“Fix a period for the study of Torah” Pirkei Avot 1: 15

Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County

FOUNDED IN 1977 IN MEMORY OF SAUL BENDIT

THE RABBISAMUEL SCOLNICADULT INSTITUTE

All classes are open to the public.There is no prerequisite–only a desire to participate, learn, and enjoy.

REGISTER ONLINE!!

Register NOW for the Early Bird Discount.

Deadline: March 21

SIX TUESDAY MORNINGSMarch 29; April 5, 12, and 26; May 3 and 10

SIX WEDNESDAY EVENINGSMarch 30; April 6, 13, and 27; May 4 and 11

NO CLASSES APRIL 19 AND 20

Spring 2016

The Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute,founded in 1977 in memory of Saul Bendit, is one of the leading synagogue-based adult education programs in the Washington, DC area. Now in its 39th year, the Institute has received national and international recognition. The Spring program, running for six weeks, comprises 10 courses offered Wednesday evenings beginning March 30, and four classes offered Tuesday mornings, beginning March 29. We are confident that you will find the courses interesting and informative.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSESWednesday Night Schedulewith Minyan/refreshment break from 8:20-8:40 pm

Tuesday Morning Schedulewith refreshment break from 10:50-11:10 am

If you need assistance or special accommodations in order to participate in the Adult Institute, please call 301-652-2606, ext. 349. A member of the Institute Committee will contact you. Designated parking spaces are available for persons with disabilities. Wheelchairs are available at the entrance to Beth El.

7:30 - 8:20 pm 8:40 - 9:30 pm

10:00 - 10:50 am 11:10 am - Noon

Secrets of the Passover HaggadahRabbi Fabián Werbin

Understanding Islam in the 21st Century

Rabbi Gregory Harris and GuestsMusic of the SephardimHazzan Matthew Klein and

Hazzan Abraham Lubin

Isaiah, Amos, Micah: Why Did These Prophets Matter Then? Why Now?

Rabbi Mindy Portnoy

Creating Judaism as a Religion Rabbi Evan Krame

An Introduction to Czech Jewish History

Michlean Lowy Amir and Guests Kabbalah and Tefillah

Dr. Jay McCrenskyThe Merchant of Venice and “the Jew

that Shakespeare Drew”Dr. Marissa Greenberg

Jews in Sports: Athletes and OthersPhilip Hochberg

Ultra-nationalist and Messianic Religious Zionism and the End Days

Dr. Richard Lederman

Isaiah, Amos, Micah: Why Did These Prophets Matter Then? Why Now?

Rabbi Mindy Portnoy

Jewish Letters as a Source for Jewish History

Dr. George Berlin

Ultra-nationalist and Messianic Religious Zionism and the End Days

Dr. Richard Lederman

The Book of Esther Gideon Amir

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Class Descriptions

The Haggadah is a book that we use two nights of the year at Pass-over and then we put aside until the next year. In it you may find in-credible hidden mysteries. How many plagues actually were there? Is Moses mentioned in the Haggadah? What languages are used in the Haggadah? What is the Afikoman? Come and discover secrets you will want to share with others at your Seder.

Secrets of the Passover HaggadahInstructor: Rabbi Fabián Werbin, Wednesday evening

The process of creating Judaism has never really ended. Until the exile in Babylon, the religion practiced by the in-dividual Jew seems to have been limited to the sacrificial rites at the Temple in Jerusalem. Only with the destruction of the First Temple and a temporary end to the dominant role of priests and sacrificial worship could the Jewish religion form and evolve. Challenging theological implica-tions are presented as we explore the history and evolu-tion of our religion. Sources for discussion will be found in the Tanakh, the Talmud, and historical texts.

Carl Schleicher, A Discussion on the Talmud, ca. 1860-1871, Wikimedia Commons.

Rabbinical Assembly, 1982.

Creating Judaism as a ReligionInstructor: Rabbi Evan Krame, Wednesday evening

Kabbalah Tree of Life. Photo credit: qchabad.org

This course will be a discussion and study group with the objective of helping each other to connect through Kabbalah with the tradi-tional liturgy and individual prayer. The first two sessions will cover the basic concepts and symbolism of Kabbalah.  We will discuss the themes of creation partnering, holiness, ethics/sin/repentance, and revelation.  The class will then explore core prayers of the Jewish service, applying the concepts and symbolism of Kabbalah in search of new meaning and meaningfulness, leading to enhanced spiritual connection and experience.

Kabbalah and TefillahInstructor: Dr. Jay McCrensky, Wednesday evening

The Music of the SephardimInstructors: Hazzan Matthew Klein and Hazzan Abraham Lubin, Wednesday evening

Explore the Sephardic tradition through one of its greatest leg-acies, its music. The class will examine Sephardic music from the Golden Age of Spain to the present, through the growth of Sephardi communities across Europe and the Middle East. We will study Sephardic liturgical practice, cantillation (trop), and the Ladino language, as well as modern developments in Sephardic music. This class will complement Beth El's upcoming congrega-tional trip to Spain, July 3-14, 2016. (Those interested in joining this trip should contact Hazzan Klein at mklein@bethelmc.org.)

Photo credit: arta.cz

Among the three Abrahamic faiths, Islam is the one about which we as American Jews know the least.  Newspapers are filled with reports about this religion, to which as many as 25 percent of the world’s population ascribe.  This course will bring in experts to address basic tenets of Islam and help us begin to understand the intersection of this religion with current events.

Understanding Islam in the 21st Century Instructor: Rabbi Gregory Harris and Guests, Wednesday evening

Isaiah, Amos, and Micah: Why Did These Prophets Matter Then? Why Now?Instructor: Rabbi Mindy Portnoy, Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening

The three most-quoted Biblical prophets are Isaiah, Amos, and Micah. We will examine the historical period in which they lived, the differences between seers and prophets, their roles as "revolutionaries", and their individual fates. We will pay spe-cial attention to the words of Isaiah used in the Haftarot and to his major themes, such as "light to the nations," messianism, centrality of Jerusalem, and economic and social justice. Our session on Amos will focus on his condemnation of the rich for their oppression of the poor, and his rebuke of the people for not keeping Torah properly. Micah alternates prophecies of impending punishment and eventual restoration. Our course will conclude with a discussion of whether and how these prophetic voices still affect us today, and the meaning(s) of "prophetic Judaism."

Michelangelo, Isaiah, 1509, Sistine Chapel.

Jews in Sports: Athletes and OthersInstructor: Philip Hochberg, Wednesday evening

We will look at the roles Jews have played in American sports: athletes, management, gov-ernance, and the media. First we will consider Jewish athletes with an emphasis on those who have local ties. Jews have made a major contribution to sports management, including local owners such as Abe Pollin, the Lerner family, and Dan Snyder. Until recently, four of the five Commissioners of the major profes-sional sports have been Jewish.  We will also discuss Jews in the sports media.Sandy Koufax. Photo credit: Associated Press.

Quran, Wikimedia Commons.

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Officially no Jews lived in Shakespeare's England, so how is it that his portrait of "the Jew" in The Mer-chant of Venice has had such power for more than four centuries? Participants will gain a better under-standing of the play's representation of Jews and Ju-daism. We will also review interpretations of the play by scholars and stage and film actors as anti- or phi-lo-Semitic. Each session will explore one act of The Merchant of Venice. Participants may use an online or printed edition of the play to prepare for each ses-sion. The course title is based on a quote attributed to Alexander Pope. NOTE: This class will begin on April 6. The class will meet for an extra 10 minutes (8:40 PM -

9:40 PM) each week. Registrants may attend another class of their choosing on March 30.

Mark Nelson as Shylock in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Merchant of Ven-ice, 2011. Photo credit: Scott Suchman.

The Merchant of Venice and “the Jew that Shakespeare Drew”Instructor: Dr. Marissa Greenberg, Wednesday evening

Jewish history in the Czech lands goes back a thousand years. A rich cultural life began to flourish toward the end of the 17th century. This course, co-sponsored by the Embassy of the Czech Republic, will focus on the 19th and 20th cen-turies with a session dedicated to the mysterious Jewish leg-ends of Prague, including lesser known works of Franz Kafka. There will be a session on the Precious Legacy exhibit of the early 1980's and one on the Holocaust years. The closing ses-sion will deal with the recently completed “Ten Stars” project - the renovation of ten old synagogues located throughout the Czech Republic. Guest experts include University of Maryland Professor of Modern Jewish History Marsha Rozenblit, Project Judaica Foun-dation head Mark Talisman, and Czech Cultural Attaché, Dr. Robert Řehák.

Old-New Synagogue, Prague, Czech Republic, Wikimedia Commons.

An Introduction to Czech Jewish HistoryInstructor: Michlean Lowy Amir and Guests, Wednesday evening

This class will explore the growth of the Israeli West Bank settler movement and how ultra-nationalist Zionism and messianic religious Zionism have combined to foster ex-tremist tendencies in Israel. We will examine how the furor over the status of the Temple Mount among Jewish Zionists here and in Israel, as well as the interplay between American Evangelical Christian Zionists and Temple Mount activists in Israel, have also contributed to this apocalyptic world view. The course will make use of the insights of the prominent American-Israeli journalist Gershom Gorenberg, as well as Israeli and American media sources.

Ultra-nationalist and Messianic Religious Zionism and the End DaysInstructor: Dr. Richard Lederman, Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening

Temple Mount, 2009, Wikimedia Commons.

EARLY ALERT FOR Fall 2016Fall semester dates are Tuesday/Wednesday, November 1 and 2 through

December 13 and 14, 2016. (No classes November 22 and 23)

InstructorsGIDEON AMIR, born in Holland to Holocaust survivors, grew up in Israel. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Hebrew University and the Weizmann Institute of Science after serv-ing in the military, and has taught extensively at the college level in Israel and in the U.S. He completed a Master's Degree in Judaic Stud-ies at Baltimore Hebrew University. Mr. Amir has been teaching Bible and a variety of Jewish subjects at area synagogues and churches,

Osher Lifetime Learning Institute at the Johns Hopkins University, Oasis, the Melton program, and the Foundation for Jewish Studies.

MICHLEAN LOWY AMIR, a graduate of the Jewish Theolog-ical Seminary and Northeastern University where she majored in history, holds a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Simmons College. She has worked at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum since 1998 and is now the Reference Coordinator for the Museum's Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center. She has taught Israeli literature at other places including George Mason University.

Most modern scholars believe that the Book of Esther is a fable and not “real history.” Nevertheless, this book is so important that Maimonides says that when all other Biblical books are forgotten, the Book of Esther will still be remembered. In this class we will read selections from the text, and go more deeply into nuances in the text that usually are skipped in Purim dis-cussions and sermons. In particular, we will see what we can learn about Esther, not only as a heroine who saved the Jews from disaster, but also as a private person.

The Book of EstherInstructor: Gideon Amir, Tuesday morning

The vast literature of letters that Jews have written over the centu-ries is an invaluable source of information for Jewish history.  We will examine a selection of these letters covering a time span from ancient to modern times, and see what light they shed on Jewish life. Among the sources that we will study are the prophet Jeremi-

ah's letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylonia, Hasdai ibn Shaprut's letter to the king of the Khazars, several of the letters of Maimonides, and Lord Arthur Balfour's letter to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain that contributed to a major transforma-tion in Jewish fate.

Jewish Letters as a Source for Jewish HistoryInstructor: Dr. George Berlin, Tuesday morning

Edwin Long, Queen Esther, 1878, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

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She has written many book reviews on contemporary American Jewish and Israeli liter-ature as well as Holocaust literature and she has taught in our Adult Institute. She is a long-time member of Beth El who has family roots in the Czech Republic.

DR. GEORGE BERLIN is professor emeritus at the Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University where he taught for almost 40 years. He received his B.A. degree from Harvard College and earned graduate degrees from Columbia University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and St. Mary's University. His research specialty is American Jewish History; he has written a number of studies in this field including the book Defending the Faith: Nineteenth Century

American Jewish Writings on Christianity and Jesus. Dr. Berlin has taught in our Adult Institute.

DR. MARISSA GREENBERG is Associate Professor of English at the University of New Mexico, where she teaches courses in Re-naissance English literature and culture. She is author of Metropolitan Tragedy: Genre, Justice, and the City in Early Modern England (Univer-sity of Toronto Press, 2015) and recipient of a prestigious Faculty Re-search Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This year Dr. Greenberg is conducting research at the Folger Shakespeare

Library in Washington, DC. She is presenting this research, which focuses on Shake-speare and adaptations of his plays (for example, Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story), at several national and international venues.

RABBI GREGORY HARRIS, Head Rabbi of Beth El, joined the Beth El community in 2002. He was ordained at the Jewish Theolog-ical Seminary, where he received a Master’s Degree in Jewish Educa-tion. Rabbi Harris received his B.A. in Political Science from American University. He is a Past President of the Washington Board of Rabbis and teaches throughout the community. Rabbi Harris has been a Schusterman Rabbinic PEER Fellow and a Washington Partnership

Fellow.  He has taught in our Adult Institute since joining Beth El.  Rabbi Harris is also the 2015 recipient of the Matthew Simon Rabbinic Award given by the Jewish Federa-tion for leadership in the broader Jewish community.

PHILIP HOCHBERG is an attorney who has established a broad Washington practice, specializing in the representation of pro-fessional and collegiate sports leagues, conferences, and teams. He is a frequent speaker at sports seminars and on university campuses, and has taught communications courses at the University of Mary-land and American University. He is also a lecturer at the Osher Life-time Learning Institute at the Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Hoch-

berg does public address announcing at sporting events and was the first baseball and last football stadium announcer in the 54 years of Washington, DC's RFK Stadium.  In addition, he was the announcer for eight Presidential Inaugural Parades from 1973 through 2009, and in 2013, he was inducted into the DC Sports Hall of Fame.

HAZZAN MATTHEW KLEIN is the Cantor of Congregation Beth El. Hazzan Klein was invested at the Jewish Theological Semi-nary, where he also received a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music and concentrated in Pastoral Care & Counseling. He received his B.A. in Music summa cum laude from the College of William & Mary in Virgin-ia. He completed a term as the cantorial representative to the Com-mittee on Jewish Law and Standards and was recently named to the

Cantors Assembly’s Executive Council. He is dual-affiliated with Aleph: Alliance for Jew-ish Renewal. Hazzan Klein recently became a singer with the long-time Washington klezmer group, Machaya. He has taught and mentored students at cantorial schools across the denominational spectrum and has taught in our Adult Institute since joining Beth El in 2011.

RABBI EVAN KRAME, currently serving as Adjunct Rabbi at Beth El, was ordained by the ALEPH rabbinic program in January, 2015. He has also completed training as a spiritual advisor through the ALEPH Hashpa’ah program, developing skills in spiritual direction and engaging adults and seniors. Rabbi Krame has been a service leader and educator throughout the Maryland Jewish community. His first and continuing career is as an estates and trusts lawyer. He

is a graduate of the National Law Center at The George Washington University and holds a Master’s in taxation. A member of Beth El, Rabbi Krame has been honored by the Jewish Federation as Campaigner of the Year, and by Hillel International with the Exemplar of Excellence Award.

DR. RICHARD LEDERMAN spent 30 years in Jewish com-munal service, most recently as Director of Public Policy and Social Action and Executive Director of the Seaboard Region of The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. He holds a B.A. in Religion and a Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literature. Dr. Leder-man has been on the faculty of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning (formerly the Melton Adult Mini-School) and Me’ah,

an intensive adult Jewish learning program at Boston’s Hebrew College, and most recently in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the Johns Hopkins University. He currently serves as adjunct professor in the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies program at Georgetown University and the English Department at Montgomery College, teach-ing courses on Bible, mythology, and the study of religion, and has taught in our Adult Institute.

HAZZAN ABRAHAM LUBIN, the Hazzan Emeritus of Beth El, continues to be active in the general Jewish community. He has officiated at the High Holiday services and other services for the past five years in Washington DC, Cincinnati, and Annapolis. He is Secre-tary of the Cantors Assembly Foundation and a past president of the Cantors Assembly. Hazzan Lubin was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He

holds a "hazzan" degree from Jews' College, London, and an MM degree from DePaul University. He lectures on Jewish music, taught at Spertus College in Chicago, and has

The Rabbi Samuel Scolnic adulT inSTiTuTe commiTTee

Founded in 1977 in memory of Saul BenditJack Ventura, Chair • Al Fox, Chair Emeritus z"l

Stanley Baldinger • Steven Frank • Sara Gordon • Marilyn Hammerman • Rabbi Gregory Harris • Mindy Hecker • Miriam Israel • Ilene Jacobowitz • Hazzan Matthew Klein • Rita Kopin • Rhoda Nichaman • Irwin Pernick • Beverly Ross • Mark Schifrin • David Schultz • Judy Scolnic • Howard Stein • Ginger Teitel • Stephanie Ventura • Rabbi Fabián Werbin • Lew Winarsky

performed in concerts in the US, Canada, Israel and the former Soviet Union. Hazzan Lubin served as editor of The Journal of Synagogue Music for ten years and is the recipi-ent of numerous awards and recognition from the Cantors Assembly.

DR. JAY McCRENSKY has taught Kabbalah courses for over 20 years and is a leading speaker on Kabbalah in the Washington/Balti-more area. He teaches Introduction to Judaism in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the honors college of the University of Maryland system. He is a Board member of The Jewish Study Center in Washington, DC, where he also teaches adult education courses on Kabbalah, and conducts

a drop-in weekly Zohar and Kabbalah study group, open to all. Dr. McCrensky holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies, concentrating in Kabbalah and Jewish philosophy from the Baltimore Hebrew University/Towson University. He is author of the books Understand-ing Evil and Ethics through Kabbalah (2000, 2014) and Receiving Holiness: Understanding Judaism through Kabbalah (2013).

RABBI MINDY PORTNOY, currently serving as Adjunct Rabbi at Beth El, has been a Rabbi with Temple Sinai for 25 years and is now Rabbi Emerita. She previously was Director of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation at American University, and an originator and former national co-coordinator of the Women’s Rabbinic Network (WRN). Rabbi Portnoy, a graduate of Yale University, was ordained in June 1980 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

in New York City where she also received an MA in Hebrew literature. She has been among the pioneers for women in the rabbinate. Among her various publications are five children's books, including Ima on the Bima (My Mommy is a Rabbi). She has taught at The American University, in our Adult Institute, in Beth El Sisterhood’s Rosh Chodesh program and at other local venues. 

RABBI FABIÁN WERBIN joined Beth El as Associate Rabbi in the summer of 2015. He was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argen-tina. He completed two undergraduate degrees, in Bible and in Jew-ish Thought, from Haifa University in Israel. He received his rabbinic ordination in 2003 from the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires. Most recently, he served for seven years as Rabbi of Beth Israel Synagogue in Roanoke, Virginia, and he holds certification

as an elementary and high school teacher. He has taught in our Adult Institute and is also teaching Bible and Introductory Judaism classes at Beth El.

REGISTRATION AND OTHER INFORMATION

DATES FOR SPRING TERM: Classes will meet at Beth El on six Tuesday mornings, March 29; April 5, 12, and 26; and May 3 and 10; and six Wednesday evenings, March 30; April 6, 13, and 27; and May 4 and 11. There are no classes April 19 and 20. All classrooms are fully accessible by elevator.

REGISTRATION FORM: Please register online at: http://www.bethelmc.org or complete and return the form below with your remittance. Online registration is available for members and non-members.

REMITTANCE: If registering online, follow payment instructions. If registering by mail, please make check payable to BETH EL.

IMPORTANT: FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT, PAYMENT FOR REGISTRATION MUST BE RECEIVED EITHER ONLINE OR BY MAIL, BY MARCH 21.

PLEASE MAKE A NOTE of the courses for which you register; registration acknowledgments are not sent.

MINIMUM REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT: Ten students.

THE EVENING MINYAN WILL START AT 8:20 PM (rather than 8:00) on evenings when Institute classes are scheduled.

QUESTIONS? Call 301-652-8569, ext. 349, or send an emailto: samuelscolnic@bethelmc.org

RABBI SAMUEL SCOLNIC (1923-2012) z”l served as Beth El’s first full-time Rabbi for 32 years, and as Rab-bi Emeritus until his death in 2012. He founded the Saul Bendit Adult Institute and taught in the Institute from its inception in the Fall of 1977. Rabbi Scolnic held ad-vanced degrees from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was the founder and first President of the National Association of Retired Conservative Rabbis. He taught and lectured widely at area synagogues and at the Isaac Franck Jewish Public Library and other venues. Rabbi Scolnic received the Sheva R. and Marver R. Bernstein Master Teacher Award from the Foundation for Jewish Studies. It was Rabbi Scolnic’s vision that launched the Saul Bendit Adult Institute, now known as the Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute.

Saul Bendit (1913-1976) z”l was a resident of our Washington community for 37 years and an active participant in both Jewish and non-Jewish affairs. He had a deep love for Jewish culture and was very proud of his people and his faith. We are deeply indebted to his late wife Tanya and their family for underwriting the Adult Institute.

The Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult InstituteFounded in 1977 in memory of Saul Bendit

Course Fee Information—Early Bird registration – payment must be received by March 21, 2016:Wednesday evening classes: • Each 6-week, 50-minute course (or five 1-hour sessions).......$35/member; $40/nonmember

Tuesday morning classes: • Each 6-week, 50-minute course ……………………………$30/member; $35/nonmember

Regular registration – payment received on March 22 or later:Wednesday evening classes: • Each 6-week, 50-minute course (or five 1-hour sessions).......$40/member; $45/nonmember

Tuesday morning classes: • Each 6-week, 50-minute course ………………………… $35/member; $40/nonmember

REGISTRATION INFORMATION REGISTER ONLINE OR COMPLETE THIS FORM — Please Print

Registrant(s) home address:

Address

City State Zip + 4 -

Home Phone

Please register me (us) for the following course(s)

1. Registrant’s name_____________________________ Beth El member? ____

Course(s) Tues, AM $ _____

Tues, AM $ _____

Wed, PM $ _____

Wed, PM $ _____

For urgent class information: E-mail

Phone:

2. Registrant’s name_____________________________ Beth El member? ____

Course(s) Tues, AM $ _____

Tues, AM $ _____

Wed, PM $ _____

Wed, PM $ _____

For urgent class information: E-mail

Phone:

Enclosed is a check, payable to BETH EL, for a total of: $ _____________

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