The Elga Stulman Summer Programs
Registration form
Registration policies
Registration, including payment, received after July 9 are subject to a $35 late fee.
Tuition will not be prorated.
One-Time Classes
Picking up the Fragments: Learning and Writing About the Memory of Destruction
Creative Writing Workshop
The fast of 17th of Tammuz commemorates moments of shattering in Jewish History. Most famously we remember the crumbling walls of Jerusalem, but also the breaking of the luchot Habrit (tablets of law) when Moses saw the Jews worshiping the golden calf. We will explore the historical importance of the fast day and the question of our memory of these moments of rupture. How can we reassemble the fragments of the city walls; can we glue the words of the luchot back together? We will discover the importance of our own writing and imagination in healing these wounds and piecing together the fragments.
*Instead of a “lunch and learn,” this is a “write and learn.” We ask that people do not bring food to the class in light of the fast day.
Tuesday, June 29, 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Alieza Salzberg
Tuition: $25
Coed.
Not in the catalog:
When Things Are Not Perfect: Chasidic Teachings on Anger (in preparation for Tisha B'Av)
The destruction of the Temple is not just about the loss of the building but the destruction of the idea that things can be perfect. We will study the complex issue of anger, its sources and different uses. We will be dealing with issues of control, holiness, passion, perspective and defeat. Lunch will not be provided.
Rute Yair Nussbaum
Thursday, July 1, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Tuition: $25
Coed.
The Post-Tisha B’av Journey: Chasidic Models of "Home"
After having experienced our ultimate home, the Temple, destroyed- we have to find a way (existentially speaking), back in to the idea of “Home.” We will discuss diverse models Chasidut offers- some abstract, some tangible, some stemming from a “galut” approach and others from an Israel-centric perspective- and deal with questions like What does it mean to be Holy? How do we relate to the place we originated from? Is home a static place or is it a dynamic state of being?
Rute Yair Nussbaum
Tuesday, July 6, 12:45 – 2:15 p.m.
Tuition: $25
Coed.
Evening classes
Angels Confronting God
We will study Talmudic and Midrashic sources which tell stories of “Malachei Hasharet” confronting God. On what topics do they disagree, and in which contexts? Which sides do God and the angels take and can we typify their stances? To what ends do the Rabbis, who constructed the conversations, use them? What do they gain by presenting arguments as if they were made between the angels and God? Through these sources we will discuss theological issues and biblical narratives.
Yedidah Koren
Monday, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
4-session class: June 28, July 12, 26, August 2
Tuition: $100
Coed.
In Sickness, In Health; In Joy, In Sorrow: Sefer Tehillim
Throughout the ages, the psalms have been both beloved and challenging because of their poetry and the range of human experience they convey. We will examine a selection of psalms that reflect that range of emotion, while paying careful attention to the text, to hone our sensitivities to the nuances of the language and the literature. We will see how these passages reflect the historical realities of King David’s life (as mirrored in Sefer Shmuel), how they form the bulk of prayer, how they express angst, and how they express joy.
Anne Gordon
Monday, 8:00 – 9:30 p.m.
3-session class: June 28, July 12, 26
Tuition: $75
Coed.
Hasidic Revolutions
Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem Tov and his students revolutionized Jewish life with their innovative and (often) radical teachings. We will examine several key Hasidic teachings, including avodah b’gashmiut (worship through corporeality), the role of the Zaddik (Holy Leader), and the concept of aveirah lishmah (sinning for the sake of heaven). We will discuss where these ideas came from, how they evolved, and what their relevance is to our lives.
Ben Skydell
Tuesday, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Tuition: $100
Coed.
Halakha, Medicine… and Politics
Controversies in medical ethics are often intertwined with a broad range of social and political concerns. What factors shape the public debate over medical ethical issues? Where do religious and medical assessments give way to other considerations? Drawing on both traditional and contemporary sources, we will study several high profile medical ethics controversies, including the cases of Karen Ann Quinlan and Terri Schiavo, and the metzitza be’peh controversy in New York City.
Daniel Reifman
Tuesday, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Tuition: $100
Coed.
Ethics of Speech
We will examine the laws of speech and try to move towards a fuller understanding of what it means to adopt an ethics of speech that takes different aspects of Jewish law into account.
Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld
Tuesday, 8:00 – 9:30 p.m.
2-session class: July 6 and 13.
Tuition: $50
Coed.
Orthodoxy and the Other
Perhaps the most interesting challenge for any traditional religion is relating to the “other” – those outside of an insular community who implicitly challenge its way of life and worldview. We will look at halakhic and philosophical approaches of 20th and 21st century Orthodox Jewish scholars to various “others,” among them non-observant Jews, non-Orthodox Jewish denominations, and other religions.
David Wolkenfeld
Wednesday, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Tuition: $125
Coed.
Born-Again Jews: The Philosophical Underpinnings of Rabbinic Conversion
What is the essence of being a Jew in the eyes of the Rabbis? Is Judaism a faith, a people, or something altogether different? What differentiates a Jew from a non-Jew? Is there an actual barrier between Jews and non-Jews which can be crossed only by means of a religious ceremony with far-reaching metaphysical consequences? Through a careful analysis of the process of becoming a Jew, i.e. conversion (giyur), as formulated by the Rabbis, we will gain insight into their views on such philosophical questions.
Dan Baras
Wednesday, 8:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Tuition: $125
Coed.
Prayer Before Prayer: From Modeh Ani to Barukh She’amar
Canceled
