The Charlotte Jewish News - April 2007- Page 27
Charlotte Jewish Learning Institute
Worldwide Release of Flashbacks in Jewish History: A
Look to the Past, a Reflection on the Future
The Charlotte Jewish Learning
Institute is set to launch an intrigu
ing new history course during this
coming spring, joining over 200
affiliates across the globe. But
unlike traditional history courses
where students focus on dates,
names, and events, “Flashbacks in
Jewish History” looks beneath the
surface at what history means to
the Jews as a people.
“Jews have had to grapple with
the challenge of maintaining their
identity in environments that were
foreign and often hostile,”
explains Rabbi Yossi Groner. “By
probing the wonder of Jewish sur
vival, we hope our students will be
led to think critically about their
own strategies for interacting suc
cessfully with the greater culture.”
“Flashbacks in Jewish History”
does not attempt to be comprehen
sive in its coverage of any era;
rather, it tries to spark curiosity
and to engage students emotional
ly. “Flashbacks in Jewish History”
appeals to the intellect by intro
ducing the impassioned debate of
historians over what really hap
pened, at times even casting stu
dents directly into the historian’s
role as they are asked to interpret
primary texts. The course touches
the heart, as students are shown
that history is about people just
like them, with hopes, dreams, and
challenges.
“We live in an increasingly
global community, where people
with differing views are forced to
interact more than at any other
time in human history,” says
Charlotte JLI coordinator Rabbi
Shlomo Cohen, “so I’m excited to
learn how Jews have survived his
tory with their culture and tradi
tions intact.”
This exciting new course will
be offered at the Lubavitch
Educational Center for six
Wednesdays, beginning on
Wednesday, May 2. The morning
class will be taught by Rabbi
Shlomo Cohen at 9:00 am and the
evening class by Rabbi Yossi
Groner at 7:30 pm. The cost of
the course is $80.00, which
includes a beautiful student text
book. “We are so sure that you
will enjoy it,” says Rabbi Groner,
“that we invite anyone interested
to attend the first lesson free, with
no obligation.”
What can students gain by tak
ing this course? A chance to dis
cover where they came from and
how they survived countless per
secutions to get here. A chance to
experience the wonder of Jewish
survival and reflect back on the
past. A chance to face the future
with renewed hope and inspira
tion. And an opportunity to learn
the secrets that will help make that
future brighter and more meaning.
Course Outline:
Ancient Struggles with
Modern Messages: Encounters
of the Classical Period —
Cultures in Collision: Israel vs.
Greece and Rome
Rising Stars, Waning
Crescents: Encounters with
Medieval Islam in the Middle
East and Spain - Far From the
Places That We Call Home:
Jewish Exile and Dispersal in the
Middle East; All That Glitters: ■
The Golden Age in Moslem Spain
Prevailing Despite Hate and
Oppression: Encounters with
Medieval Christian Europe -
Rivers of Blood: Anti-Semitism in
Medieval Christian Europe: In the
Shadow of the Inquisition: The
Downfall of Spanish Jewry;
Rising from the Ashes: The
Revival of European Jewry.
[cwisH Learning institute
As cries of “jihad” resound
through the Middle East today,
one could be reminded of the rad
ical Almohads sweeping through
Spain, leaving destruction in their
wake. On encountering religious
and cultural intolerance in many
parts of the world today, we not
infrequently experience deja vu,
an uncanny feeling that we have
lived through all of this before.
“Flashbacks in Jewish History”
shows students how we can learn
from the past to better guide and
direct our future.
Beth Shalom of Lake Norman Hosts
Shabbaton led by Rabbinical Resident
Weekends Feature Events, Celebrations and Services with
Something for Everyone
Temple Israel Book Club
A Tale of Love and Darkness, a
Memoir by Amos Oz
Tuesday, May 29 - 7:30 PM, Temple Israel
Beth Shalom of Lake Norman
(www.bethshalom-lkn.org) con
tinues its plans for upcoming
weekends with Rabbinical
Resident, Philip Ohriner.
April 20-21: Friday night yoga
service and Shabbat dinner.
Saturday morning traditional
Torah service followed by Tot
Shabbat and adult Torah portion
discussion. Morning ends with
community lunch. Saturday
evening Havdalah service fol
lowed by a discussion of Jewish-
Islamic relations throughout histo
ry. This event is for adults only.
Sunday morning Building Jewish
Ruach: family kickball tourna
ment and breakfast.
May 11-12: Friday night serv
ice and Shabbat dinner. Saturday
morning service and discussion of
the role of the Jewish Mother.
Saturday evening Interfaith
Havdalah Service open to the
community.
Philip is a student at
the Jewish Theological
Seminary in New York, hav
ing studied previously at
The Conservative Yeshiva
in Jerusalem and at Indiana
University. A southerner at heart,
Philip graduated high school in
Knoxville, TN. For some of the
weekends, he will be joined by his
wife Shoshana, who is also a rab
binical student.
Be certain to check Beth
Shalom’s website www.bethshalom-
lkn.org for up-to-date details on
these and other events.
ALx;xM
OF LAKE NORMAN
To read the autobiography of a
prize-winning Israeli author is an
enriching experience. When the
memoir is set against the back
ground of an embattled Palestine
during World War II, the jubila
tion after the U.N. vote to parti
tion Palestine and create a Jewish
state, the violence and depriva
tions of Israel’s war of independ
ence and the Arab siege of
Jerusalem, the story becomes
extraordinary. “ ... a story of
clashing cultures and lives, of suf
fering and perseverance, of love
and darkness.” Amos Oz’s A Tale
of Love and Darkness “is a pow
erful, nimbly constructed saga of a
man, a family and a nation forged
in the crucible of a difficult,
painful history.”
The Temple Israel book club
selection for its May 29 meeting
will expand the reader’s knowl
edge of the founding of Israel as
well as an appreciation of the
author. (Oz’s novel To Know a
Woman was one of the earliest
Temple Israel book club selec
tions shortly after it was founded
nearly fifteen years ago.)
Copies of A Tale of Love and
Darkness are available at the pub
lic library, the Levine-Sklut Judaic
Library and Resource Center, and
may be purchased at local book
stores or on-line for about $11.
Temple Israel Book Club meet
ings are open to all community
members. For additional informa
tion, contact Linda Levy (704-
366-6362, levyollie@aol.com) or
Sandra Hirschman (704-867-
7051). ■
“You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in depths. You
have distanced my friends from me; you have made me abhorrent to
them; I am imprisoned and do not go out.”
- Psalm 88:7-9
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