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Course Description

8th Grade Core Course: Confronting the Shoah

Yedida Eisenstadt

We will study the Holocaust, not simply to know a piece of history, but to evaluate how this piece of history affects who we are.  In order to understand what the loss of six million European Jews really means, we will first become acquainted with the Jews in Europe before the Holocaust.  Who were these Jews?  Where did they live?  What was important to them?  What were their identities?  Next, we will examine how Hitler came to power and orchestrated the murder of six million Jews and the destruction of the European Jewish community.  By the end of the class, we will ask: what lessons do we draw?  If the Holocaust does indeed change us, how does it transform us as Jews?  Americans?  Human beings?

9th Grade Core Course: Ten Jewish Texts Everybody Should Know

Mick Fine

In this course students read, analyze, discuss, and build on some of the most interesting texts our tradition has to offer.  Students experience working in hevruta (partner-pair style learning) when learning Torah, Tanakh, Midrash, Classical, Medieval, and Modern commentary.  This class will present students with new perspectives on ancient ideas, and asks the students to seriously consider what it all means to them in 2012.

Things That Go Bump in the Night: Jewish Demons and Ghosts

Roni Tabick

Dybbuks, golems, and demons, magic and necromancy, Samael the fallen angel, and Ashmedai, King of the Demons.  Learn about the dark underbelly of Jewish folktales and mythology, as we explore why people believe in demons and ghosts, and what we can learn from it today/

Sod: Jewish Mysteries, Jewish Mysticism

Josh Schwartz

Have you ever wanted to know the secret of the universe?  What do you imagine such a secret would be worth?  Could just any old schmoe walk on up and learn it?  Esotericism is a term used to refer to a hidden discourse, a conversation that is only accessible to certain individuals, those with the requisite wisdom and understanding to be able to tolerate the great responsibility of possessing such magisterial secrets,  This course will present the student with an introduction to what is commonly referred to as "Kabbalah," a term which literally means, "received tradition," but most often refers to this hidden, mysterious conversation that has been continued throughout Jewish history.  We will look at texts from the earliest layers of Jewish textual history until today, which enters the reader (or listener) into this most secretive discourse.  And at the end of this class, so will you (or will you!??!?!)

Course Titles

Course Descriptions

10th Grade Core Course: Modern Jewish History

Jessica Kirzane

The 18th Century radically changed the ways in which Jews believed, practiced their religion, related to non-Jews, got married, educated their children, earned a living, fought their battles, organized their communities, and understood what it meant to be a Jew.  What were the key events and ideas that precipitated these changes?  How successful were the innovative moments and "isms" that modern Jews created in response?  In this seminar we will focus on primary sources and texts to explore and evaluate these issues, and we will think about how the questions of the past apply to our lives today.

11th Grade Core Course: G-d-Wrestling: Thinking Through Jewish Theology

Josh Schwartz

G-d.  For such a core element of what it means to be a Jew, G-d is rarely included in far too many contexts to count here.  We are commanded to declare our belief in the Holy One twice daily, every morning and evening, and yet G-d barely receives a mention when Judaism is discussed.  The aims of this course are dual: 1) to present major thinkers in the field of Jewish theology and the ideas they propounded and 2) to make Theo-Logy (literally, G-d talk) a discourse that is not only understandable, but compelling and relevant to thinkers (that's you!) today.  Students will be challenged to not only identify philosophers with their ideas, but also to present (and identify) what they themselves believe.  In this class, you will not only larn about philosophers, you will become one yourself.

12th Grade Core Course: Israel: Our Shared Vision

Mick Fine

In this course students explore Jewish history, 2000+ years, including the destruction of the Holy Temple. the diaspora, and how those influenced modern Zionism.  Student will learn about the visionaries--Herzl, Borochov, Ehad Ha'am, Jabotinsky, and others.  As a class, we will see how those ideals and agendas have led to contemporary Israeli society, showing different Zionist ideals and the realities that are conflicted with those ideals.

The Tenth Trial: How to Read and Interpret Bible Stories

Yedida Eisenstadt

The story of the "binding of Isaac" is one of the best known stories in the Torah.  But, like so many of the best biblical narratives, there is plenty of ambiguity in the story--leaving it open to many different interpretations.  In our reading of the story, we will develop a sensitivity to the unique ways the Bible tells stories and also examine some of the ways it has been understood over the generations.  Was this really a test of Abraham or rather of Isaac?  How old was Isaac, and how does that change our understanding of the story?  Why on earth would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son?  Did God really plan to go through with it?  Would Abraham really have killed his beloved son?  These are just some of the questions we will ask along with the question of why this story is so important to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

More than Manuscripts: Making Jewish Art with Words

Abigail Teller

What is a cartoon without its caption?  What is a caption without its cartoon?  Pirkei Avotteaches that G-d created the world with only ten words, so it is no surprise that words are a constant presence in many Jewish art forms, most famously illuminated manuscripts.  In this class, students will learn to communicate visually as they experience the work of artists, like Abraham Judah of Camerino, the scribe of the Rothschild Mahzor, feminist collage artist Barbara Kruger, and multimedia painter Anselm Kiefer.  We will look at, learn about, and actually make our own works in the manner of the artists themselves.  We will explore sources ranging from mahzorim to magazines, using everything from paints to projectors, to investigate the mixing of text and image in both representative and conceptual Jewish art.  Most importantly, this class will enable students to integrate and cultivate their personal, Jewish, and artistic lives

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Course Description

Hebrew

Hebrew Faculty

We will be offering up to six different levels of Hebrew language classes from beginner to very advanced.  Students will work to improve their reading, grammar, writing, and speaking skills.  Various materials will be used, including modern Hebrew passages, computer-based work, and creative projects, to get students to practice their Hebrew speaking skills.  Students are expected to do one hour of Hebrew homework per week to ensure progress.

Beit Midrash Course

Josh Schwartz

Beit Midrash means "house of seeking."  Each week, we'll get together and confront selections from Jewish texts to seek out the meaning and relevance in these ancient words to our own lives.  What am I doing in this world?  How should I relate to the people around me?  What is God?  What is beautiful?  What is evil?  All of these questions and more will be on the table.  Students will prepare texts in hevrutot (pairs) and then come together for a shiur (lesson) with the teacher.  Come seek.  All texts will be provided in Hebrew and English translation.

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Course Description

L'Mad Teacher Preparation Course

Mick Fine

In this course, open to only 11th and 12th graders, students will get training as educators, that will be ready to serve as Hebrew school teachers and Jewish educators.  Students will learn cutting-edge education practices, learn from guest speakers, and participate in a practicum, providing them with the knowledge and field work necessary to let them work in a classroom.

Looking at Your Body Through Jewish Eyes

Daniel Kirzane

Lose weight!  Treat yourself!  Stay thin!  Take a break!  We constantly receive confusing messages about what we should be doing with our bodies, and society often cares more about how we look than our physical health.  How do we know, then, what's ultimately good for us physically and emotionally?  As a religion deeply concerned with the human body and our relationships with our bodies, Judaism has much to say on this topic.  Students in this course will explore issues important to them, focusing on body image and staying healthy.  Topics may include inner beauty and outer beauty, sexual attraction and activity, healthy eating, exercise, and more.

National Sin and Responsibility

Yedida Eisenstadt

When Moses was delayed in returning to the newly freed Israelites after the giving of the Torah, the nation, desirous of a leader, decided to fashion a golden calf, "to go before them," to lead them.  In this class, we will study not only the details of the narrative, but also multiple layers of its interpretation, each of which understands the underlying tensions of the story differently than the next.  What was the nature of this "sin?"  Who was responsible?  And how was it ultimately resolved?  Our study will also examine more generally how biblical narratives are interpreted in multiple different ways, by ancient, medieval, and modern interpreters, and the ramifications of these dramatically different interpretations for our understanding of biblical history and the figures and characters involved therein.

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Course Description

Jews and The Civil Rights Movement

Jessica Kirzane

This course offers and in-depth exploration of Jewish participation in the Civil Rights Movement and the complex issues of power, responsibility, justice, activism, fear, and pride that accompanied the Jewish experience of this tumultuous time in American history.  Through role plays and examination of primary sources, we will seek to understand the fabled Black-Jewish Alliance and its decline, compare and contrast Jewish dilemmas in the American Northern and Southern states, examine the role of the Civil Rights Movement as it influenced liberation movements within the Jewish community, and consider what civil rights and social justice issues matter for us in our own lives.

Green Judaism 101

Mick Fine

What does Judaism have to say about the way we treat our natural world?  How does the Torah view animal-human relationships?  As a class we will try to answer these and other questions, using the Torah, Talmud, medieval and modern commentary.

Movies, Morals, and Maimonides

Roni Tabick

Did Darth Vader do real teshuvah (repentance)?  Is Batman right that it is not what you say but what you do that counts?  How does The Matrix rate on Rambam's rules of prophecy and the Messiah?  In this class we will explore the Rambam's Mishneh Torah through the lens of a range of different movies.  We'll watch, read, discuss, and argue!