Jews in America: Outsiders and Insiders
Thursdays, October 4–November 29 (no class Nov. 22), 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (8 sessions)
ADMISSION
- This course has been cancelled.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
This course asks the question “Is the cup half empty or half full?” as optimists and pessimists debate the future of Jewish identity in America.
Students will consider the challenges of Jewish acculturation to American life, and the sacrifices as well as the contributions made by American Jews over the past 200 years.
Sessions will explore the following topics that address American and Jewish culture and identity:
• Timeline of American Judaism
• The Three-Generation Hypothesis: Immigrants, Their Children, and Grandchildren
• Jewish Commitments Enriched and Weakened
• General Education, Jewish Education, and Jewish Americanization
• Jews as Creators of American Culture
• Anti-Semitism, The Holocaust, and American Jewish Self-Understanding
• Zionism and The State of Israel through the Eyes of American Jewry
• More American Than Americans/Is the American Jewish Cup Half-Empty or Half-Full?
This course is offered in collaboration with the Conejo/West Valley Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, whose philosophy is no homework, no tests, no grades. The curriculum is based on primary documents developed at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Instructor: Dalia Samansky is a long-time educator who has run religious schools, authored curricula, and taught students of all ages. An ordained rabbi, she is a popular instructor at the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School.
Materials fee: $36 for Melton reader payable at first class session.
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