Category: Education

Something new is coming this March…

Instead of a single scholar in residence, the Jewish Education and Enlightenment Program will feature three stimulating speakers exploring the worlds of modern Israel; medieval Spain, Egypt and Palestine; and twentieth century Italy.

SIGN UP FOR SHABBAT DINNER AND/OR LUNCH ON SATURDAY HERE.

 Friday night, March 11 begins with Shabbat dinner at 6:00 pm, followed by a Shabbat service with presentation by Olga Markus.  “My Israel: A Land of Miracles, Inspiration and Complexity”.

Ms. Markus holds a M.A. in Russian Language and Literature, from Kiev State Pedagogical University,  an advanced diploma in Jewish Education and an M.A. in Religious Education from the University of London,and currently works at the Council of Jewish Emigre Community Organizations (COJECO) the central hub for the Russian-speaking Jewish community of New York.

Saturday morning, March 12, 2016,  a presentation by Liran Yadgar at 10:30, followed by a dairy luncheon at noon.

“The Jewish Game of Hearts” Judah HaLevi’s Voyage from Spain to the Holy Land

Liran Yadgar received his BA and MA from Tel Aviv University, and is a post graduate teaching fellow in the Judaic Studies Program at Yale University, and a Ph.D. Candidate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. He will discuss, through a study of the poet’s letters and verse, the decision of the great poet and philosopher, Judah HaLevi to leave the Islamic west and emigrate to Palestine during the twelfth century. Following the route of Judah HaLevi’s travels in the Mediterranean will allow us to learn of Jewish life between the Islamic rule in Spain and Egypt and the Crusader holdings in Palestine.

Sunday morning, March 13, 2016, bagel brunch at 10:00, followed by Dr. Philip Balma’s presentation at 10:30.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Italian Jews in Mussolini’s Film Industry (and Beyond)

Dr. Balma received his MA and Ph.D. at Indiana University, Bloomington, and serves as Chair of Italian Studies and  Associate Professor of Italian Literary and Cultural Studies, Co-chair of Film Studies and is an affiliated member of the Judaic Studies faculty at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. He is the author of Edith Bruck in the Mirror: Fictional Transitions and Cinematic Narratives (Purdue University Press, 2014), a study of the novelist and director considered to be the most important Jewish writer addressing the Holocaust in contemporary Italy. Dr. Balma will address the complex, troubled, and seldom studied history of Jewish artists in the Italian film industry, from the Fascist period and the Anti-Semitic Race Laws up to and including current day Italy.

Join us for what is always an enjoyable and educational weekend of learning, food and fellowship at TE

All TE members and friends are invited to sign up for the Basic Judaism Class led by Rabbi Farbman.
This course is for anyone interested in exploring Judaism-interfaith couples, those considering conversion and Jews looking for adult-level basics. This class introduces the fundamentals of Jewish thought and practice in 15 weeks. Topics include Jewish holidays and life cycle events, theology and prayer, Israel, history and Hebrew (optional).
No prior knowledge is necessary.

Come to the first session on Wednesday, December 2 at 7pm to find out more!

When: Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Dates: November 8, 15, 22 and December 6 and 20.
Join us for coffee and bagels in the TE swing space before we start what promises to be a lively series.

Interested in joining a book discussion group, but so pressed for time that finishing a long novel seems daunting? The solution? Come to TE’s new Jewish Short Story Discussion Group. Nothing to read ahead of time! We read the story live–and aloud–to each other, and then discuss it. Selections include stories by Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, Steve Stern and more. Only one story is read and discussed at each get together. The group will be moderated by Temple Emanuel member, Bennett Graff, who holds a doctorate in American literature, and has moderated similar groups at the Institute Library in New Haven.

Friday March 20, 2015

6:00 pm Shabbat dinner (Register here).

*Services 7:30 pm (please note the earlier time!)

Presentation during services     Building a Museum: The Saga of Polish Jewry

While many Jews see Poland as a place of tragedy, it was also the center of Ashkenazi Jewish life for 800 years. The newly opened Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw tells a rich story of cultural vitality and resilience. Why is the Museum important and how will it change the way Poles and Jews see their own history and their relations with each other?

Saturday,   March 21, 2015

11:30 Dairy Luncheon

12:30   Presentation: Cultural resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto: the Ringelblum  Archive

During World War II Jews resisted not only with guns, but also with pen and paper. Even in the face of death they left “time capsules” full of documents that they buried under the rubble of ghettos and death camps. The Ringelblum archive in the Warsaw Ghetto consists of thousands of buried documents. But of the sixty people who worked on this national mission, only three survived. This will be their story.

 Sunday, March 22, 2015

10:00   Bagels and coffee

10:30   Presentation:  Vilna: the Jerusalem of Lithuania

Vilna, the “Jerusalem of Lithuania” was a very special city. No other Jewish community in Eastern Europe inspired so many poems and stories. Vilna was the home of the great Vilna Gaon, but it also was the birthplace of the Jewish Socialist Bund, as well as the world capital of an imaginary country called “Yiddishland.” Religion and worldliness, Hebrew and Yiddish, tradition and modernity, all came together in this lovely, Jewish city.

About our Scholar in Residence

Dr. Samuel Kassow, Charles H. Northam Professor of History at Trinity College, holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and has lectured and taught in Mexico, Lithuania, Russia, Poland and Israel. He has been a Visiting Professor at Princeton, Harvard, the University of Toronto and the Hebrew University. Since 2008 he has been serving as a consultant to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews which recently opened in Warsaw, Poland.
Professor Kassow is the author of several books including: The Distinctive Life of East European Jewry (2004), Who will Write our History: Emanuel Ringelblum and the Secret Ghetto Archive (2007), which received the Orbis Prize, was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award and has been translated into seven languages. A child of Holocaust survivors, Professor Kassow was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany.

Temple Emanuel was abuzz with activity on Sunday, December 14^th. Our religious school children and parents enjoyed an asephah filled with Chanukah songs and learning, followed by an adult study of the origins of Chanukah story with Rabbi Farbman, while the children went back to school for an hour. Then we gathered back together with other members of the congregation for a snack and to pack over 100 gift baskets filled with books, toys, art supplies, hats, scarves and gloves as well as baby items. These baskets will be distributed by ‘r kids Family Center, Fair Haven Community Health Center, Cornell Scott Hill Health Center and Jewish Family Services. Many members contributed items for the baskets, and there was a wonderful feeling of cooperation and giving in the social hall. Hopefully we have touched the lives of a number of children with these baskets. Thanks to all who participated!

The Territory is an intimate look into the lives of Israelis from the former Soviet Union who made their new home in the West Bank settlements. While some residents move to the settlements looking for cheaper housing, others are motivated by Zionist ideology; and all are influenced by their past experience of being an oppressed minority in the Soviet Union.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/50307975
Dmitriy Khavin began his film career at the Odessa Film Studios in Ukraine. Since 1992 he has lived in the US, where he works as a director, editor and cinematographer. Dmitriy will join us for discussion of the film and share his insights as part of the screening.