolved over the decades as a means of identity expression and

exploration for many of the Jewish writers and artists.



with Lindy Rubin

Tuesday, May 5 | 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

We’ll bus from Beth Emet to Chicago to see and learn about the renowned

stained-glass windows in two historically signifi cant synagogues. Chicago Loop

Synagogue is home to the breathtaking “Let There Be Light” by Abraham Rattner,

a student of Marc Chagall. Congregation Rodfei Zedek, in Hyde Park, is home

to a number of extraordinary and Jewishly signifi cant windows, including one by

Israeli sculptor, Yaakov Agam. We will stop at the renowned Manny’s Coff ee Shop

and Deli for lunch (purchase your own) along the way.

$10 fee for the bus (please register)

12



with Sara Yael Hirshhorn, David Shyovitz, and Lara Trubowitz

Tuesday, March 3 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Antisemitism in the United States has been rising in dangerous and alarming

ways. It comes both from elements of the political Right, including domestic

terrorism, and from elements of the political Left, against Jews who show any

support for Israel—including exclusion of Jews from progressive activities and

personal attacks on Jewish college students. Our expert panel will examine the

historical perspective, dynamics and threats of the current levels of antisemitism,

as well as the responses of Jewish organizations and communities.



with Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler

Thursday, March 19 | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

How do ancient Jewish sacred texts apply to employment laws for men and

women today? While gender pay equity is not part of the vocabulary of our

tradition, Jewish law and ethical standards provide for some unexpected

approaches on the path to equal pay for women. Prepare for Equal Pay Day

(March 31, 2020), by studying what Judaism has to say about the gender pay gap

and equity.



(rescheduled from fall/winter term)

with Carolyn Dinofsky

Sunday, March 22 | 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.

In ancient times, people regarded death and sickness as caused by supernatural

hostile forces. The proliferation of superstition escalated as epidemics,

earthquakes, war, pillage, and thievery cast a pall across the world—life was

subjected to kinehora, the Evil Eye. The nesting ground was ripe for mythology;

its starting point for what we now refer to as Bubbe Meisses appeared as early as

in the story of the Garden of Eden, starring Adam and Eve. As have all cultures,

Jews developed superstitions applicable to a variety of occasions practiced

even today!


13



facilitated by David Futransky and Wendy Yanow

Thursday, May 7 | 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

and repeated Friday, May 8 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

In mid-December, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order

that says antisemitism is punishable under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—a clause

that deals only with race, ethnicity and nationality, not discrimination on the

basis of religion. The Order says Jews can be considered to have been targeted

on the basis of their nationality or race as Jews. Jewish Americans, presumably

benefi ciaries, are deeply torn about what it all means, and how it impacts us

and our relationship with other people who identify by race or nationality. At

the intersection of Whiteness and Jewishness, how do we, as Jews, view race?

How do those of us who identify as White, see this action? What does it mean

for Jews of Color? How do people who are not White see us when they look at

us? Together, we will look at the common and divergent conversations around

Whiteness and Jewishness.



with Joel Braunold

Thursday, April 23 | 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

The Israeli-Palestinian confl ict continues to seep into our

communal conversations and our domestic politics. In tense

partisan times, our identity is often used as a political football

leading to fewer conversations and more dictations. Why do

we fi nd it so hard to have a meaningful conversation about

what is happening in the region? How do trends both there and here lead to the

worrying conclusion that it might only get worse? Is there any way to restore

some sanity to the debate?


14


Your Space, My Space, Our Space:

The Sabbath Prohibitions Through Halachic Eyes

(session two, rescheduled from fall/winter term)

with Rabbi Michael Balinsky

Friday, April 3 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m

Although the Reform movement is steeped in ritual/mitzvah expressions, it

does not defi ne itself as a halachic movement. However, halachah can help us

gain insight into Shabbat and enrich our religious/spiritual lives wherever we see

ourselves as participants and engagers with Jewish life. Out of the nitty gritty and

fi ne details, large parameters of meaning can emerge. We will explore the least

likely traditional prohibition of Shabbat in this context.




Sunday, March 15, 2020

Eat, Pray, Love: One Table

St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church

1424 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60610

2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Suggested $10 donation

This is a women’s only event. Register at [email protected]

GATHER for sacred time with women of faith for your physical and spiritual

sustenance

GLEAN beauty and wisdom for marking your life with shared faith prayers

GROUND your soul in loving traditions inspired by common values and hope-

fi lled dreams

Join us in this women’s interfaith day of learning. Our guest speakers from

the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths will share how food, prayer, and love

are refl ected through their faith traditions. Guided group table discussions

will follow where each of us can share our personal special traditions and

beliefs to bring us closer together as women of faith.

What if you haven’t found a class that meets your interests?

Please let us know. The Adult Education Committee wants to be responsive to your

requests so we need to know what you are looking for. We think that everyone at

Beth Emet, no matter what age, can be a lifelong learner. Help us include you in

that group. Email suggestions to [email protected].

15

PRESENTERS

Rabbi Andrea London, Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler, Cantor Kyle Cotler,

Director of Lifelong Learning Marci Dickman, and the following:

*Beth Emet members

RABBI MICHAEL BALINSKY was the Executive Vice-President of the Chicago

Board of Rabbis and was Director of the Louis and Saerree Fiedler Hillel Center

at Northwestern University for nineteen years. He greatly enjoys teaching adults

and helping them engage classical Jewish sacred texts in an open pluralistic

setting. He is a graduate of Yeshiva University and the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan

Theological Seminary.

RABBI KENNETH BERGER earned his doctorate in Jewish liturgy from the

Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he also served as Visiting

Assistant Professor of Liturgy. He was rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom in

Teaneck, New Jersey, until his retirement. Since relocating to the Chicago area,

he has taught at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership and at

Limmud Chicago.

JOEL BRAUNOLD currently consults for leading organizations, funds, and

foundations on public policy and issues surrounding fi nancing of violence

prevention and peacebuilding in the domestic and international contexts. He

served as the Executive Director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, during

which he built its global footprint, impact, and brand, leveraging over fi fty million

dollars into the fi eld of peacebuilding. He has worked regularly with the U.S. State

Department, USAID, the National Security Council, and Congress on the needs

of the peace building community. Outside the United States, Joel works with

national governments and multilateral institutions.

RABBI BURTON COHEN, who returned to Chicago after forty years in

New York, is Associate Professor Emeritus of Jewish Education at the Jewish

Theological Seminary. He was a longtime teacher of Mishnah and Talmud in the

adult education program of his local synagogue in New York, and throughout

his career was actively engaged in professional leadership roles in the Ramah

camping movement.

DANNY M. COHEN, PhD is a learning scientist, education designer, and fi ction

writer. A Distinguished Professor of Instruction at Northwestern University in

the School of Education and Social Policy and The Crown Family Center for

Jewish and Israel Studies, Danny specializes in Holocaust memory and the design

of human rights education. He is the founder of the nonprofi t Unsilence and

the author of the choose-your-own-pathway mystery, The 19th Window, and the

historical novel, Train, which was selected as the inaugural text of the national

Teacher Fellows Program of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

16

PRESENTERS – Continued

CAROLYN DINOFSKY was a special educator for thirty-four years and a Jewish

educator for over twenty-fi ve years. She was a docent at the New York Holocaust

Museum for fourteen years and is currently a docent at the Illinois Holocaust

Museum. Carolyn has been a Yiddish educator for more than a quarter of a

century. She currently has three or four Yiddish classes in the greater Chicago

area. Her mantra is sharing her Yiddish background, extensive exploration, and

in-depth research of the spirit of the Yiddish language and its treasures.

*NANCY FINK has worked in Beth Emet’s school community since 1983 as a

teacher, mentor, and administrator. She is currently the Assistant Principal of

Beit Sefer, the K-6 school. She is a member of Beth Emet’s Adult Education

committee, and is editor of the Adult Education brochure of class and

program off erings.

DORIT FLATT is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and grew up in Tel-Aviv,

Israel. After completing her IDF service in the paratrooper unit, she studied

elementary education at Seminar Levinsky in Tel-Aviv. She holds a BA in

Psychology from the University of Michigan. She taught Hebrew language,

literature, and religious studies in Michigan for twenty-fi ve years. She especially

enjoys music and theater, and spending time with her fi ve granddaughters

in Chicago.

SAMUEL FLEISCHACKER is LAS Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the

University of Illinois-Chicago. His writings include A Short History of Distributive

Justice (Harvard, 2004), Divine Teaching and the Way of the World (Oxford, 2011),

and The Good and the Good Book: Revelation as a Guide to Life (Oxford, 2015).

Sam received his PhD from the Philosophy Department at Yale University, and

taught at Williams College for eight years before coming to UIC.

*DAVID FUTRANSKY is Senior Manager of Institutional Advancement at

Evanston Township High School and has been a history teacher at ETHS. A

leader in the school district’s equity work, he has participated in and led many

workshops on racial equity and social justice.

DAVID GOTTLIEB received his PhD in the History of Judaism from the University

of Chicago Divinity School in 2018. His research focuses on the infl uence of

the Binding of Isaac story on the shaping of Jewish memory. David also teaches

Jewish mindfulness practice for Orot in Evanston. Prior to returning to school

in his forties, he was a co-founder and founding executive director of Full Circle

Communities, Inc., a nonprofi t aff ordable housing development company.

17


SARA YAEL HIRSHHORN is Visiting Assistant Professor in Israel Studies at

Northwestern University. Her work focuses on Diaspora-Israel relations. Her

book, City on a Hilltop: American Jews and the Israeli Settler Movement (Harvard

University Press) was the winner of the Sami Rohr Prize in Jewish Literature

Choice Award and a National Jewish Book Award fi nalist.

*YONIT HOFFMAN is the Director of Holocaust Community Services (HCS) at

CJE SeniorLife in Chicago, IL. She oversees all assistance and service provision

for nearly 2,000 Holocaust survivors, supervises all clinical and care management

staff , and provides direct services and support groups for survivors and their

descendants. She has served as a key facilitator in establishing community

partnerships to build resources and capacity to support survivors. Dr. Hoff man

received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Case Western Reserve University.

Her prior clinical work centered on trauma, loss, and under-served populations

in Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Illinois. Her clinical research included studies

on resilience and identity in Holocaust survivors and their descendants, which

she presented and published both nationally and internationally. Dr. Hoff man is a

second and third generation descendant of Holocaust survivors and victims.

BRETT KAUFMAN is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois

Department of the Classics, affi liated with Jewish Studies and Engineering. He

is an archaeologist specializing in the Mediterranean and Near East, ancient

engineering and design, and paleoecology. He has directed or supervised

archaeological excavations in Tunisia, China, Italy, Israel, and New York. His

research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation,

the National Geographic Society, and the National Natural Science Foundation

of China.

*HYMA LEVIN, Director of Education Emerita at Beth Emet, has been a Jewish

educator for more than forty years. She is a member of the Chicago Coalition

for Interreligious Learning (CCIRL)—Catholics, Jews and Muslims Together. A

Life Member of Hadassah, Hyma facilitates a leadership-training program for the

Chicago-Northshore Chapter. She has taught in a variety of venues including the

Archdiocese of Chicago Religious Teachers Conferences, Dominican University,

Harper College, and the North Shore Senior Center.

*JUDITH PITTEL was the facilitator of the Temple Judea Mizpah Book Club for

over ten years and is continuing this venture at Beth Emet. Judie loves reading

actual books (not on a screen) and can often be found at the Skokie Library. She

also frequents the Evanston Library.

18


*JESSE ROSENBERG (PhD, New York University), came to Evanston in 1998 to

join the Musicology faculty of Northwestern University. In both scholarship and

teaching, his principal areas of interest are opera and the intersection of music

and religion.

*LINDY RUBIN (MA University of Chicago) is an arts educator and experienced

guide. She engages students to explore great art as a way to uncover meaning

and heritage. She has taught children and adults, including at Oakton Community

College, numerous Reform Jewish congregations, and in various other Jewish

settings.

*LINDA SCHNEIDER is the founder of Heartland Rhythms, which provides

dynamic, hands-on rhythm events that help people connect with their personal

“heartlands,” express their unique rhythms, and grow as individuals. She trained

with Christine Stevens, an expert in the fi elds of music therapy and drum circles,

and Arthur Hull, the internationally acclaimed father of the facilitated drum circle

movement. Linda also completed training in Health Rhythms, a research-based

life enhancement and wellness protocol developed by Remo Drums.

DAVID SHYOVITZ (PhD University of Pennsylvania) is Associate Professor of

History at Northwestern University, and Director of NU’s Crown Family Center

for Jewish and Israel Studies. He is the author of A Remembrance of His Wonders:

Nature and the Supernatural in Medieval Ashkenaz (2017), and has lectured widely

throughout the United States, Israel, and Europe.

*PETER STEINHOUSE has been involved in the food and wine industries his

entire life. He worked on a local forty-acre produce farm while growing up

in New Jersey. For the past twenty-fi ve years he has worked in the fi ne wine

industry, representing European wineries to the U.S. market. His passion for food

has always been engaged; since graduating with an engineering degree from

Northwestern University, he knows all the great local spots to get the best food

products and meals.

*BLUMA STOLLER is a graduate of Columbia University. She was the North

American Director of Academic Aff airs for Tel Aviv University and held leadership

positions in the Jewish Relations Council of Greater Boston, Project Otzma, and

the Rashi School. She was the recipient of Hillel International’s 2003 Exemplar of

Excellence Award for her commitment to social justice and tikkun olam (acts of

kindness to repair the world).

19

CLAIRE SUFRIN is Associate Professor of Instruction and Assistant Director of

Jewish Studies at the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies. She

earned her BA in Religious Studies from Yale University and her PhD in Religious

Studies from Stanford University. Her research and teaching interests include

modern Jewish thought, gender and religion, and religion and literature.

*ALAN TELLER is a photographer and curator who has produced over one

hundred exhibits for museums nationwide. With his wife Jerri Zbiral, he received

a Fulbright award for Following the Box: Exploring an Archive of Anonymous

Photographs from India, a fi lm and exhibit that has been shown in India and the

U.S. Alan inherited his grandfather’s love of the stage and performs with two

Gilbert & Sullivan groups in the Chicago area.

*LARA TRUBOWITZ, PhD, is the Associate Director of ADL’s National College

and University Programs, and Education Director for ADL’s Midwest region. In

these dual roles, she coordinates anti-bias training workshops and bias incident

response for K-12 school districts, colleges and universities, and municipalities,

focusing in particular on White Nationalist trends.

*WENDY YANOW is an adult educator. She facilitates workshops on race,

Whiteness, and privilege through a network of community groups in the

Chicagoland area. She is adjunct faculty at DePaul University, was a member of

the Popular Education teaching team at a bilingual adult high school in Chicago,

and was recently elected as a Trustee at Oakton Community College.

*DAVID ZAREFSKY is the Owen L. Coon Professor Emeritus of Communication

Studies at Northwestern University, specializing in argumentation and the analysis

and criticism of American political discourse. David is a former president of the

National Communication Association, the Rhetoric Society of America, and the

Central States Communication Association. In 2012 he received the Lifetime

Teaching Excellence Award from the National Communication Association. David

is a past president of Beth Emet.


Please register me for the following classes (check all that apply):

Adult Education at Beth Emet

SPRING 5780 | 2020 REGISTRATION FORMRegistration is required for each off ering, including classes without fees. You may register in print or online.

In Print:Fill out the form on the registration page at the back of this brochure and mail or bring it with your payment to the offi ce.

Online:

1. Check your email and use the Adult Education Registration link sent to members.

2. OR, go to the website https://bethemet.org/learning/adult-education.html and open the registration link. Enter your zip code and your birth date, using the format mm/dd/yyyy, including the slashes. A pre-fi lled registration form unique to you will open. If we do not have your birth date and zip code on fi le, a blank form will open that will allow you to register.

❑ Friday Morning 12 Session Package: $80 M; n/a NM

❑ Christians and Jews ($25M; $35NM)

❑ A Deeper Dive into Tzedakah ($15M; $18NM)

❑ Freud and Herzl: Neighbors from Diff erent Universes ($25M; $35NM)

❑ Oral and Written Torah: Why Do We Need Both? ($25M; $35NM)

❑ The Poetry of Prayer ($25M; $35NM)

❑ Religion and Literature ($25M; $35NM)

❑ Your Space, My Space, Our Space: The Sabbath Prohibitions Through Halachic Eyes ($15M; $18NM)

❑ Adult B’nei Mitzvah ($100 fee in year of B’nei Mitzvah) ❑ Archeology of Israel and

Jerusalem (No fee)❑ Celebrate Spring in the Kitchen

($10)❑ A Close Look at Torah

(No fee M; $40 NM)❑ Current Politics | Wednesday,

March 18 (No fee M; $10 NM)❑ Current Politics | Wednesday,

May 20 (No fee M; $10 NM)❑ Drumming for Self-Renewal

Monday, March 30 ($10)❑ Drumming for Self-Renewal

Wednesday, May 6 ($10)

❑ Elisha and the Shunammite Woman; Samson and His Mother (No fee M; $15 NM)

❑ The Holocaust: The Lessons, the Legacy, and the Living($15 M; $10 NM)

❑ Illinois Holocaust Museum Tour admission only $18

❑ Illinois Holocaust Museum Tour admission plus box lunch $30

❑ Jewish Vaudeville (No fee)❑ Music of the Holocaust (No fee)❑ Spandex Hides More than Just a

Covenant: How Superheroes of Modernity Refl ect JewishIdentity and Values (No fee)

❑ Stained-Glass Art: A Tour of Jewish Chicago ($10)

❑ Understanding the Threat of Rising Antisemitism (No fee)

❑ What Does Judaism Have to Say about Pay Equity? (No fee)

❑ What is Your favorite Bubbe Meisse or Old Wives’ Tale?(No fee)

❑ Whiteness and Jewishness Thursday, May 7 (No fee)

❑ Whiteness and Jewishness Friday, May 8 (No fee)

❑ Why Can’t We Talk About It? (No fee)

M = Member Fee | NM = Non-member Fee

TOTAL AMOUNT $___________________________

Method of payment: ❑ Enclosed ❑ Bill my Beth Emet account (members only)

Signature: ____________________________________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN THISFORM WITH PAYMENT TO:

Beth Emet The Free SynagogueATTN: School O ce1224 Dempster StreetEvanston, Illinois 60202Phone 847-869-4230, ext. 308Fax 847-869-7830

M A K E AD O N AT I O N

Your tax-deductible donation tothe Beth Emet Adult Education

Fund will go a long way in support of our program.

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Documents

BE Adult Ed Spring 5780 0120 REV2 - Beth Emet€¦ · 14 A Close Look at Torah (continues through June 12) 14 Freud and Herzl: Neighbors from Diff erent Universes (continues February