Fall 2020/5781 “ Fix a P Eri Od F Or Th E Stud Y of Torah” Pirk Ei Avot 1: 15

Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County THE RABBI SAMUEL SCOLNIC ADULT INSTITUTE FOUNDED IN 1977 IN MEMORY OF SAUL BENDIT Fall 2020/5781 “ Fix a p eri od f or th e stud y of Torah” Pirk ei Avot 1: 15

SIX TUESDAY MORNINGS October 13, 20, and 27; November 3, 10, and 17

SIX WEDNESDAY EVENINGS October 14, 21, and 28; November 4, 11, and 18

All classes are open to the public. There is no prerequisite–only a desire to participate, learn, and enjoy. The Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute, founded in 1977 in memory of Saul Bendit, is one of the leading synagogue-based adult education programs in the Washington, DC area. Now in its 43rd year, the Institute has received national and international recognition. The Fall program, running for six weeks, comprises 11 courses offered Wednesday evenings beginning October 14, and five classes offered Tuesday mornings, beginning October 13. Classes meet by Zoom only; technical support for Zoom will be available. We are confident that you will find the courses interesting and informative. SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

Wednesday Night Schedule with Minyan break from 8:20-8:40 pm 7:30 - 8:20 pm 8:40 - 9:30 pm Innovative Jewish Thinkers: Shtisel: Why Do We Love It? Henrietta Szold Rabbi Emeritus Bill Rudolph Rabbi Greg Harris Mindfulness and Meditation George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda: Hazzan Asa Fradkin Philo-Semitism and Proto-Zionism in 19th Century England Adjunct Rabbi Mindy Avra Portnoy The Dynamics and Diversity Jewish Resistance in the Holocaust of Jewish Music Eric Gartman Hazzan Emeritus Abraham Lubin Us and Them: Jews and Non-Jews What Kind of State Is the Rabbi Avis Miller United States of America? Dr. Jerome Copulsky God's System of Divine Justice: Judges: A Baffling Book? Biblical Sources Dr. Richard Lederman Gideon Amir Degenerate Art Dr. Naomi Daremblum

Tuesday Morning Schedule with break from 10:50-11:10 am 10:00 - 10:50 am 11:10 am - Noon George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda: What Kind of State Is the Philo-Semitism and Proto-Zionism in United States of America? 19th Century England Dr. Jerome Copulsky Adjunct Rabbi Mindy Avra Portnoy God's System of Divine Justice: Us and Them: Jews and Non-Jews Biblical Sources Rabbi Avis Miller Gideon Amir

Judges: A Baffling Book? Dr. Richard Lederman Class Descriptions

Innovative Jewish Thinkers: Henrietta Szold Instructor: Rabbi Greg Harris, Wednesday evening Henrietta Szold is best known as the founder of the women’s organization Hadassah in 1912. Szold’s achievements included scholarly work with JTS rabbi and academic Louis Ginz- berg; founding the Ihud political party in Mandate Palestine; and saving 30,000 children from the Shoah through Youth Ali- yah. The Ihud party was dedicated to a binational solution. We will look at her life, which has been mythologized and cele- brated, and discuss her impact on Zionism.

Wikimedia Commons

Mindfulness and Meditation Instructor: Hazzan Asa Fradkin, Wednesday evening What is Jewish mindfulness and meditation? What is the connection to Kabbalah? What is the intersec- tion between Judaism and Buddhism, Hinduism and other Eastern philosophies when it comes to meditation and mindfulness? How long have Jews been meditating and what place does it have in today’s tradition? The course will be presented through video, guest lectures, source materials and “in class” demonstrations.

The Dynamics and Diversity of Jewish Music Instructor: Hazzan Abraham Lubin, Wednesday evening Jewish music derives from every corner of the world. From Spain to Morocco, and from Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Russia to Italy, Yemen, and Ethiopia, Jews have developed distinct folk and liturgical musical tradi- tions. These practices have been influenced by accultura- tion and local musical customs. Colorful examples will be illustrated with live and recorded performances.

continued on next page Us and Them: Jews and Non-Jews Instructor: Rabbi Avis Miller, Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening How are non-Jews portrayed in the Torah? What are Jewish responsibilities to non-Jews? How and why has the relationship between Jews and non-Jewish people of color evolved from civil rights to Black Lives Matter? This course will feature study of Jewish texts from the Tanakh to today. We will explore the obligations binding on all Rabbi Abraham Joshua of humanity (Noahide Laws) as well as ancient, medieval, Heschel presents Martin and contemporary Rabbinic sources dealing with distinc- Luther King, Jr. with the tions and commonalities between Jews and Gentiles. We Judaism and World Peace Award, 1965, Wikimedia Commons will consider social boundaries and barriers, leading to a discussion of conversion and intermarriage.

God’s System of Divine Justice: Biblical Sources Instructor: Gideon Amir, Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening God is good. God is just. All monotheistic religions struggle with two major related issues. (1) God’s Provi- dence: Just how much does God intervene in our world? Has God been active after setting the world in motion? How does God's activity - or inactivity - reconcile with the idea of individual freedom of choice? (2) Divine Justice: How does (the good and just) God permit the Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof, courtesy of injustices we see in the world? “Why do bad things hap- hebrica.com pen to good people?” and how is it that injustices often continue without discernible consequence? We explore the Biblical answers and analyze whether the Bible has a consistent view on these complex questions. Additionally, we will discuss post-Biblical ideas that emerged when the Biblical answers seemed to be insufficient. Please be sure to have a full Bible when attending the class. These are available online.

Degenerate Art Instructor: Dr. Naomi Daremblum, Wednesday evening On July 18, 1937, the Nazis opened what was to become an annual art show of Nazi approved art-the “Great German Art Exhibit” in Munich’s Haus der Kunst. The following day a counterpoint exhibition opened nearby, called “Degenerate Art” (Entartete Kunst). Degenerate Art, now generally called “Mod- ern Art”, was displayed to educate the public on the “Art of Decay.” The exhibit included more than 650 paintings and artworks, part of a total of almost 20,000 works confiscated from German muse- ums. Among them were works by some of the great international artists of the time such as Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, and Oskar Koko- schuka-along with famous German artists including Max Bech- mann, Georg Grosz, and Emil Nolde, a committed member of the Nazi Party. This course will examine the history and ideology of the exhibit while exploring the art at its heart En Canot (Im Boot), Jean Metzinger, 1913 (oil on oak panel). Confiscated by and analyzing its subversive power. We will also the Nazis c.1936 and displayed at the De- delve into the artists, a few of whom were Jewish, generate Art Exhibition. Wikimedia commons. whose lives the exhibit dramatically altered. Shtisel: Why Do We Love It? Instructor: Rabbi Emeritus Bill Rudolph, Wednesday evening “Everybody Loves Shtisel” read the headline that an- nounced Season Three of this Israeli television series is on its way. This course will analyze various episodes, focusing on why we can’t help but watch and what may make us squirm (for example, what will the Gentiles think?) and how we might understand the variety of emotions we feel. We will also explore what we learn Shtisel cast poster, courtesy of Netflix about varieties of Orthodox Judaism and why the Israeli film industry is so successful and so much copied (thinkHomeland and Fauda.) Shtisel is available for streaming on Netflix. Netflix requires a monthly payment.

George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda: Philo-Semitism and Proto-Zionism in 19th Century England Instructor: Adjunct Rabbi Mindy Avra Portnoy, Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening This course, set in a historical context, will focus on George Eliot's (Mary Anne Evans) last book, Daniel Deronda. A writer who defied conventional Victorian anti-Semitism and images of women, Eliot, a non-Jew, also provided a unique perspective on Jewish life at the time, including the stirrings of proto-Zionism in England. This remarkably prescient novel is also pri- Poster for the BBC adaptation of marily a brilliant tale of moral choices and romantic Daniel Deronda, courtesy of the BBC tragedy and triumph. Our main secondary sources will be two works by the late intellectual and cultural historian, Gertrude Himmelfarb; Jen- nifer Uglow’s biography of Eliot; and the 2002 BBC video, Daniel Deronda. No outside reading is required; excerpts will be discussed in class.

Jewish Resistance in the Holocaust Instructor: Eric Gartman,Wednesday evening Jewish resistance during the Holocaust has been misunderstood for many years. Are the postwar charges of Jewish passivity cor- rect? Only in recent decades have scholars be- gun to truly understand the extent and limits of Jewish revolts. We will examine the major episodes of armed Jewish resistance against the Nazis, including the Warsaw Ghetto Upris- ing, the Treblinka and Sobibor revolts, and the Bielski Brothers’ rescue and resistance strug- Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Wikimedia Commons gles. Our focus will be to explain the situation from the perspective of the people involved and the options and possibilities open to them at the time. We will also look at why these particular actions occurred and explore whether there could have been more armed uprisings. continued on next page What Kind of State Is the United States of America? Instructor: Dr. Jerome Copulsky, Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening Is the U.S. a Christian nation, a Judeo-Christian nation, or a secular state? Beginning with the question of whether the U.S. was founded as a Christian or secular state, we will then look at how the religious foundations of the country played out in 19th century debates over slavery, immigration, and religious practice. We will then examine the development of the idea of a Judeo-Christian America in the mid-twentieth century. Finally, we will consider how the issue is playing out in our current political climate.

Declaration of Independence, Wikimedia commons.

Judges: A Baffling Book? Instructor: Dr. Richard Lederman, Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening We all know the story of Samson and Delilah. But there are some very odd—and even disturbing—stories that come from this Biblical book that reflect a very early stage of the society of Biblical Israel. By examining history, archeology and comparative literary studies, we can place this book within its historical and literary context to gain a better un- derstanding not only of the book itself, but of the historical period that it represents.

Samson Slays a Thousand Men with the Jawbone of a Donkey, James Tissot, ca. 1896-1902 (gauche on wood panel). Courtesy of The Jewish Museum, New York.

EARLY ALERT FOR SPRING 2021 Spring 2021 semester dates are Tuesday/Wednesday, March 2-3 through April 6-7.

If you need assistance or special accommodations in order to participate in the Adult Institute, please call 301-652-2606, ext. 149. A member of the Institute Committee will contact you. Instructors

GIDEON AMIR, born in Holland to Holocaust survivors, grew up in Israel. After serving in the military, he received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Hebrew University and the Weizmann Institute of Science. He has taught extensively at the college level in Israel and in the U.S. He completed a Master's Degree in Judaic Studies at Baltimore Hebrew University. Mr. Amir has been teaching Bible and a variety of Jewish subjects at area synagogues and churches, the Osher Program at JHU, Oasis, the Melton program, and the Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies.

DR. JEROME COPULSKY is a Jefferson Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. He is a former Special Advisor at the Office of Religion and Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. His essays, stories, and reviews have appeared in such places as The New York Times, The New Republic, Religion Dispatches, Tablet, and The Jewish Review of Books. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Divinity School.

DR. NAOMI DAREMBLUM, originally from Costa Rica, is a specialist in Latin American culture, art, and politics. After completing her Ph.D., she held teaching appointments at New York University and the New School. She has taught and written on a wide range of subjects, from the rise of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela to the literature of Isabel Allende. Her pieces have been published in magazines such as The New Republic and Letras Libres, one of the premier literary journals for Latin America. She is currently teaching courses on Latin American culture and politics at Montgomery College’s Life Learning Institute.

HAZZAN ASA FRADKIN joined Beth El in July 2017. He was ordained by the H.L. Miller Cantorial School of JTS in May 2007, where he earned the degrees of Hazzan and Masters in Sacred Music. At the Miller School, he was class president and founder and Chair of the School's Tzedakah Concert Committee. Hazzan Fradkin holds an undergraduate degree in Vocal Studies with a minor in Jewish Studies from Indiana University's School of Music. At IU, he became actively involved in Hillel and also graduated with a Certificate in Jewish Studies. He previously served as Hazzan at Temple Shalom in Greenwich, CT.

ERIC GARTMAN is the author of Return to Zion: The History of Modern Israel (Jewish Publication Society, 2015). He has been an intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense. Mr. Gartman did graduate work at the University of Virginia and the National Defense University after studying history as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona. The grandson of a Holocaust survivor, he has lived and studied in Israel and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East.

continued on next page RABBI GREG HARRIS, Senior Rabbi of Beth El, joined the Beth El community in 2002. He was ordained at JTS, where he also received a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education. Rabbi Harris received his B.A. in Political Science from The American University. He is a Past President of the Washington Board of Rabbis and teaches throughout the community. Rabbi Harris is the Chair of the Pastoral Care Committee at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Life Communities and a past recipient of the Matthew Simon Rabbinic Award given by the Jewish Federation for leadership in the broader Jewish community.

DR. RICHARD LEDERMAN spent 30 years in Jewish communal service, most recently as Director of Public Policy and Social Action and Executive Director of the Seaboard Region of The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. He holds a B.A in Religion and a Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literature. Dr. Lederman has served as a faculty member of the Florence E. Melton Adult Mini- School and Me’ah, an intensive adult Jewish learning program out of Boston’s Hebrew College. Dr. Lederrman has also taught courses on the Bible at the School of Continuing Studies at Georgetown University and the Metropolitan School of Professional Studies at the Catholic University of America, in addition to courses on Bible, mythology, and the study of religion for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

HAZZAN ABRAHAM LUBIN, the Hazzan Emeritus of Beth El, continues to be active in the wider Jewish community. He has officiated at High Holiday and other services for the past several years in Cincinnati, Annapolis, and Washington, DC. He is Secretary of the Cantors Assembly Foundation and a past president of the Cantors Assembly. Hazzan Lubin was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree by JTS. He holds a "hazzan" degree from Jews' College, London, and a Master of Music degree from DePaul University. He lectures on Jewish music, and has performed in the U.S., Canada, Israel, Spain, Argentina, and the former Soviet Union. Hazzan Lubin served as editor of The Journal of Synagogue Music for ten years.

RABBI AVIS MILLER is President of the Open Dor Foundation, Inc., which reaches out to unaffiliated and marginally active Jews. She is also Rabbi Emerita at Adas Israel Congregation, Washington, DC, where she had the longest pulpit tenure of any woman in the Conservative movement. She has twice chaired the national Rabbinical Assembly (RA) Committee on Keruv/Giyyur (Outreach and Conversion), and has served as past president of the regional RA. Rabbi Miller has conducted High Holiday services at 6th and I Historic Synagogue and on Zoom at Tifereth Israel in DC, and also teaches classes elsewhere in the area. In July 2010, the Forward named Rabbi Miller on its initial (and thus far only) list of the most influential women rabbis in the United States.

RABBI MINDY AVRA PORTNOY, currently serving as an Adjunct Rabbi at Beth El, was a rabbi with Temple Sinai for 25 years, and is now Rabbi Emerita. She previously was Director of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation at American University, and an originator and former national co-coordinator of the Women’s Rabbinic Network. Rabbi Portnoy, a graduate of Yale University, was ordained in June 1980 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, where she also received an MA in Hebrew literature. She was among the pioneers for women in the rabbinate. Among her various publications are five children's books, including Ima on the Bima: My Mommy is a Rabbi. She has taught at American University, the Beth El Sisterhood’s Rosh Chodesh program, and at other local venues.

RABBI WILLIAM RUDOLPH is Rabbi Emeritus of Beth El since 2015, after 32 years of service. In his semi-retirement, additional duties include recent rabbinic leadership for the Fauquier Jewish Congregation, a creative role in the community’s new Ramah Day Camp, and service as President of the Board of the new Jewish Millennial Engagement Project. Rabbi Rudolph received the Matthew Simon Rabbinic Leadership Award from the United Jewish Communities, an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from JTS, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s “Campaigner of the Year” award.

RABBI SAMUEL SCOLNIC (1923-2012) z”l served as Beth El’s first full time Rabbi for 32 years, and as Rab- bi Emeritus until his death in 2012. He founded the Saul Bendit Adult Institute and taught in the Institute from its inception in the Fall of 1977. The Institute is now known as the Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute. Rabbi Scolnic held advanced degrees from the Jewish Theological Semi- nary. He was the founder and first President of the National Association of Retired Conservative Rabbis. He taught and lectured widely at area synagogues and at the Isaac Frank Jewish Public Library and other venues. Rabbi Scolnic received the Sheva R. and Marver R. Bernstein Master Teacher Award from the Foundation for Jewish Studies.

Saul Bendit (1913-1976) z”l was a resident of our Washington community for 37 years and an active participant in both Jewish and non-Jewish affairs. He had a deep love for Jewish culture and was very proud of his people and his faith. We are deeply indebted to his late wife Tanya and their family for underwriting the Adult Institute for many years after its inception. The Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute Committee Founded in 1977 in memory of Saul Bendit Marci Kanstoroom, Chair Paola Bolasny Rita Kopin Ken Feigenbaum Rhoda Nichaman David Florin Nancy Rosenthal Hazzan Asa Fradkin Mark Schifrin Steven Frank Judy Scolnic Judy Gann Maury Sterns Hilda Getz Ginger Teitel Linda Goldsmith Jack Ventura Naomi Greenwood Stephanie Ventura Marilyn Hammerman Deborah Wassertzug Rabbi Gregory Harris Rabbi Fabián Werbin Miriam Israel Lew Winarsky Marcia Jeffries

REGISTRATION AND OTHER INFORMATION DATES FOR FALL TERM: Classes will meet via Zoom on six Tuesday mornings, October 13, 20, and 27; and November 3, 10, and 17; and six Wednesday evenings, October 14, 21, and 28; and November 4, 11, and 18. Information for ZOOM links. You will receive detailed information for accessing the class(es) you have registered for a couple of days prior to the first class session. There will also be a help line to call in case of technical difficulties. REGISTRATION FORM: Please register online at: http://www.bethelmc.org/scolnic. Or if you prefer, you may complete and return the form below with your remittance. Online registration is available for members and non-members. REMITTANCE: If registering online, follow payment instructions. If registering by mail, please make check payable to BETH EL. IMPORTANT: FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT, PAYMENT FOR REGISTRATION MUST BE RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 7 EITHER ONLINE OR BY MAIL. Advance registration helps to ensure that the course you want will have sufficient enrollment. MINIMUM REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT: Ten students. THE EVENING MINYAN WILL START AT 8:20 PM (rather than 8:00) on evenings when Institute classes are scheduled. QUESTIONS? Call 301-652-2606, Ext. 149, or send an email to [email protected]. The Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute Founded in 1977 in memory of Saul Bendit Course Fee Information— Early Bird registration – payment must be received by October 7, 2020: Wednesday evening classes: • Each 6-week, 50-minute course……………………………$40/member; $50/nonmember Tuesday morning classes: • Each 6-week, 50-minute course……………………………$35/member; $45/nonmember

Regular registration – payment received on October 8 or later: Wednesday evening classes: • Each 6-week, 50-minute course ……………………………$45/member; $55/nonmember Tuesday morning classes: • Each 6-week, 50-minute course ……………………………$40/member; $50/nonmember

REGISTRATION INFORMATION REGISTER ONLINE OR COMPLETE THIS FORM — Please Print Registrant(s) home address: Address City State Zip + 4 - Home Phone Please register me (us) for the following course(s) 1. Registrant’s name______Beth El member? ____ Course(s) Tues, AM $_____ Tues, AM $ _____ Wed, PM $ _____ Wed, PM $ _____ For urgent class information: Email Phone: 2. Registrant’s name______Beth El member? ____ Course(s) Tues, AM $_____ Tues, AM $ _____ Wed, PM $ _____ Wed, PM $ _____ For urgent class information: Email Phone: Enclosed is a check, payable to BETH EL, for a total of: $ ______PAID Non-Profit U.S. Postage U.S. Suburban, MD Permit No. 7007 No. Permit

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y a d s e u T n i g e b s e s s a l C ! R E D N I M Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute Adult Rabbi Scolnic Samuel Saul Bendit of memory 1977 in in Founded County Montgomery El of Beth Congregation Road Georgetown 8215 Old MD 20814-1451 Bethesda, E R