The Charlotte Jewish News - October 2011 - Page 21
JLIPresents “Fascinating Facts’’ Course in Charlotte
Debunking the Myths in Judaism
Did Jews believe in Satan? Do
Jews believe in angels? And why
is pork banned as a food staple in
the Jewish diet. The Jewish
Learning Institute (JLI) of
Charlotte will present Fascinating
Facts: Exploring the Myths and
Mysteries of Judaism which will
address these and many more
interesting facts in Jewish faith.
In 1983, Professor E. D. Hirsch
created an educational firestorm
by introducing the idea of “cultur
al literacy.” People within a cul
ture share certain knowledge and
common assumptions that allow
them to be understood by one
another, to share references, to
understand the context of various
conversations, jokes, or ideas.
Judaism has a “cultural litera
cy” as well, and those who do not
share these critical bits of knowl
edge will often find themselves
making false assumptions about
Jewish values or feeling confused
and left out in Jewish social set
tings or when reading Jewish
books.
No single course can possibly
plug, all the holes in one’s knowl
edge base, and no single fact is
critical to Jewish participation.
But as more of the gaps in knowl
edge are filled in, it is easier for
Jews to feel knowledgeable and
comfortable with their roots and to
decide which questions they still
need to ask.
In a lighthearted style that
allows for both easy conversation
and in-depth discussion, this
course debunks common miscon-
Showing
Solidarity
Against
Domestic
Abuse
Purple ribbons to pin on shirts.
Purple bands to wear on wrists.
Free-standing, ^life-size silhou
ettes featuring true stories from
our Jewish community. These are
all outward signs representing a
hidden and secret problem -
domestic abuse. They will be
prominent around our Jewish
community during the month of
October which is nationally desig
nated “Domestic Violence
Awareness Month.”
“Jews don’t think domestic
abuse happens to Jews, yet it does
just as much as in any popula
tion,” says Marsha Stickler, chair
of Shalom Bayit which was
formed four years ago to combat
domestic abuse in our local Jewish
community. “The difference is our
Jewish victims stay in the relation
ship up to three times longer than
those of other faiths.”
Our community is urged to
show understanding and solidarity
in the effort to raise awareness and
join in the fight by wearing the
purple symbols, looking for the
silhouettes, and reading accompa
nying materials. For more infor
mation on domestic abuse and our
Jewish community as w,ell as how
to get involved, see www.shalom-
bayit-nc.org.
ceptions and introduces little
known but important facts about
Judaism that seek to intrigue, sur
prise, and inform Jews about the
richness and scope of their her
itage.
Rabbi Yossi Groner of Ohr
HaTorah will conduct the six
evening sessions at 7:30 PM on
Tuesdays and Rabbi Shlomo
Cohen will instruct the morning
session at 11 on Wednesdays at
The Lubavitch Education Center
on Sardis Road. This six-session
course will begin on Tuesday,
November 8, for the evening class
and Wednesday November 9, for
the morning class.
"As the People of the Book, we
strongly believe Jews should
know the richness of their Jewish
heritage," explains Rabbi Groner,
“and that is what we hope to
accomplish with this new educa
tional offering.”
Spanning a wide range of
intriguing subjects, Fascinating
Facts includes sessions on Jewish
myths and urban legends, biblical
stories and events, Jewish foods.
the Hebrew language, life cycle
events, and mysteries of the
occult. The course will address
issues such as the Jewish view on
Satan and the evil eye, whether
angels have wings, and why pork
is considered the quintessential
non-kosher food.
"We've designed this course as
a fun and insightful overview of
Jewish heritage to promote a
Jewish cultural literacy within the
community," says Rabbi Zalman
Abraham, of JLI's New York
Headquarters. "We aim to enlight
en even the most seasoned trivia
buffs with a treasure trove of 'who
knew?' Jewish factoids."
Like all JLI programs,
Fascinating Facts is designed to
appeal to people at all levels of
Jewish knowledge, including
those without any prior experience
or background in Jewish learning.
All JLI courses are open to the
public, and attendees need not be
affiliated with a particular syna
gogue, temple, or other house of
worship.
Interested students may call the
Ohr HaTorah office at 704-366-
3984 or visit www.myJLI.com for
registration and other course-relat
ed information.
JLI, the adult education branch
of Chabad Lubavitch, offers pro
grams in more than 300 U.S. cities
and in numerous foreign loca
tions, including Australia,
Belgium, Brazil, Canada,
Colombia, Denmark, Finland,
Germany, the Netherlands, South
Africa, Sweden, the United
Kingdom, and Venezuela. More
than 220,000 students have
attended JLI classes since the
organization was founded in
1998.
Yours Truly Needlepoint
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New and Old Customers Very Welcome
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704-366-6765
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4
V
education
‘The Jewish Day School is the place for me... ’
The C JDS sckool song describes perfectlg 1
how the students and the teachers feel about !
being here. I am the first grade teacher at 1
CJDS. Charlotte Jewish Dag School fosters an 1
environment for creative and innovative education,' I
CJDS has children of all developmental levels
with strengths in a varietg of academic areas. I
love that each dag I create differentiated lesson
plans to fit all mg children’s needs, allowing each'
child to be challenged at whatever level theg find
themselves.
There is an overwhelming feeling of familg and
communitg when gou walk into the building.
I witoess acts of kindness everg dag from students
m all grades. We all take care of each other and this warmth
believe that the students here feel that the
the place for them, and it is definitelg the
permeates the air!
Jewish Dag School is
place for me.
- Courtneg Buckner
Courtney Buckner
First firade Teacher
#
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Octobor 26+27
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704-366-4558