Classes

Registration Now Open

Taking Music Humor Seriously
Online Class
Wednesdays, March 10–April 7, 1:00–2:30 pm (PT)
$125 General; $100 Members
For hundreds of years, music has been used to satirize culture, politics, and human behavior. Through curated videos and lively discussions, discover the many facets of musical humor from crass tastelessness to high culture. Laugh and sing along to the works of Mozart, Tom Lehrer, Anna Russell, Danny Kaye, and more. Plus, engage in a bit of schadenfreude with candid musical mishaps and the music of operatic wannabe Florence Foster Jenkins. Lift your spirits, tickle your funny bone, and never leave class with a straight face!
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Yiddish Love Songs
A Sing-Along History Class | Online Class
Tuesdays, March 23–April 13, 10:30 am–12:00 pm (PT)
$60 General; $40 Members
Learn and sing along to Yiddish songs of love! From blushing brides to star-crossed lovers, connect to past generations of Eastern European Jews and their experiences of passion and longing.
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From Weimar to Hollywood
German-Jewish Filmmaking Rediscovered | Online Class
Mondays, April 5–26, 3:00–4:30 pm (PT)
$80 General; $60 Members
Some of the most legendary and acclaimed talents of Hollywood’s Golden Age began their careers in Germany’s first democracy, the Weimar Republic, which lasted from 1918 until 1933. In this class, we’ll survey four notable films to better understand the era and its impact on Jewish filmmakers:
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Everyday Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
Online Class
Thursdays, April 15–May 20, 10:00–11:30 am (PT)
$150 General; $120 Members
Learn the foundations of mindfulness and self-compassion. With instruction that’s suitable for new and experienced mindfulness practitioners, this class will help you find equanimity and joy in the present moment, even during challenging times.
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Registration Now Closed

The Healing Power of Art
Online Class
Wednesdays, February 10–March 17, 10:30 am–12:00 pm (PT)

Registration for this class is now closed.

Go behind the scenes and virtually visit the studios of several contemporary artists, each working to educate and unify the world. In this thought-provoking class, explore a brilliantly diverse range of new work in painting, photography, collage, and beyond. Reflect on social issues and connect with your classmates as you discover personal solutions to the question, “How can art serve to heal?”
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Realism in Opera—Verismo!
Online Class
Wednesdays, February 3–March 3, 1:00–3:00 pm (PT)

Registration for this class is now closed.

At the end of the nineteenth century, Italian opera appeared to be on the wane. “Where is the next Verdi?” opera lovers asked. Then, suddenly, with the 1890 premiere of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and the emergence of composers led by the superstar Giacomo Puccini, Italian opera entered into a period of enormous artistic creativity, expressing an unparalleled intensity of passion, sentimentality, and turbulence. This remarkable revival integrated the themes of the past into a new operatic tradition—Verismo!
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Coen Brothers Movie Group
Online Class
Thursdays, February 4 and 18, March 4 and 18, 7:30–8:30 pm (PT)

Registration for this class is now closed.

In a career that has so far spanned thirty years, Joel and Ethan Coen have co-created a cinematic body of work that is uniquely and recognizably theirs, despite working across wildly diverse genres. Come together with fellow movie buffs to discuss four of the Coen Brothers’s most acclaimed films—Barton Fink (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998), No Country for Old Men (2007), and A Serious Man (2009).
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Creative Writing
Online Class
Mondays, January 25–March 15, 1:00–3:00 pm (PT)

This class is now full.

Tap into your creativity, strengthen your writing practice, and enjoy the company and feedback of others in this intimate writers’ workshop. Open to both new and experienced writers, this class will explore fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Come prepared to experiment, hone your craft, and, most importantly, have fun.
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Skirball Book Groups: Art, Society, and the Individual
Online Class
Winter–Spring 2021

Registration for this class is now closed.

Open yourself up to new cultures and ideas through fiction and nonfiction! Under the direction of a professional book group facilitator, discuss the characters, themes, and motifs of five critically acclaimed books with a thoughtful cohort of fellow readers.
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