A community partnership for adult Jewish learning with
Congregation Bet Ha’am, Temple Beth El, Sha’arey Tphiloh, Etz Chaim Synagogue - Portland, Congregation Etz Chaim – Biddeford, Beth Israel Congregation - Bath, and the Jewish Community Alliance (JCA)
SPRING 2019 – FALL 2019 Courses
Advanced registration required.
Courses are offered with a suggested tuition.
For more information and to register, please visit WWW.SHALOMME.COM, scroll down to the course listings below, or call (207) 772-1959.
Courses subject to change or cancellation pending minimum enrollment.
HOST ORGANIZATIONS:
Beth Israel Congregation
862 Washington Street
Bath
(207) 443-4606
www.bethisraelbath.org
Congregation Bet Ha’am
81 Westbrook Street
South Portland
(207) 879-0028
www.bethaam.org
Temple Beth El
400 Deering Avenue
Portland
(207) 774-2649
www.tbemaine.org
Jewish Community Alliance
1342 Congress Street
Portland
(207) 772-1959
www.mainejewish.org
Israeli & International Folk Dance
With Barbara Merson
Thursdays: May 23, 30; June 6, 20, 27 (skip June 13)
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Temple Beth El - 400 Deering Ave., Portland
Suggested tuition: $50
5 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: May 20
This is an Israeli and international folk dance class for beginners, including basic Israeli dances and dances from Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania and other countries. Physical level will be tailored to the class -- there are plenty of lovely dances with beautiful music that are not strenuous. This is also a great way for people who are interested in Israeli dance to see some of its roots.
Jewish Songs For Everyone
With Russell Kaback
Wednesdays: May 29; June 5,12,19
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: Congregation Bet Ha'am - 81 Westbrook St., South Portland
Suggested tuition: $26
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: May 23
Students will learn a repertoire of songs from Jewish sources, including songs for children, shabbat songs, Israeli songs, songs in English, Hebrew and Yiddish, modern songs, songs of the Holocaust, and more. For singers of all abilities, no experience necessary! A CD of songs will be included. The aim is for you to become familiar with the great wealth of Jewish songs and to bring them into your life.
Jewish Voices in Russian Literature
With Alyssa Gillespie
Sundays: June 16, 25; July 7, 14 (skip June 23)
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Beth Israel Congregation - 862 Washington St., Bath
Suggested tuition: $54
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: June 12
An introduction to several major Jewish-Russian poets and writers from the pre-Revolutionary era to the present. This course will focus on short works by Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938), Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), Isaac Babel (1894-1940), Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996), and Ludmila Ulitskaya (1943- ). We will explore how these great Russian-language writers express their ambiguous identities as both Russian and Jew, both insider and outsider, thereby claiming their rightful place in the Russian literary canon.
A Taste of Mussar
With Barbara Merson
Tuesdays: June 18, 25; July 2, 9
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Congregation Bet Ha'am - 81 Westbrook St., South Portland
Suggested tuition: $54
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: June 13
A Taste of Mussar is a four week course curriculum that has been developed by the Mussar Institute as an entry to learning about the tradition of Mussar learning and practice that has engaged and helped people for centuries. In a nutshell, Mussar practice developed in the 19th century and focuses on "soul work" using middot (virtues or values) and texts to illuminate our how we live our lives through values. The first week focuses on the history and principles of Mussar practice, the next two weeks focus on specific middot, and the final week looks at texts and practices.
Einstein & Oppenheimer
With David Hecht
Sundays: June 30; July 7, 14
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Temple Beth El - 400 Deering Ave., Portland
Suggested tuition: $36
3 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: June 26
This course looks at two of the most famous Jewish scientists: Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer. Einstein is perhaps the most well-known scientist in history, and Oppenheimer earned widespread fame for this role as the “father of the atomic bomb.” Class sessions will explore their scientific achievements, political involvement, and cultural legacies. We will also look at the role that Judaism had in each of their lives, as well as the ways that anti-Semitism affected their careers.
Create Your Own Ceramic Judaica
With Toby Rosenberg
Wednesdays: July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug. 7
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: JCA - 1342 Congress St., Portland
Suggested tuition: $90 - Materials fee (required): $40
6 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 6 /Max. 10
Registration deadline: June 28
During this six week class students will create Judaic objects from stoneware clay using hand building methods. Each making class will focus on a different Judaic object and the last class will be used for glazing. Handbuilding techniques and surface decoration will be taught in each session. This class is open to beginners as well as experienced ceramicists.
Toby Rosenberg is a professional potter who has made her living creating and teaching pottery since 1975. She has taught at the JCA, Center Day Camp, her own studio and at local schools. Much of her work is Judaic. See www.tobyrosenberg.com
Materials fee includes 25 lb of clay, glazes, use of tools, and kiln firing.
Introduction to Holocaust Education
With David Greenham
Tuesdays: July 16, 23, 30
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Congregation Bet Ha'am - 81 Westbrook St., South Portland
Suggested tuition: $36
3 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: July 11
The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC) reaches nearly 4,000 secondary school students throughout Maine with its free educational outreach. This class will focus on the programs and lessons we teach, as well as information about our partners: Facing History and Ourselves, Teaching Tolerance (Southern Poverty Law Center), and Echoes and Reflections (Yad Vashem), among others.
Famous (& Favorite) Disputes in the Talmud
With Zoë Lang
Sundays: July 21, 28; August 4, 18 (skip August 11)
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Temple Beth El - 400 Deering Ave., Portland
Suggested tuition: $54
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: July 17
This course will present a survey of Talmudic texts that feature disputes. We will see rabbis arguing with rabbis, rabbis arguing with Romans, and even rabbis arguing with God. Who will reign supreme? Come find out how the Talmud presents the art of the dispute!
Jewish Genealogy: How to find good sources for 'your' history
With Harris Gleckman
Wednesdays: September 11, 18, 25; October 2, 16, 23, 30 (skip October 9)
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Location: Congregation Bet Ha'am - 81 Westbrook St., South Portland
Suggested tuition: $65
7 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: September 6
Week 1 : Start with the living members of your family
Week 2 : Using government records and Ancestry.com
Week 3 : Using Documenting Maine Jewry records, part I
Week 4 : Connecting genes to the community : Documenting Maine Jewry resources part II
Week 5 : Historical context
Week 6 : Going back 2, 3, 4 generations with JewishGen – introduction, Part I
Week 7: Going back 2, 3, 4 generations with JewishGen – Part II
American Jewish History
With Anna Wrobel
Wednesdays: October 16, 23, 30; November 6, 13
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Temple Beth El - 400 Deering Ave., Portland
Suggested tuition: $72
5 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: October 11
This course will delve into a textual analysis of primary documents related to the more than four century span of American Jewish history; some secondary literature will be used to provide context. Discussion will be guided by Anna Wrobel, an American historian and teacher to connect the variety of factors involved in each epoch of Jews in America.
Jews, Baseball & Social Justice
With Paul Linet
Wednesdays: October 16, 23, 30; November 6
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Beth Israel Congregation - 862 Washington St., Bath
Suggested tuition: $54
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: October 11
This course focuses on the under publicized story of the efforts of a Jewish politician to force the Boston Red Sox to integrate BEFORE Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Teaching Jewish Values Through Film
With Barbara Merson
Thursdays: October 17, 24, 31; November 7, 14, 21
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: JCA - 1342 Congress St., Portland
Suggested tuition: $86
6 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: October 11
This course will look at Jewish values (both mitzvot – commandments or good deeds, and middot – values or virtues) by using film examples. Some of the films will be features, some will be shorter films. The first session will frame the discussion and all films will be followed by analysis and discussion facilitated by the instructor.