The Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program
August 24, 2012
SUE HOFFMAN CJN Staff Reporter shoffman@cjn.org
The Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at Case Western Reserve University is offering more than 90 courses and activities this fall, according to Brian Amkraut, executive director of the program. They will take place at the Siegal facility at 26500 Shaker Blvd. in Beachwood, on campus at University Circle, and at other locations throughout the Cleveland
area.
“Our catalog includes topics to satisfy anyone’s intellectual curiosity, from Biblical studies to local architecture, from contemporary
spirituality to Russian literature, and even a reflection on the work of Cleveland’s Harvey Pekar, presented by the Judaic studies program at CWRU,” said Amkraut, formerly Siegal College provost. “Our office is also pleased to promote the many engaging public educational programs offered by other divisions within the university.”
Fall offerings include a distinguished lecturer series, brown-bag lunch programs, Jewish studies and Hebrew courses for every level. The fall lineup is the first under Siegal’s new combined continuing education program with Case Western Reserve University.
The program on the late author Harvey Pekar, a special event presented by Pekar’s wife Joyce Brabner and J.T. Waldman in CWRU’s Thwing Ballroom, is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Special programs taking place at Siegal include “Hebrew On One Foot,” a beginners’ crash course in reading Hebrew from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26; “A Day at the College – A Tale of Four Cities: Rome, Shanghai, Tel Aviv and Cleveland,” led by Cleveland State University professor Robert A. Simons from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12; and “The Stakes: How this Election Could Shape Health Care and the Federal Budget,” with Joseph White of CWRU from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 11 and 18.
A screening of “Nicky’s Family” will take place at the Mandel JCC at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7. The film tells the tale of how Englishman Nicholas Winton organized the rescue of 669 Czech and Slovak children just before World War II. A discussion will follow.
The brown-bag lunch series takes place from noon to 2 p.m. at Mandel JCC at 26001 S. Woodland Road. in Beachwood and at Siegal. Topics
range from Christian rescuers during the Holocaust to Biblical personalities and memoir writing.
The lifelong learning program offers Jewish studies courses this fall. Rabbi Eddie Sukol will present “The Essence of Judaism” Tuesday evenings at Congregation Kol Chadash in Solon. Courses taking place at Siegal include “Pursuing Peace and Repairing the World,” Thursday mornings with Rabbi Moshe Berger; “Interpreting Text and Interpreting Dreams,” Thursday evenings with Sarah Rudolph; and “Jewish Kitchen Culture: Jewish Holidays,” Friday mornings with Joan Kekst, food writer for the Cleveland Jewish News.
This fall’s distinguished lecturers include Marc Brettler of Brandeis University presenting “Will the Real Biblical God Please Stand Up?” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5; and Isaac Yomtovian presenting “Jewish Life Under Pahlavi and the Current Islamic Republic of Iran,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12. Both lectures are at Siegal.
To find out more about The Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at Case Western Reserve University, contact www.case.edu/lifelonglearning
or Sheryl Hirsh at 216.464.4054 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 216.464.4054 end_of_the_skype_highlighting x103
SUE HOFFMAN CJN Staff Reporter shoffman@cjn.org
The Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at Case Western Reserve University is offering more than 90 courses and activities this fall, according to Brian Amkraut, executive director of the program. They will take place at the Siegal facility at 26500 Shaker Blvd. in Beachwood, on campus at University Circle, and at other locations throughout the Cleveland
area.
“Our catalog includes topics to satisfy anyone’s intellectual curiosity, from Biblical studies to local architecture, from contemporary
spirituality to Russian literature, and even a reflection on the work of Cleveland’s Harvey Pekar, presented by the Judaic studies program at CWRU,” said Amkraut, formerly Siegal College provost. “Our office is also pleased to promote the many engaging public educational programs offered by other divisions within the university.”
Fall offerings include a distinguished lecturer series, brown-bag lunch programs, Jewish studies and Hebrew courses for every level. The fall lineup is the first under Siegal’s new combined continuing education program with Case Western Reserve University.
The program on the late author Harvey Pekar, a special event presented by Pekar’s wife Joyce Brabner and J.T. Waldman in CWRU’s Thwing Ballroom, is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Special programs taking place at Siegal include “Hebrew On One Foot,” a beginners’ crash course in reading Hebrew from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26; “A Day at the College – A Tale of Four Cities: Rome, Shanghai, Tel Aviv and Cleveland,” led by Cleveland State University professor Robert A. Simons from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12; and “The Stakes: How this Election Could Shape Health Care and the Federal Budget,” with Joseph White of CWRU from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 11 and 18.
A screening of “Nicky’s Family” will take place at the Mandel JCC at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7. The film tells the tale of how Englishman Nicholas Winton organized the rescue of 669 Czech and Slovak children just before World War II. A discussion will follow.
The brown-bag lunch series takes place from noon to 2 p.m. at Mandel JCC at 26001 S. Woodland Road. in Beachwood and at Siegal. Topics
range from Christian rescuers during the Holocaust to Biblical personalities and memoir writing.
The lifelong learning program offers Jewish studies courses this fall. Rabbi Eddie Sukol will present “The Essence of Judaism” Tuesday evenings at Congregation Kol Chadash in Solon. Courses taking place at Siegal include “Pursuing Peace and Repairing the World,” Thursday mornings with Rabbi Moshe Berger; “Interpreting Text and Interpreting Dreams,” Thursday evenings with Sarah Rudolph; and “Jewish Kitchen Culture: Jewish Holidays,” Friday mornings with Joan Kekst, food writer for the Cleveland Jewish News.
This fall’s distinguished lecturers include Marc Brettler of Brandeis University presenting “Will the Real Biblical God Please Stand Up?” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5; and Isaac Yomtovian presenting “Jewish Life Under Pahlavi and the Current Islamic Republic of Iran,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12. Both lectures are at Siegal.
To find out more about The Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at Case Western Reserve University, contact www.case.edu/lifelonglearning
or Sheryl Hirsh at 216.464.4054 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 216.464.4054 end_of_the_skype_highlighting x103
May 3, 2012
Professor Sparks Expanded Jewish Studies at CWRU
Story from the Cleveland Jewish News (online edition)
By: SUE HOFFMAN Staff Reporter shoffman@cjn.org
For Case Western Reserve University professor Jay H. Geller, a passion for history was cultivated as a young child in Houston. His maternal great-grandfather was a cantor who immigrated to the United States in 1910, Geller had been told, and his paternal great-great-grandfather was a rabbi and Talmudic scholar who arrived in the United States in 1892. Both settled in Galveston, Texas. As he was growing up, Geller remembers hearing fascinating stories of their voyages and adventures. While enjoying the folklore, he initially aimed to reconstruct the details surrounding his own ancestry. His interest in delving into the past eventually expanded to world history, particularly German Jewish history.
In January 2011, Geller became the first Samuel Rosenthal Professor of Judaic Studies within the history department at Cleveland’s CWRU. The appointment followed the repurposing of funds from the Samuel Rosenthal Center of Judaic Studies to a professorship in the College of Arts and Sciences. Peter J. Haas, the Abba Hillel Silver Professor of Jewish Studies and chair of the religious studies department, was on the search team.
A local businessman and philanthropist, Samuel Rosenthal founded Park Synagogue in Cleveland. His children Charlotte Rosenthal Kramer and now the late Leighton Rosenthal established an endowment for Judaic studies at the college in 1995. The endowment is now funding the Rosenthal professorship and student exchanges between CWRU and Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
“It was believed that the professorship would bring someone new to the university who would offer a wide range of Jewish studies courses, enhance the university’s offerings, and engage in expanding programming for the university and the wider community,” said Geller, who recently gave a lecture on the Holocaust to docents-in-training at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood.
With a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1995 and a Ph.D. in history from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2001, Geller served as a history professor and director of the Program in Judaic Studies at The University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for several years before coming to Cleveland a year ago.
Geller’s arrival increased the course offerings at CWRU and helped enhance the scope of the program. He’s teaching new courses on the “History of Zionism” and “Jews and the City” along with a course on the Holocaust.
“We hope it’s just the start of building something much larger,” said Geller, who lives in Shaker Heights with his wife Valerie and their daughter. The university administration hopes to establish an institute for Jewish studies that would be staffed by more professors and offer courses at the graduate and undergraduate level, Geller said.
In addition, the university has made strides in building bridges to the Jewish community in Cleveland, Geller said. “Two of the most salient examples are the projects with The Temple-Tifereth Israel for the new Maltz Center for the Performing Arts and the new Siegal (College) lifelong learning program.”
Geller referred to the announcement in February that CWRU and Siegal College would combine their adult education programs into a new initiative, the Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at CWRU.
In 2010, the university announced the creation of CWRU’s Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center within The Temple-Tifereth Israel’s historic building at University Circle. The majestic Cleveland landmark will provide a new home to some 1,000 students each semester who take courses in music, dance or theater, as well as other undergraduates who participate in extracurricular ensembles. In the new partnership with the university, The Temple-Tifereth Israel, located in Beachwood, will continue to use the University Circle building for events and High Holy Day services. The partnership was launched with a $12 million lead donation by the Maltz Family Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
Geller said he believes the university’s bridges to the Jewish community and the expansion of Judaic studies will attract more Jewish students to the university.
Geller, whose current students are predominately non-Jewish, said, “There’s a real interest here and at other college campuses in Jewish studies and religious issues, generally among non-Jewish students.” He expects a higher percentage of Jewish students in his classes as the Jewish population grows at the university.
“As the Jewish studies program grows, it will become a magnet for Jewish students interested in Jewish studies,” Geller said.
That’s exciting news for this new Clevelander. “I grew up in a large city with a large Jewish population,” he said. “In the early years of my career in Tulsa, I was part of a vibrant but small Jewish community. When this job was advertised, I was excited about the possibility of joining a large research university that was beginning to build up its program in Jewish studies and that was situated in a city with such a large and vibrant Jewish presence.”
Jay H. Geller’s books
• “Jews in Post-Holocaust Germany, 1945-1953” (Cambridge University Press, 2005) offers the first major examination of the reconstitution of organized Jewish life in Germany, both West and East, after the Holocaust and of postwar German government policy toward Jews.
• “Three-Way Street: Germans, Jews and the Transnational,” co-edited with Leslie Morris, forthcoming. This collection of essays examines questions of how German Jews impacted and experienced Jewish life beyond Germany and how Germany shaped non-German Jews.
• “How Good and Pleasant It Was: The Scholem Family and the German-Jewish Century.” This current project uses one family, the Scholems, as a vehicle to examine the development of Germany’s Jewry from the age of legal emancipation to the Holocaust. The most famous member of the family was the Judaic studies scholar Gershom Scholem.
