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MELTON & MORE 24-25
EXCITING MELTON NEWS!
Wise Temple Members Receive a 30% Price Reduction in all Remote and Hybrid Courses!
To register or learn more about Melton please contact our Melton School Director, Karen Goldenstein by email at [email protected] or by phone at 310.889.2291.
Early Fall Classes
Mussar Matters
Join Rabbi Karen Strok in a 3-week interactive Mussar course. We will cover some of the guiding principles of Mussar and spiritual practices that can make us even better versions of ourselves. It will be a meaningful way to prepare ourselves for our High Holidays during a season of reflection and spiritual renewal. Our text will be “Everyday Holiness” by Alan Morinis and we will have weekly reading assignments to enhance our learning.
3 sessions on Zoom only
Tuesdays 10:00 -11:00 a.m.
September 3, 10, 17
Israel Current Events
This course is designed to help students engage in dialogue about current events in Israel. Some conversations will be about Israel-specific matters and some conversations will be about how the current events of the world are impacting Israel.
As our source material for this course, we will use the “Daily Alert,” which is a project of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. It does not have a political agenda, but rather seeks to provide the reader multiple perspectives on currently relevant issues.
3 sessions on Zoom only
Tuesdays 7:00-8:30 p.m.
September 3, 10, 17
Fall Classes
Addressing the Challenges of Modernity
How has Jewish identity and religious expression been influenced by the historical and ideological developments of modernity? How has Judaism addressed hot-button topics like gender roles and intermarriage against the backdrop of 300 years of dramatic religious and social change? Delve into these topics and more in a fascinating 10-session study of the variety of voices that make up contemporary Judaism – where we are today, and how we got here.
10 Sessions Zoom only
Tuesdays 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
September 24- December 10
Taught by Rabbi Adam Schaffer
Israeli Literature as a Window to a Diverse and Vibrant Society
Encounter Israeli society through the pens of Israel’s leading writers, discovering voices that are original, frank, contemporary, and heartfelt. This course takes you on a literary journey offering a fresh and fascinating examination of Israeli society. Together, learners will read poetry and prose that is challenging and self-critical, gaining insights into the Israeli national psyche through written reflections on themes including longing for Zion, War, Peace, Immigration, Land and Identity. Learners will interpret, analyze, and simply appreciate the works of classic Israeli writers such as Leah Goldberg, Yehuda Amichai, Dalia Ravikovitch and Amos Oz, as well as voices from outside the mainstream that have emerged and paint a multidimensional picture of a proud and complex nation.
10 Sessions Zoom only
Tuesdays 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
September 24- December 10
Taught by Rabbi Shana Chandler Leon
Beyond Borders: The History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Part I
Examine maps, media documents, original speeches and the famous “Balfour Declaration” with new eyes, as we study the roots of the conflict between Jews and Arabs over the modern State of Israel. These 10 sessions encompass the return of the Jews to the land, the role of the British, the Cold War, the rise of Palestinian nationalism, the 1967 War, and the post-1967 vision for a “Greater Israel” — including the initial rise of Islamic fundamentalism. From religion and culture to history, politics, economics, identity, and survival, the material is designed to encourage discussion and debate, challenging learners to appreciate the basis of the claims made by all sides.
10 Sessions hybrid, choose to join in person or on Zoom.
Wednesdays 10:00 – 11:45 a.m.
September 11- December 11
Taught by Benzy Kogen
Winter Classes
Israeli Literature as a Window to a Diverse and Vibrant Society
Encounter Israeli society through the pens of Israel’s leading writers, discovering voices that are original, frank, contemporary, and heartfelt. This 10-lesson course takes you on a literary journey offering a fresh and fascinating examination of Israeli society. Together, learners will read poetry and prose that is challenging and self-critical, gaining insights into the Israeli national psyche through written reflections on themes including longing for Zion, War, Peace, Immigration, Land and Identity. Learners will interpret, analyze, and simply appreciate the works of classic Israeli writers such as Leah Goldberg, Yehuda Amichai, Dalia Ravikovitch and Amos Oz, as well as voices from outside the mainstream that have emerged and paint a multidimensional picture of a proud and complex nation.
10 Sessions Zoom only
Tuesdays 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
January 7 – March 11
Taught by Rabbi Shana Chandler Leon
Addressing the Challenges of Modernity
How has Jewish identity and religious expression been influenced by the historical and ideological developments of modernity? How has Judaism addressed hot-button topics like gender roles and intermarriage against the backdrop of 300 years of dramatic religious and social change? Delve into these topics and more in a fascinating 10-session study of the variety of voices that make up contemporary Judaism – where we are today, and how we got here.
10 Sessions Zoom only
Tuesdays 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
January 7 – March 11
Taught by Rabbi Adam Schaffer
Beyond Borders: The History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Part II
Delve into the complexities of the past half-century of the Arab-Israeli conflict, from the War of Attrition, that began post-1967, to present tensions. Analyzing newspaper articles, speeches, poems, photographs, and maps, we will trace the more recent history of this entrenched struggle. How did we get from 1973’s Yom Kippur War to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty? What was the value of the Oslo Accords? What has been the impact of more contemporary peace attempts? Together, we’ll leap into these complex topics, probing why a lasting peace between Israel and the Arab world has been so elusive and what developments might be next.
10 Sessions hybrid, choose to join in person or on Zoom.
Wednesdays 10:00 – 11:45 a.m.
January 8 – March 12
Taught by Benzy Kogen