Israeli Culture Through Cinema

							                     Minimester 2012 Course Descriptions
                             Tuesdays 6:30-7:30pm

                                     Grades 7 – 9
Israeli Government and Politics
David Kesselman
Ever wonder how the Israeli government works? This crash course examines the
electoral system, the judiciary system, the army, political parties and ideologies and
more . . .

Origins of the Synagogue
Dr. Moshe Shualy
Mysteries, we all love them. We have all been in a synagogue countless times, yet
chances are most of us have no clue about its origin. Come find out. Shocking,
delightful, exciting

Exodus: Without The Frills
Abby Woloff
In the age of Hollywood we look to movies like The 10 Commandments and The
Prince of Egypt to inform our perception of one of the most difficult moments in our
collective history, the Israelite’s Exodus from Egypt. In this class we will begin to
discover a more truthful understanding of what actually happened and see that the
reality was far less romantic.

‫ :ריקּודי עם‬Israeli Dancing
 Shuli Raffel
 Join us as we learn some of Israel’s most popular folk dances! Don’t forget to wear
 your “dancing shoes”

                                       Grades 10-12
Battle in the Bible: the Siege of Jericho
Steve Gordon
How did the walls of Jericho come tumbling down? Perhaps with God's help, but
maybe it was Joshua and his tactics as a master of strategy. In this class, we examine
Joshua as an astute military commander as seen through his attack on Jericho at the
beginning of Sefer Yehoshua (long range recon and a keen sense of battle strategy).
He used tactics that are still in use today.
Jewish Artists in Context – An Introduction
Dr. Susan Vick
In this class, we will explore the work of three of the best known Jewish artists of the
19th and 20th centuries: the painters Mauryzy Gottlieb and Marc Chagall, and the
photographer, Adolph Stieglitz. As part of our discussion, we will talk about how to
read a work of art as a document that provides clues about the artist who created it
and about the times in which it was made

‫לשיר וללמוד שירים ישראליים‬
Yehudit Kesselman
‫נשיר ונלמד שירים ישראליים שמבטאים שמחה ואופטימיות ושירים עליזים על האוכל והשפעתו‬
‫.על האדם‬

‫ :ריקּודי עם‬Israeli Dancing
 Shuli Raffel
 Join us as we learn some of Israel’s most popular folk dances! Don’t forget to wear
 your “dancing shoes”
                               Tuesdays 7:30-8:30pm

                                     Grades 7-9
Why is Chanukah so prominent?
Dr. Moshe Shualy
Passover celebrates the birth of our people, 9th of Av commemorates the destruction
of the 1st and 2nd Temples, Purim the salvation from execution, Yom HaAtzmaut the
rebirth of the State of Israel. What is Hanukkah? Join us to find out.

Team Building and Leadership Development
Isaac Woloff
Hone your communication skills and become a more effective leader, all while
having fun!

‫ספרי ילדים‬
Michal Reichman
We will read, laugh and even get a little scared with our childhood heroes as we read
classical Hebrew Children’s books like Chatool Ta'a'o, Kipah Aduma, Shilgia and
Sinderella. Come and enjoy – milk and cookies will be served!

Hummus War: Israeli Cooking
Ella Davis
Israel and Lebanon entered into a Hummus War. They both were named winners in
the Guinness Book of Records. Israel won first by making a gigantic vat of Hummus
weighing 4,000 kilos. Not to be put to shame, Lebanon outdid Israel. Lebanon created
a more gigantic vat of Hummus weighing 5,000 kilos thus winning the competition.
Get ready to indulge! We are going to make the best Hummus from scratch as well as
other delicious Israeli dishes.

                                    Grades 10-12
Dunk Day Afternoon
Abby Woloff
The mikvah has played an important role in the lives of Jews for thousands of years
both from a practical and religious perspective. Together in this class we will study
why and how it has been used historically and today.

Real World College - Jewish Life after High School
What is Jewish life in college REALLY like? Panel discussions with recent Netivon
graduates, conversations with Hillel professionals, and much more.

Israeli Poetry: Leah Goldberg
Chana Rothschild
Leah Goldberg was a Hebrew poet born in 1911. Who was she? What songs and
 poems did she write? What has made Leah Goldberg so memorable?
Hummus War: Israeli Cooking
Ella Davis
Israel and Lebanon entered into a Hummus War. They both were named winners in
the Guinness Book of Records. Israel won first by making a gigantic vat of Hummus
weighing 4,000 kilos. Not to be put to shame, Lebanon outdid Israel. Lebanon created
a more gigantic vat of Hummus weighing 5,000 kilos thus winning the competition.
Get ready to indulge! We are going to make the best Hummus from scratch as well as
other delicious Israeli dishes.
                               Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm

                                   Grades 7-12
Gemilut Hasadim
What are the origins of our commandment to perform Gemilut Hasadim, Acts of
Loving Kindness. Join us as we explore the basis of this in the text and participate in
community service projects based on what our tradition teaches us. Students will earn
5 community service hours. This class meets for 2 hours.


                               Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm

                                      Grades 7-9

Megillah: It’s more than a Story
Dr. Schneider
Join Dr. Schneider as he challenges us to look critically at Megillat Esther, one of the
most beloved biblical narratives. In three short lessons, you will become an expert on
all things Purim, and appreciate the Purim story from a new perspective

Shomrei Yisrael, Guardians of Israel
Amit Nadiv
In this class, we examine how Israeli security has worked in the past and is working
in the present in order to help us understand and anticipate tomorrow.
                                     Grades 10-12

Hillel and Shammai: Disagreeing without Being Disagreeable
Rabbi Wechsler
A Text Study class on Disagreement

Shomrei Yisrael, Guardians of Israel
Amit Nadiv
In this class, we examine how Israeli security has worked in the past and is working
in the present in order to help us understand and anticipate tomorrow.

                               Thursdays 7:30-8:30pm

                                      Grades 7-9
U-B the Judge
Rabbi Stuart Hoffman
Can you analyze the facts in a case and render a fair, objective, and logical
decision? Can you be a judge? Then this is the minimester elective to test your
decision making skills. We will explore three different cases that need your decision.
Join us and see what the cases are and if your decision is in agreement with real
judges decisions.
Israeli Culture Through Cinema
Sally Grobani
Israel has developed a movie industry which is rapidly getting international
recognition. We'll view a few of these films that will give us a
sometimes entertaining, sometimes poignant view of some of the unique challenges
and aspects of Israeli life.

                                    Grades 10-12
Current Events
Rachel Weitzner
Examine current events through a Jewish lens. Explore how what is going on in the
world today affects us as Jews and/or how our responses to local and global events
are influenced by our teachings.

Israeli Culture Through Cinema
Sally Grobani
Israel has developed a movie industry which is rapidly getting international
recognition. We'll view a few of these films that will give us a
sometimes entertaining, sometimes poignant view of some of the unique challenges
and aspects of Israeli life.