Digital Jewish Learning - A Deeper Understanding of Being Jewish

Special for the AJT Online –

Digital Jewish Learning is an online, real time, virtual classroom where courses on Jewish History, Bible, Prayer and Siddur, Torah and Haftarah Reading Skills.

Cantillations/Trope, and others will be presented. All classes are text study based, we will look at a number of first hand documents, Bible texts, and secondary sources to gain a deeper understanding of being Jewish.

Fall classes include:

Jewish Colonial America:Part of a larger and on-going set of classes, this first in the series will explore how the Jews came to North America, how they were received, how did they assimilate and how did they maintain their Jewish identity. We will also explore the differences between the early American Jewish community and the modern one in which we live. Are the issues and problems the same or different? How did these early Jewish settlers see their world, themselves and their community? Class texts include original letters, colonial advertisements, newspaper articles, journal entries and more. Presented on Mondays.

Hanukkah: History, Hasmoneans and the Holiday: Hanukkah is touted as the first celebration of religious freedom, but like so many battles for religious freedom, that often meant – our religion’s freedom, not theirs! Hannuka has a fascinating history, which usually does not include the oil lasting for 8 days! Learn the history and politics, the outcomes, as well as the rituals connected to the holiday of Hanukkah. You will never think of the Maccabees the same way again! Class texts include Josephus Flavius’ writings, The Book of Maccabees I & II and material from the siddur, Mishna and Talmud. Presented on Wednesday.

Judges, Saul and Lot: Why was Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin chosen to be the first king of Israel? In this class we will meet Saul as he is presented in the Book of Samuel I, after learning how the Israelites came to have a king in the first place. We will then go back to the and of the Book of Judges to determine if the events recorded there – bizarre events -had an effect on the choice of Saul to be Israel’s first monarch. We will also investigate how these events influenced Saul once he became king. We will then look at the events of Judges and see how they parallel the narrative of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah. Are these three texts connected and if so how and why? Class texts will be the Book of Judges, Samuel I and the book of Genesis – students must supply their own texts to work from for this class. The JPS Tanach is recommended, but any Tanach or separate editions of these books will work just as well. Presented on Thursdays.

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Classes begin November 10, 2014. Each class runs for four weeks (excluding Thanksgiving week).

To find out more and register, go to digitaljewishlearning.com