The Annual Latke-Hamentasch Debate
Wednesday Feb. 17 7-9PM
Location: Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec Street NW, Washington, DC
Hosted and co-sponsored by Adas Israel and JSC

The Annual Latke-Hamentasch Debate is back!
Get in the mood for Purim as our panel of celebrities and scholars debates the relative merits of the latke and the hamentasch.
Materials will be provided for in-depth research by the audience.

COST: $12 pre-registered and pre-paid/members of JSC or Adas; $18 non-members

Tuesdays at Adas Israel

2850 Quebec Street NW, Washington, DC

Introduction to Judaism with Bob Rovinsky
Tuesdays 7:15-8:30PM
Jan. 26, Feb. 2, Feb. 11(Thurs), Feb. 16, Feb. 23, March 2, March 9, March 16

Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec St. NW, Washington DC

Whether you are a Jew, Christian, agnostic, or seeker, if you want to experience the basics and essence of Judaism, this course is for you! It uses basic Jewish texts to explore what Jews study, how they observe Judaism in their homes, and what prayer and community mean to them. The course covers how Jews observe the Sabbath and holy days, and how Jewish laws and principles shape every part of the lifecycle. Participants will experience Judaism directly through by eating at a kosher restaurant, studying a text together, exploring a synagogue and attending services as a class, and sharing together in a Friday night Sabbath dinner with the teacher and his family.
The participants will be ready to go deeper into what can become a lifetime of Jewish living and study.

Bob Rovinsky is a former president of the Jewish Study Center and has taught numerous Basic Judaism and other courses for the Study Center. He is also a Jewish storyteller and a member of Adas Israel and other Jewish congregations.

Eight sessions: $100 JSC and Adas members ; $150 non-members

Far-Flung Jews: Jewish Cultures Around the Globe
Tuesdays 7:15-8:30PM
Jan. 26, Feb. 2, Feb. 9, Feb. 16, Feb. 23, March 2, March 9, March 16
Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec St. NW, Washington DC

From China to Ethiopia, from Berlin to Buenos Aires, Jews thrive in places you’d never imagine. Join us for five more sessions of the Jewish Study Center’s long-running tour of the Jewish world.

Feb. 16 – Jews of Spain - The small community of Spanish Jews today, many of them Sephardic Jews from North Africa, are inheritors of a long and tormented history. José-Manuel Bassat is a proud generalist hailing from Barcelona. He left Spain at age 16 and after years studying and working in the UK, Russia, Italy and Kazakhstan settled in Washington in 1997 and is Sr. Communications Officer at the World Bank. He is a native speaker of Spanish and fluent in Catalan, English, French, Italian and Russian. José is married and has two boys aged 5 and 3, loves bookstores, Turkish coffee and, according to his wife and friends, obscure and far too slow movies.

Feb. 23 – The Jews in Ukraine - The history of Jewish civilization in Ukraine stretches back to the days of the Kievan Rus of the 8th century. Despite the persecutions and exterminations of World War II and the repression under Soviet rule, the community still numbered nearly half a million Jews in 1989. What is the state of this community today and what challenges does it face? Evgenij Haperskij was born in Charkow, in Eastern Ukraine, in 1984 and moved to Germany at the age of nine. He studies journalism and German language at the University of Dortmund. This year, he is studying economic policy as an exchange student at American University.

March 2 – Jewish Communities of Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong – Yes, there are Jewish communities in and around China! Instructor Robyn Helzner, best known for her concerts and CDs of Jewish music, has a little-known expertise in these exotic communities: For many years she served as High Holidays cantor for the United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong. In 1996 she officiated at the first-ever bar mitzvah in Beijing. Come learn about three very different outposts of Asian Jewry!

March 9 – The Beta Abraham Jews of Ethiopia – Retired attorney Karen Primack and retired physician Aron Primack have been active in the organization Kulanu for 15 years. They have visited Jewish communities in India, Uganda, and Ethiopia. They visited the Beta Abraham (lesser known than their Beta Israel cousins) in January 2010. A group of Beta Abraham have recently decided to go public with their Jewish identity, which they kept secret for 400 years.

March 16 - The Resurgent Community of Berlin - Who would have predicted an influx of Jewish immigrants to Berlin, a city filled with ghosts of prewar culture and its violent end? And yet since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Jews have poured into Berlin from Russia and other points east, helping revive Jewish communal life in a fascinating city. Instructor: Evgenij Haperskij (see above)

Eight sessions: $100 JSC and Adas members; $150 non-members
Single session: $15 JSC and Adas members; $20 non-members

Torah Study Tools: Two Four-Week Sessions
Session I: How to Study Torah Online

Tuesdays Jan. 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16 7:15-8:30PM

Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec St. NW, Washington DC

Online resources can be a fabulous gateway to independent study of Jewish text and tradition. But navigating this vast and jumbled new “sea” is tricky. Where are the treasure troves and the pitfalls? When should they point you back to more traditional, offline sources?  Join local scholar Virginia Spatz, whose blog, “Opening the Book,” an online guide to studying the weekly Torah portion, appears on the Jewish Study Center website.

The instructor, Virginia Spatz is former executive director of the JSC.   

Four Sessions: JSC and Adas members $50; non-members $75

Torah Study Tools: Two Four-Week Sessions
Session II: How to Give a Great D’var Torah

Tuesdays Feb. 23, March 2, 9, 16 7:15-8:30PM

Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec St. NW, Washington DC

Nothing teaches you about the weekly parasha like presenting your own ideas to the congregation. Many congregations ask for members to give such d’var torah, commentary, because they want to see the unique perspectives that each of us can bring to that. But how do you get started? Beyond those notes at the bottom of the page, how do you dive in, structure your ideas, and build on what others have said? In this course, experienced lay scholars discuss different approaches to a d’var Torah, readily available sources, personal styles, and tricks of the trade. Coordinated and moderated by Sheldon Kimmel with guest instructors Norman Shore, Joyce Stern, Virginia Spatz and David Nemeth.

Sheldon Kimmel has taught for the Jewish Study Center and helped bring the Latke-Hamentasch symposium to the DC area.  

Four Sessions: JSC and Adas members $50; non-members $75

Rabbis on Revenge

Tuesdays, March 9 and 16 7:15 – 8:30 p.m.

Adas Israel, 2850 Quebec St. NW, Washington DC

This year’s “Adas Israel Reads” program focuses on Revenge: A Story of Hope, the thrilling story of how journalist and Adas member Laura Blumenfeld tracked down the Palestinian terrorist who shot her father. This classic modern text of revenge becomes even more interesting when read in the context of traditional rabbinical teachings on revenge. Is it permitted? Forbidden? Mandatory?

The instructor, Norman Shore is a scholar and veteran teacher for the Jewish Study Center and elsewhere in the Washington Jewish community.  

Two Sessions: JSC and Adas members $30; non-members $40.
Single session: $15 members, $20 non-members

Thursday Evenings at Sixth and I Synagogue

600 I St NW, Washington, DC

Three Rabbis Walk Into a Synagogue. . . and debate the future of health care reform
Thursday, February 25 7-9PM
Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St NW, Washington, DC

Can an Orthodox, Conservative, and Reconstructionist rabbi find common ground on the issues raised by this year’s far-reaching political debate on health care reform? Is there a “Jewish view” on fundamental questions such as universal access to health care, withdrawal of care at end of life, and choice on abortion? What’s ahead for the health care system? And . . . what about Joe Lieberman? Come hear some of our finest local representatives of the very different streams of Judaism bring their theological expertise to bear on the Big Issues. Bring your questions!

The moderator, Joanne Kenen is a journalist who specializes in health policy and edits the New Health Dialogue Blog at the New America Foundation.

$15 for Jewish Study Center members, $20 for non-members.

Judaism and Islam-Mirrors and Echoes: Islam as Faith and Social Order
Thursday, March 4 7-9PM

Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St NW, Washington, DC

The course will cover major theological concepts and issues within Islam and the way they have shaped Islam’s political development. We will also look at the sociopolitical implications of these concepts for contemporary Islam.

The instructor, Naiem A. Sherbiny is the senior representative in the U.S. of the Cairo-based Ibn Khaldun Center for Development, and a board member of Library of Alexandria Foundation. Formerly a senior economist at the World Bank, he has taught at Berkeley, Wisconsin, Harvard, Georgetown, and American University at Cairo.

$15 for Jewish Study Center members, $20 for non-members.

Judaism and Islam-Mirrors and Echoes: Tales from the Koran and Torah: The Joseph Stories
March 11 7-9PM

Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St NW, Washington, DC

Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and many other familiar characters are central in the Koran as well as the Hebrew Bible. In this class the instructors, Afroze Mohammed and Stephanie Lowitt will trace the stories about Joseph, or Yusuf, through both scriptures, and learn how this always fascinating character is pivotal to both Jewish and Muslim traditions.

Afroze Mohammed is an independent management consultant who grew up in both Washington, DC and Islamabad, Pakistan and has a strong interest in interfaith understanding. Afroze has spoken on Islam to diverse religious groups. Stephanie Lowit runs her own marketing and communications consulting business, Maestro Marketing. Born and raised in New York, Stephanie was educated in the conservative Jewish tradition. She and her family are members of Temple Sinai. Afroze and Stephanie have been close friends since they attended graduate school at the Yale School of Management.

$15 for Jewish Study Center members, $20 for non-members.

Forum: Is There Free Speech In—And About-- the Middle East?
Thursday, March 18 7-9PM

Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St NW, Washington, DC

In some countries, the wrong kind of speech can land you in prison. In other places, speech is free, but communities strive to impose their own unofficial constraints on what can and cannot be said. Can we talk about the Middle East in a balanced way when the freedom to criticize varies so dramatically between countries? Do inhibitions and insecurities in the American Jewish community skew what "can be said" even in a free system? Our panel explores the challenges to free expression in Israel, in Arab lands, and in debates on the Israeli-Arab conflicts here at home.

The moderator, Charles Feinberg is associate rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation.

$15 for Jewish Study Center members, $20 for non-members.

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Do you have an idea for a class? Contact the Study Center to make class suggestions.

Hebrew Classes:
For other levels of biblical and prayerbook Hebrew, contact Adas Israel Congregation for community classes.