For millennia, we humans have wanted to know how it all began, and why. Within the tradition of the Western world, we need to go back to its earliest civilizations to find the foundations of our own notions of creation. First on our list is the Book of Genesis narrative, actually two creation stories blended into one. While that will be the focus of our class, we’ll also delve into the origin stories of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece to see not only how they differed from each other, but to what extent they contributed to each other and the Biblical account. Sessions will include richly illustrated historical and archaeological background so that students can fully appreciate the process that created the tales of our beginnings. Texts, notes and additional readings will be provided by the instructor.

In partnership with Congregation Etz Chayim, Palo Alto

The third semester of a three-semester sequence, this course is designed for those who have completed New Lehrhaus Hebrew 1 and 2 and have a working Hebrew vocabulary of about 200 words and are familiar with the grammar of nouns, adjectives, possessive endings and past and present tense verbs. It’s also a great choice for students with basic reading skills who seek a general grammar review.

This three-semester sequence gives you the essential knowledge and skills to read, understand and appreciate Prayerbook texts and the Hebrew Bible. It starts at the beginning, teaching the alphabet and sight-reading skills, then moves on to build both vocabulary and grammar knowledge using the text Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way. And along the way, you’ll learn about related topics, from key Prayerbook melodies to the origins of Hebrew to life in the Biblical world.

Required te... Read more

In partnership with KlezCalifornia

In this strictly reading and iberzetsn (translating) Yiddish class, students will have an opportunity to read various myselekh (stories), pamelekh (slowly) and mit geduld (with patience), so that even those who have only “cheder” (elementary school) level proficiency can participate and follow along. The instructor will provide PDF readers in Yiddish with English translation.

October 9–D... Read more