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Klezmer, which literally means “tool of song” in Yiddish, is the secular folk music of the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. In the first decades of the 1900s, this music flourished not only in the Old World but also in the New, in the immigrant community of New York City. There, the sounds of the European “fiddler on the roof” mixed with the sounds of early jazz and Tin Pan Alley. The result was a quintessentially American sound. These presentations will trace the history and evolution of this music, from the Old World to the New, up until the present day and the modern klezmer revival. Vintage audio clips and "live" performances from the instructor will make this program as exciting as the music itself. (Students can attend both sessions or can attend one live session and later watch the recording of the second session.)

Susan Pashman takes you through her new book, "Journey to a Temple In Time: A Philosopher's Quest For The Sabbath." With humor and academic expertise she explains how an atheist philosopher found her way to the deepest meaning of the Sabbath and to her own observance.

Danny Fingeroth is the author of the definitive book on Jews and comics, “Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero.” He will explore with you the backgrounds of the largely young American Jewish men who created superheroes such as Superman, Batman, the Spirit, the Avengers, the hulk and the X-men.

Has the metamorphosis of the Kibbutz led to a total erasure of the original Kibbutz experience or is the new form substantially faithful to the “old days.”