Programs for Adult Learning & Growth

Jewish learning is a lifetime commitment and journey. We hope to support you in your personal Jewish growth by providing engaging opportunities in Jewish thought, ritual, spirituality and culture. Unless otherwise indicated, all programs are in O'Mansky Hall at CBI.

BOOK DISCUSSIONS

Jewish Book Discussion Series
Sunday mornings, 10:15 to 11:45 am - Small Sanctuary

Books to be discussed:

• A Pigeon and a Boy by Meir Shalev  (Nov 11 & 18)
  To register, contact Ellen Dietrick (295-6382) One of Israel’s most celebrated novelists, Meir Shalev was born in 1948 in Nahalakl, Israel’s first moshav. His work has been translated into over 20 languages. We’ll be reading Shalev’s newest book, which is being published in English in October.  A Pigeon and a Boy has been described as "a wondrous story of love that evolves between two handlers of homing pigeons, beginning in the 1940s and lasting through Israel’s War of Independence." It tells the story of the pigeon that carries the first love letter between the two fourteen-year-olds to the one that alights from the midst of the battle for Jerusalem, carrying the final letter, "whose content is unparalleled in the history of homing pigeons and in the annals of literature." This is a newly released book and there are a limited number of copies available, so register ASAP.
• At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden by Yossi Klein-Halevi
  Sunday, April 13, 10:15 am - 12 noon, Small Sanctuary Cost: $16 (includes book)
  Wednesday, April 16, 12:15 - 2:00 pm, Northside Library (Albemarle Square) FREE
  Klein-Halevi is an American Jew who made aliyah to Israel 25 years ago. As a religious Jew, he set out on a search to encounter Christian and Muslim teachers and leaders in Israel, curious as to whether or not people of different faiths could manage to better understand one another—davka--in a place (Israel) where politicians have failed and where religion often serves to divide and inflame. To sign up for Sunday  contact the CBI Office (295-6382)
• When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner  (TBA)

JEWISH FILM SERIES:

This series features films from a round the world highlighting different aspects of the Jewish experience. In light of Israel's 60th anniversary year, the film series will focus on films that encourage the audience to reflect on the meaning of Israel today.

• Hiding and Seeking (USA, 2004) Documentary directed by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky
  Sat, Dec 1,  7:00 pm, O'Mansky Hall
  Son of a Holocaust survivor and New York Orthodox Jew Menachem Daum worries that both of his sons, full time yeshiva students who live with their families in Israel, are becoming seduced to intolerance by their religious studies. In this documentary, Daum sets off with his family to visit the Polish towns where his parents grew up and to try to find the Catholic farmers who hid his father-in-law from the Germans. Refreshments and discussion will follow the film.
• Turn Left at the End of the World (Israel, 2004) Directed by Avi Nesher
  Sat, Jan 19, 7:00 pm, O'Mansky Hall
  Set in Israel in the 1960's, this film tells the story of the clash between French-speaking Moroccans and newly immigrated Indians residing in a "thrown-together" development town. The film focuses on two high school girls, one Israeli and one Indian, who come to know and appreciate one another as each struggles with growing pains in the years before beginning their army service. The stories of these girls helps one to appreciate the way that Israelis - members of a society made up of people with very different customs - have learned to live with one another. With a wonderful soundtrack and skilled film-making, this movie presents a side of Israel not always seen on the news. Please note that there are several adult situations in this film. Dessert and discussion will follow the screening.
• The Band's Visit (Israel, 2007) Directed by Eran Kolirin
  Sat, March 15,  7:00 pm, O'Mansky Hall
  When the Ceremonial Police Band of Alexandria, Egypt, journeys to a gig in Israel, they find their hosts and transportation fail to show. Trapped in a small desert town, the group members try to figure out what to do and where to go. As the days roll on, the co-mingling of Egyptian band members and Israeli residents imparts each individual with insights into his cultural identity and that of the others.

Below are some of the films shown last year:

• Image Before My Eyes (1981 - Polish Jews between the wars)
• Austeria (Polish, 1983 - an elegy to Poland's lost Jews from an enlightened Polish perspective, probably reflecting the recent election of Karol Wytola to the Papacy as John Paul, friend of the Jews.)
• Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2006 -German)
• Paradise Now (Arab-Israeli, 2005) - unflinching attempt to discern the human face of the suicide bomber
• Watermarks  (Israel, 2004 - homage to the champion women swimmers of the famous Jewish sports club in Vienna between the wars.) Yaron Zilberman – Director/Producer/Writer