Lecture Series

Workshops / Lectures

Darkness and Light: A Modern Psychology of Kabbalah - CANCELLED

With the emergence of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, the history of the divinatory arts, i.e., occult philosophy, Hermeticism, alchemy and Kabbalah, conflated into psychology and theories of mind. Explore how Freud and Jung?s psychoanalytic insights on Kabbalah impacted the divinatory arts and contemporary figures Thomas Moore, James Hillman and Ken Wilber. With Daniel Harris. Co-sponsored with Lehrhaus

Thursdays, Jan. 26-Mar. 2, 7:00 pm
Fee: $60 public; $50 members

? To register call or www.lehrhaus.org

Reading Yiddish Texts

In this course we will read and discuss selections of Yiddish prose and poetry from the 19th and 20th centuries. The class will focus on comprehension, based not only on the Yiddish language, but also on the cultural contexts in which the texts are embedded.
Prerequisite: Students should have completed at least a year of college-level Yiddish language or the equivalent. With Yael Chaver, Ph.D.

Mondays, Jan. 30 - April 24 (excluding February 20),7:15 pm
Tuition: $130; $110/before Jan. 15, course code L350-BJ

? To register call or www.lehrhaus.org

Here I Am - International Jewish Literature - CANCELLED

Here I Am: A Collection of International Jewish Stories, featuring contemporary international Jewish stories, dealing with individuality vs. community, alienation vs. return, humor vs. sadness will be a spring board for discussing Jewish themes and commonalties, and how country and culture gives the story its unique flavor. Ms. Starkman is a poet and college professor.

Mondays, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, (no class Feb. 20), Feb. 27, Mar. 6 & Mar. 13, 7:00 pm
Fee: $65; $55/members of Alameda co-sponsors; $50/Learning for Life
Co-sponsored with Lehrhaus Judaica

? To register call or www.lehrhaus.org

Staging Judaism: Calling all Thespians

Join fellow theater lover for Staging Judaism an entertaining exploration of Jewish themes on stage through play readings ranging from Tony Kushner to Christopher Marlow to Fiddler on the Roof, clips from motion pictures in English, Yiddish and Hebrew will be screen along with rare visual and recorded demos. Themes from anti-Semitism to black humor in defiance of the sanctity of the Holocaust, from the shtetl sentimentality to queer Jewish theater and from biblical myth to the Kabalistic mythology will be discussed. .Instructor Donny Inbar is a doctoral student at GTU, specializing in Yiddish Theater.

Wednesdays, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb. 22, Mar. 1 & Mar. 8, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Fee: $55; $50/members of Alameda co-sponsors; $40 Learning for Life

? To register call or www.lehrhaus.org

Discover Biblical Israel: In Class and at Home - The Nancy Castle Memorial Course - CANCELLED

When was the Hebrew alphabet born? What was it like to live in a Biblical city?  What's in the Dead Sea Scrolls? This vivid introduction to Biblical culture will include virtual tours of Jerusalem and other ancient cities, as well as digital video from documentary resources.
Students will meet for the first and last sessions in class, but enjoy the intermediate sessions from their home computers, using a custom-made CD-ROM. Questions and discussion will be handled via email. You'll need to have access to a computer with Windows 2000 or XP, or Macintosh OS 10 or higher.

Bible by the Bay programs are made possible through the generous support of Eda and Joseph Pell, and the Koret Foundation, and the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund.  Digital Classroom course development supported by a generous grant from the Marco Goodman Trust.

Wednesdays, Feb. 8 and March 8, 7:30 pm (3 sessions via CD-ROM on your own time)
Tuition: $50/public; $40/members of Alameda co-sponsors; $25/Dynamic Duos (teens 12-17, attending with parent)
All tuition from this class will be donated to the Nancy Castle Memorial Fund for Seniors Services at the Berkeley/Richmond JCC.

? To register call or www.lehrhaus.org

Thinking Ahead: Financial Planning for your Child?s Future - COLLEGE PLANNING 101

According to a recent survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, a college graduate earns twice that of someone with only a high-school diploma. In 10 years the cost of a private college education is expected to be upwards of $240,000 per student. Give your child or grandchild the best chance for a successful future by getting prepared now so that your child or grandchild won?t be left behind. Instructor Jarrett B. Topel is a Certified Financial Planner® with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7:30 pm
Fee: FREE

? For more information or to register call x127 or

An Evening with Shlomo Ben-Ami, Former Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs

Dr. Shlomo Ben-Ami?s newly published book, Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy is one of the most fair and balanced analysis of Israel ever to come from one of its key officials. It is based on Ben-Ami?s experience of being a key participant in many of the Arab-Israeli peace conferences, most notably the Camp David summit in 2000. Ben-Ami was born in Morocco, educated at Tel-Aviv University and Oxford University ( England) from which he received a Ph.D. in History. He headed the School of History of Tel-Aviv University (1982-86) and has published several books in English, Spanish and Hebrew. He resigned from the Knesset in August 2002.

Saturday, Feb. 11, 8:00 pm
Fee: $5 suggested donation

Co-sponsored with The Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay?s Israel Center, The Consulate General of Israel, the JCRC/East Bay, Bridges to Israel Berkeley and Black Oak Books

? For more information or to register call x253 or

Thinking Ahead: Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance

Confused about Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) and the important role it plays in your overall financial plan and maintaining independence as we age. Then this workshop, led by Jarrett Topel, Certified Financial Planner® with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. will help to answer your questions about this important yet often misunderstood type of coverage.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7:30 pm
Fee: FREE

? For more information or to register call or

SF Bay Area Jewish Genealogy Society

SFBAJGS is dedicated to the development, preservation and distribution of Jewish genealogical knowledge and material, and the sharing of techniques and tools with others who may be searching their Jewish Roots. Please join us!

Sunday, Feb. 19, 12:30 pm

? For more information or to register call or

Crossing the Line - When Criticizing Israel is Beyond Legitimate!

Most of us have been on one side or other of the Israel/Palestine debate and heard it is legitimate to criticize Israel. Criticism is legitimate but frequently carries anti-Semitic overtones. Through cartoons and media examples, we will use an interactive, PowerPoint presentation to discuss where and when that line is crossed. Rick Davis facilitates workshops and classes on the emergence of Neo anti-Semitism.

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7:30 pm
Fee: $10

? For more information or to register call x132 or

KOL ISHA - JEWISH WOMEN?S VOICES UNBOUND: Creativity, Scholarship and Performance

Don?t miss this all-day conference at Mills College, featuring poet and scholar Irena Klepfisz, performance artist Sara Felder, and a series of concurrent workshops and panels on the creativity and scholarship of Jewish women that have revolutionized the study of Jewish history, electrified literary arenas and transformed cultural, religious and political institutions. Event culminates with a wine and cheese reception.

Sunday, Feb. 26, 10:00am-4:30pm (9am registration and coffee)

LOCATION: Concert Hall at Mills College: 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613.
Sponsored by generous grants from: Koret Foundation Funds, Emily L. Blank and Daniel G. Weiss, Eva Lokey, Alan and Susan Rothernberg, Morton and Amy Rothschild Friedkin, Ilene Weinreb and Hagafen Cellars

? To register call or www.mills.edu/academics/grants_and_special_programs/kol_isha/index.php

Follow up events for Kol Isha ? Jewish Women?s Voices Unbound:

* March 2 ? GTU, with Ada Rapoport-Albert 7PM
* Thursday, March 9, 2006 ? Celebrating Dahlia Ravikovitch ? 1936-2005, 7:00 to 9:00 PM ? FREE admission, Morrison Library, North Entrance to the Doe Library, UC Berkeley
* April 10 - Mills College, with Susannah Heschel and Yolanda King
* April 30 ? 10:30 am (brunch) The Creative Dialogue: Jewish Women in Prose and Poetry - A Conversation and Reading with Chana Bloch and Elizabeth Rosner, BRJCC

Joshua Sobol: The Right to Resist: The Playwright's Perspective on Moral Dilemmas in Times of War

Joshua Sobol, Israel's foremost playwright, will speak about the role of the artist in a society in troubled times. The talk will focus on his play Iwitness, which will have its US premier in March 2006. Based on the true story of an Austrian farmer, who refused to serve under the Nazis, the play has provocative resonance in Israeli society today.
The presentation will include a staged reading of an excerpt of Iwitness by Traveling Jewish Theater.

Thursday, Mar. 30, 7:30 pm
Suggested donation: $5 donation
Co-sponsored with Beth El and Osher Marin JCC.

? For more information or to register call x132 or

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