Tuesday Nights at the National Museum of American Jewish Military History
1811 R Street, NW—(2 blocks from Dupont Circle metro)
(Co-sponsored with NMAJMH)

Stitches for Soldiers

Sessions are scheduled for February 7, 14, 21, March 6, 20 and April 3 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.

During the months of February, March and April, the National Museum of American
Jewish Military History and the Jewish Study Center are hosting Stitches for Soldiers.

These eveings will be stitching bees—free sessions where people can bring their stitching projects that they
wish to create for our active military personnel.

No registration required — just come. Bring your projects for sweaters, gloves, hats (yes, even yarmulkes) socks, and small blankets and sit and stitch with us. You can even provide a name and address of an active duty friend or family member and each session we will pick a name of a person to receive something made from the group. Please visit the museum's website under the heading Recent News and Special Announcements for more information on specific requirements made by the military for knit garments worn by active service personnel.

For info: mwestley@nmajmh.org or (202) 265-6280

American Jewish History Through the Lens of Literature: Cookbooks

One session: Tuesday, February 21 7:00-8:15 p.m.
Instructor: Jonina Duker

Cookbooks, a genre of literature in which women were most of the writers and readers, offer fascinating insights
about the history of everyday life. Come hear what cookbooks have to tell us about Jewish life in America from 1866 to today. Jonina Duker, an avid reader of cookbooks, has been eating seriously for as long as she can remember. She teaches adults and children, and learns whenever she can.

JSC, NMAJMH, and Jewish War Veterans members $15, non-members $20

Folklore about the Binding of Isaac
Three sessions: Tuesdays, Feb 7, 14, 21 7:00-8:15 p.m.
Instructor: Steven Braun

The story of the binding of Isaac, known in Jewish tradition as the Akedah, has gripped the popular imagination
for centuries. We will study some of the voluminous folklore that has grown up around the Akedah, mostly drawn from Shalom Spiegel and Judah Goldin's book, The Last Trial: On the Legends and Lore of the Command to Abraham to Offer Isaac as a Sacrifice, (1993). Steven Braun is a Washington economist and longtime Fabrangen member with interests in midrash and mysticism.

JSC, NMAJMH, and JWV members $40, non-members $55

Jewish Population: Numbers Rising or Falling? America and Israel
One session: Tuesday, March 20 7:00-8:15 p.m.
Instructor: Joshua Comenetz

What is the future of the Jewish population? Is the American Jewish population growing or declining? Is the share of Jewish population in Israel declining relative to the Arab population? Does Israel need to give up the West Bank and Gaza (the "territories") to maintain a Jewish majority? What will the Jewish people look like in 2050? Joshua Comenetz is a consultant in Jewish demographics and mapping, including for the current Jewish Community Study of New York. He has taught Jewish population and geography at the University of Florida and has published articles on the Hasidic population and other Jewish demographic topics.

JSC, NMAJMH, and JWV members $15, non-members $20

Exploring the Novels of Saul Bellow
Three sessions: March 6, March 20, April 3 7:00-8:15 p.m.
Instructor: Rich Blaustein

Cynthia Ozick had this to say about Saul Bellow: "Among the soon-to-be-forgotten novelists of our time, Saul Bellow stays on. Surely it is for the kaleidoscopic astonishment of his sentences that he lasts. But not only. " We will explore and enjoy some of Bellow's works, including Seize the Day, Herzog, and some short stories and essays. Students should read Seize the Day before the first class if possible. Students are encouraged to olunteer to present their own thoughts on some aspect of Bellow's writing or life. Rich Blaustein, a longtime teacher for the Study Center, first taught on Saul Bellow a decade ago. He has also taught JSC courses on James Joyce's Ulysses and Freud's Moses and Monotheism.

JSC, NMAJMH, and JWV members $40, non-members $55

Wednesday Nights at Adas Israel Congregation
2850 Quebec St NW)—(1 block from Cleveland Park metro)
(Co-sponsored with Adas Israel Congregation)

Israelis, Arabs and the Arab Spring: Perceptions of the Other
Three sessions: Feb. 1, 8, 15 7:00- 8:15 p.m.
Instructors: Paul Scham, Naiem Sherbiny

Will the so-called Arab Spring change Israel's relationships with its neighbors? And will the changes in Arab societies
affect those nations' views of Israel? How do these countries view one another's changing aspirations? Two seasoned observers of Israeli-Arab politics, one Jewish and one Muslim, explore Israeli-Arab relations in view of recent changes. Paul Scham is Executive Director of the Gildenhorn Institute for Israeli Studies at the University of Maryland and has worked for over 20 years on issues of Israeli/Palestinian peace in both Jerusalem and Washington. Naiem Sherbiny,

who left Egypt in 1955, 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.

JSC and Adas members $40, non-members $55

Jews and the 2012 Election: The Game’s Afoot!
Four sessions: Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22 7:00- 8:15 p.m.
Instructor: Steve Rabinowitz with guest speakers

Keep abreast of the presidential primary news with a uniquely Jewish slant on the 2012 elections as they unfold. Political consultant extraordinaire Steve Rabinowitz will emcee as campaign insiders discuss the role of the Jewish community in the unfolding election, where Jewish voters and Jewish fundraisers are leaning, what the candidates see in store for Israel, how Jewish voters have changed in this presidential cycle and how they are likely to stay the same. Speakers will include:
• Ira Forman, President Obama's campaign liaison to the Jewish community and author of the seminal book Jews and American Politics
• Tevi Troy, senior advisor to Mitt Romney's campaign and a former Bush White House official
• David Harris, Presidernt and CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council
• Matt Brooks, Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Jewish Policy Center
• Ron Kampeas, Washington bureau chief for the JTA wire service
Keep your eye on our website, www.jewishstudycenter.org for a detailed schedule of speakers.
Steve Rabinowitz is President and CEO of Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications and has worked on the national staff
of nine presidential campaigns and in the Clinton White House.

JSC, and ADAS members $55, non-members $75

Psalms Ancient and Modern
Three sessions: March 14, 21, 28 8:15–9:25 p.m.
Instructor: Amy Schwartz

The biblical Book of Psalms forms the backbone of much Jewish (and Christian) prayer. Even those familiar
with this strange and haunting ancient poetry may not be aware how much contemporary poetry is threaded through

with themes from and references to the psalms. Continuing our long-running journey, this class will trace ancient and modern psalms through the liturgy and through modern poets and translators inspired by them, from Robert Alter and Stephen Mitchell through Jacqueline Osherow and Myra Sklarew. Amy Schwartz, a journalist, has taught many Study Center classes on poetry and is President of the JSC.

JSC and Adas members $40, non-members $55

Jews of the Far West
Three sessions: March 14, 21, 28 7:00-8:15 p.m.
Various Instructors

Not long ago, as one historian puts it, references to Jews in the West were met by the amused question,
"Oh . . . were there any?" In a word, yes--Jews were conquistadors in Mexico, conversos in New Mexico,
ranchers in South Dakota, farmers in Utah and traders from the California Gold Rush to Alaska and beyond.
Scholarship in recent decades has unearthed and popularized this colorful history. Join us as we ride the
range! (The session about Jews of Alaska will be taught by the staff of Moment Magazine, which is leading a
cruise to Alaska.)

JSC and Adas members $40, non-members $55

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.