Wise is a proud center for the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning. Hundreds of adult students have experienced the transformational learning that is the hallmark of this enriching program. The term ‘transformational’ is used to describe the Melton experience because its goal is not merely to pump more facts into the learners’ brains, but to change and enrich their self-understanding of what it means to be a Jew.

I relish encountering ideas that transform my thinking about issues. When my assumptions are challenged and my understanding about something is broadened and deepened, I feel like I go forward encountering the world and other people differently. As this is Black History Month, I’d like to call on our community to take some time to engage in transformational learning about the Black historical experience in this country. If your last encounter with American history was middle or high school—well, there’s a lot more to learn. Even if you’ve done some studying since then, our current perspectives on the Black experience in this country have changed dramatically. Fortunately, there is an abundance of media that can offer us transformative learning about the Black experience and in so doing, provide insights into both the Black Jewish and broader Jewish American experience.

Here are just a few recommendations:
  • The 2022 film “Till” dramatizes the astounding miscarriage of justice that led to the murder of Emmet Till and the exoneration of his killers.
  • The 1619 Project (podcast, documentary on Hulu, book) provides a perspective on Black history from the first enslavement of Blacks on the North American continent to the present moment. It has met with much controversy and is certainly not beyond criticism, but it surfaces important areas of Black American history that few of us learned in our cursory American history classes.
  • The book “The New Jim Crow” is Michelle Alexander’s examination of mass incarceration and its effects, an examination that proves disturbing and eye opening.
  • There are many movies that capture aspects of Black American history that are notable for bringing to light heretofore unrecognized events and circumstances. However, those same movies have been criticized for their overemphasis on the role of whites in actualizing Black success. As you view movies like “The Help,” “Hidden Figures,” and “Green Book,” consider these criticisms and challenge yourself to think how the stories might have been told differently to be less “Hollywood” and more reflective of the authentic Black experience.
  • Here’s a longer reading list for those who’d like to gain a deeper understanding of the Black American historical experience through Black eyes.

The Melton style of teaching encourages the learner to enter into a “trialogue” with the material. The three voices are the learner, the material, and the teacher. Should you decide to encounter any of the recommendations above or others of your own choosing, invite someone to learn with you. Discuss the material and reflect on the way it challenges assumptions you both might have. It is my hope that this foray into an area that many of us have not engaged in too deeply will provide the kinds of transformative insights that are both enriching and deeply rewarding.

—Rabbi Ron Stern