The Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning at Wise is proud to present a new class coming in September: Jews In California—The Early Days.
Focusing on the “Eureka!” days of the California Gold Rush, to the disastrous 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the class—starting on Sept. 6—will center on San Francisco, the Northern California mother lode, and the role and experiences of Jews who built, sustained, and settled in those communities. The class will look at history and significant individuals who impacted that pivotal place and time.
The three-week class will meet weekly on Zoom, on Sept. 6, Sept. 13, and Sept. 20. You may choose to attend the Tuesday-morning sessions (10-11:30 a.m.) or the Tuesday-evening sessions (7-8:30 p.m.).
Stephen Wise Temple members must log in to receive special pricing. Zoom links will be emailed upon payment and confirmation. To register, and for more pricing information, click HERE.
The classes will be taught by one of the newest members of our Melton faculty at Wise, Rabbi Leslie Alexander.
About the Instructor: Rabbi Leslie Alexander has been teaching Melton classes for over 20 years. Her passion is Rabbinic literature, and introducing students to the real-life stories found in the text.
Rabbi Alexander was ordained in 1983 at HUC-JIR in New York. Prior to that, she attended the UJ (AJU) but could not seek ordination in the Conservative movement because it had not yet admitted women. A sixth-generation rabbi, Rabbi Alexander became the first woman to serve a major Conservative congregation in the world when she was appointed by Adat Ari El to be an Assistant and later Associate Rabbi. After moving to the Silicon Valley with her “techie” husband Ken, she served as a pulpit rabbi and as the Jewish Community Chaplain, visiting Jewish patients in eight different hospitals weekly. She is the mother of two grown daughters, Shira and Aliza and is the proud Savta of 2-year-old, Romi (for whom she and Ken moved back to Southern California).
