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Skirball 2011 | 3

From Madoff to Weiner:Is Sin a Growth Industry?Rabbi Daniel C. Goldfarb

The news of late offers too many examples of people from allwalks of life behaving regrettably. Are people sinning morenow,and if so why? What are the factorsin the humancondition and in lifethat tempt us? What can be said about

the impact of the Internet and social networks such asFacebook? Join us for text study and discussion to examinewhat Jewish sources have to teach us about how and why sinhappensand, perhaps, how to prevent it.

Why Bad Things Happen toGood Biblical Characters: TheOpposing Cases of Abraham and JobJudy Klitsner

In the very disturbing story of the Akeda (the Binding of Isaac),

God commands Abraham to sacrifice his innocent son. WhenAbraham demonstrates his willingness to comply with Godsorder,he is commended for his God-fearingnature. See howthe book of Job takes issue with the philosophical assumptionsof the Akeda; discover how it radically rewrites Akedasconclusions, and how both stories contain great relevance todeep, ongoing questions about unjust suffering in the world.

The Biblical Jacob:Our Dubious PatriarchDr. Neil Gillman

Of our three patriarchs, Jacob is the most problematic.Abraham is a giant; Isaac almost disappears within the pagesof the narrative.Of Jacob we are given more information,butmuch of it raises serious moral issues. A deceiver, Jacoblearns quickly that deceivers ar e invariably themselvesdeceived. And yet the later tradition gilds the biblical image ofJacob and he emerges as a great Jewish role model.Join us instudying this transformation and the great power of Midrash.

10:00am2:00pm | Dec 4

10:00am2:00pm | Nov 20

10:00am2:00pm | Nov 6

JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE

ANGEL BY GUSTAVE DOR

SundaySeminars

From Serpent to Satan:The Story of Paradise in Archaeology,Biblical Interpretation, and ArtDr. Adolfo Roitman

Since ancient times, the story of paradise has puzzledgenerations of thinkers,scholars,and artists. Why did God forbid

Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge? Why did theserpent deceive Eve? Who was the real deceiver:a naturalserpent or Satan himself? Trace the history of interpretationof this biblical unit; immerse yourself in a detailed study ofwritten sources and ancient-through-modern iconographies,and discuss fascinating theological messages hidden in thisemblematic narrative of Western civilization.

A Hebrew MarathonMichal Nachmany

Want to feel more comfortable in the prayer service butfeel inhibited because you cant read Hebrew? Have youbeen meaning to learn the language but somehow neverseemed to have the time? This unique seminar is perfectfor you. Come for an intensive Hebrew marathon that willleave you wanting more. Learn the letters and vowels, andby the end of the day you will be reading Hebrew.

10:00am2:00pm | Oct 23

10:00am2:00pm | Oct 16

ADAM AND EVEBY REMBRANDT

SACRIFICE OF ISAAC

BY REMBRANDT

A FEW LINES OF TEXT FROMTHE KAUFMANN MANUSCRIPT,

TRACTATE AVOT 1, 6.7

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Simply Maimonides: AnEncounter with the GreatestJewish Mind of All TimesRabbi Alfredo F.

Borodowski, PhD

The Harrison S. Kravis Course in Jewish Studies

or

Could this 13th-century Jew ever have imagined thathis name would be on the front of so many hospitals in the21st century? Philosopher,Talmudic sage,doctor to sultans, jurist,and leader; how didMaimonides become a Renaissance man before the Renaissance even existed? Who washis God? How did he relate to Islam? How did he harmonize philosophy and Judaism?Learn how Maimonides was able to integrate science,faith, and a turbulent personal lifeinto a coherent unity.

Artists Beit MidrashRabbi Yael Shmilovitz and Tobi Kahn

Apply your artis tic t alent s to the theme :He and Sheas you explore Jewish sources,inspiringyou to create new visual commentaries on the ancienttexts of our tradition.Now in its tenth year, theArtistsBeit Midrash is co-facilitated by a rabbi anda renowned artist whose own work blends modernart with the life of the spirit.

Writers Beit MidrashShelly R. Fredman

Join a group of creative non-fiction and memoirwriters to explore texts that inspire and amazeus, encourage us to wrestle with meaning,andstimulate the connections between our writingand our lives. Engage in discussions that will spurcreativity and spark imaginative exchange on thetheme : He and She.

NOTE: No professional writing experience is required.

7:009:00pm | Oct 24,31 Nov 7,14,21,28 Dec 5

7:009:00pm | Oct 24,31 Nov 7,14,21,28 Dec 5

2:003:30pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14

6:308:00pm | Oct 24,31 Nov 7,14,21,28 Dec 5

Skirball 2011 | 5

MONDAY

4 | Fall Courses

Evening CoursesEncounter: Islam and JudaismRabbi Leonard A. Schoolman

The Hortense Jordan Course in Ethics

The effects of terrorism and political and religiousstruggle with Islamic fundamentalism seem to haverendered a tolerant,p luralistic discussion betweenIslam and other faiths nearly impossible. But is it indeedso? Delve into a comparison of Jewish-Muslim world-view,God ideas, and practices; examine the similaritiesand differences in customs such as circumcision,burial practices, and kashrut/halal; analyze relatedpassages from the Quran and the Torah and discoverthe basis for an encounter between the two faiths.

But Is It True? The Bible, Archaeology, and History

Dr. Regina Stein

Your righteousness is eternal, Your Torah is true (Psalms 119:142), but did theevents it recounts really happen? Was the exodus from Egypt that we celebrateevery Passover an event in history? Can we reconstruct what life was like for theIsraelites at the time of King David? Does archaeology contradict the Bibles historicityor confirm it? Explore these questions and more as we discuss the relationshipbetween the Bible,archaeology, and history.

Judaism and Early Christianity:Intersections and Divergences

Dr. Mark WeisstuchThe Jane Moyse Gilder Course in Jewish History

The roots of Christianity are embedded in the Judaismof the Second Temple period. Through an examinationof core concepts and practices widespread in theJudaism of the timeresurrection,sacrific e, judgment,end time, messiah, Torah/law, concepts of evil/sin andrepentance/salvation, modes of interpreting the Bible,prophecy, and the Chosenness of Israeltrace the wayin which prevalent ideas of the period were adaptedand transformed in the formation of early Christianity.

NOTE: This course will be offered in two parts. Part two will beoffered in Spring 2012. Each part can be taken independently.

Interested in this course? See also The Vatican andthe Jews,p. 7.

6:308:00pm | Oct 24,31 Nov 7,14,21,28 Dec 5

6:308:00pm | Oct 24,31 Nov 7,14,21,28 Dec 5

6:308:00pm | Oct 24,31 Nov 7,14,21,28 Dec 5

At this time appeared Jesus,a wise man,if indeed oneshould call him a man.Forhe was a doer of startling

deeds,a teacher of peoplewho receive the truth withpleasure.And he gained afollowing both among manyJews and among many ofGreek origin.H e was theMessiah. And when Pilate,because of an accusationmade by the leading menamong us,condemned himto the cross,those who hadloved him previously didnot cease to do so.For heappeared to them on thethird day,living again, just

as the divine prophetshad spoken of these andcountless other wondrousthings about him. And upuntil this very day the tribeof Christians,named afterhim, has not died out.

Jewish Antiquities

by Josephus (circa 93 CE)

Ish and Isha.Man andWoman.Strength,wisdom,bravery,beauty, love,vanity, ugliness,holinessoften gendered; oftenin surprising waysallhold the key to theriddle of who we are,to the mystery of beinghuman.In our collectiveimagination maleandfemalehold typicallyunique qualities, butwhat is genderin Torah?Is there such a thing asfeminine violence?What does masculinetenderness look like? Isthere more to herandhim, hee and hu,thanmeets the eye? Is therean in-between?

Herod's Temple lookingNorthwest (artist unknown)

11th Century North African Quran inthe British Museum

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Revelation and Authority:Whose Judaism Is It?Dr. Neil Gillman

According to Jewish tradition, the Torah was givenatMount Sinai. What exactly was given? In moderntimes,scholars began asking whether the Sinaitic

moment happened at all, and contemporary thinkerswonder whether it even matters.What is revelation?What is interpretation? Who decides? What is thenature of religious authority? Study approachesranging from fundamentalist to radical as we exploredifferent Jewish models of revelation including recenttheological statements by thinkers such as ArthurGreen and Benjamin Sommer.

The Vatican and the JewsDr. Ariella Lang

The William Rosenwald and Ruth Israels

Rosenwald Course in Contemporary Jewish History

The relationship between Jews and Christians for mostof their 2000-year history has been an uneasy onepunctuatedby expulsion, forced conversion, massacres,and other forms of violence. Examine therelationship between Jews and the Catholic Church, beginning with the Inquisitionperiod, through the emancipation era and leading up to and during the Holocaust.Is there a link between officially sanctioned images of the Jew on the part of theVatican and the social and political anti-Semitism of the 20th century?

Prague in Jewish Letters

Dr. Freema Gottlieb

What does the holy city of Praguesignify in Jewishwriting? Delve into works by Kafka,Ivan Klima,Jiri Weil,Frantisek Langer,Pragues famed chief rabbi Judah BezalelLoew (the Maharal),Philip Roth,Aharon Appelfeld,W. G.Sebald, and Milan Kundera. Ask yourself: how doesPragues peculiar blend of architectures from medievaltimes and the tumbling gravestones of the Old JewishCemetery come to signify the erasure of memory of alost European Jewish culture?

6:308:00pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14

6:308:00pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14

6:308:00pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14Ancient Egypt in the Bible: Myth or History?Dr. Diane M. Sharon

The Leon Finley Course in Jewish Studies

The relationship between Israel and Egypt goes back to the very origins of the Hebrews inthe Bible. Abraham flees to Egypt during a famine in Canaan, and passes off his wife,Sarah,as his sister.Thus begins an ambivalent,and o ften tempestuous, relationship between theHebrews and the Land of Egypt. Examine the literary and theological functions of the storiesof Israel and Egypt in Genesis, bringing to bear the available archaeological evidence thatsupports or refutes biblical accounts from Abraham and Sarah to the death o f Joseph.

Interested in this course? See also Bible:The Weekly Torah Portion,p. 8.

Classical Talmudic StoriesDr. David Kraemer

The Pincus Family Course in Jewish Studies

There are certain Talmudic stories that are told overand over again. Stories of the death of Rabbi Aqiba at

the hands of the Romans, of the events leading up tothe destruction of the Temple, and of Hillel and theconvert have become classics. Study these and othergreat Talmudic stories in depth and askwhy arethey so important? What do they teach us aboutthe Judaism that the Rabbis formed as well as our own?

Rav Kook and the Heroism of the HolyDr. Daniel Rynhold

The philosopher-mystic Rabbi Abraham Isaac ha-Kohen Kook (1865-1935),better known as Rav Kook, cuts an unusual figure in the world of early 20th-

century Jewish philosophy. Discover the philosophy that led this ultra-OrthodoxRabbi to become a Zionist admired by religious and secular Jews alike; learnhow he valued both atheism and the theory of evolution, and how hislegacy was subsequently used and abused on the Israeli political scene.

Interested in this course? See also Nietzsche and Judaism,p. 8.

6:308:00pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14

6:308:00pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14

6:308:00pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14

WEDNESDAY

Evening Courses

A certain gentile came beforeShammai and said to him,Make me a Jew, on conditionthat you teach me the wholeTorah while I stand on onefoot. Thereupon he repulsedhim with the builders cubitwhich was in his hand. He

then came before Hillel, whoconverted him. Hillel said tohim: What is hateful to you,do not to your neighbor.That isthe whole Torah; the rest is thecommentary.Go and learn it.

Babylonian Talmud,Tractate Shabbat 31a

And narrow-mindedness, which causes one to see all that is outside

the bounds of ones own nation, even if it be outside the bounds of the

Jewish people, as naught but ugliness and impurity is one of the worst

kinds of darkness, which completely destroys the whole structure of

spiritual good for whose light every noble soul yearns.

RAV ABRAHAM ISAAC KOOK

A myth [is] a structurethrough which acommunity organizesand makes sense of itsexperience.The worldout theredoes notimpinge itself on us ina totally objective way.Myths are the spectacles

that enable us to seeorder in what wouldotherwise be confusion.

Neil Gillman,Sacred Fragments

Semitic tribes entering Egypt: The Beni-Hasan tomb painting (19th century BCE)

PragueCemetery

Prague never letsyou go .. . this dearlittle mother hassharp claws.Franz Kafka, letterto Oskar Pollak

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8 | Fall Courses

Bible: The Weekly Torah PortionArlene Agus

The Robert S. and Kimberly R. Kravis Course in Jewish Studies

Each week, in synagogues throughout the world, Jews read an identical section of theTorah.This yearly cycle is both study and ritual,an ongoing immersion in the rhythm,wisdom,history, and timeless foundation of Jewish civilization.Enter the world of the Hebrew Biblebeginning with Chapter One,Verse One. Meet generations of commentators,contend withchallenging texts, and acquire the tools to trace new levels of meaning in these Five Books of Moses.

Interested in this course? See also Ancient Egypt in the Bible:Myth or History? p.6

Nietzsche and JudaismDr. Daniel Rynhold

The Hans A. Vogelstein Course in Jewish Studies

Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th-century Germanphilosopher, is one of the most fascinating andcontroversial thinkers of the modern era. What hehad a to say about religion in general and Judaismin particular is not very complimentary. But is itpossible to see Nietzsche as more than a virulentanti-Semite who provided Nazism with its conceptualunderpinnings? Examine the relationship betweenNietzsche and Judaism and look at how his potentcritique of religion has been dealt with by a numberof modern Jewish thinkers.

Interested in this course? See also Rav Kook and the Heroism of the Holy,p. 6.

Simply Maimonides: An Encounterwith the Greatest Jewish Mind of All Time*Rabbi Alfredo F. Borodowski, PhD

The Harrison S. Kravis Course in Jewish Studies

or

Early Morning Talmud

Rabbi Ysoscher Katz

Always wondered what that Talmud thing is all about, but havent found the serious contextto uncover it? Love Talmud and want to return to that counterintuitive discourse? Join anintimate group of dedicated Talmud students of all levels for a foray into the mind of the Talmud.

With the destruction of the Second Temple Jewish life changed from a Temple-centered lifestyle,in which men were away from home for extended periods, oblivious to their obligations towardstheir families,to a lifestyle that is home-centered. Study the fourth tractate of Ketubot and seehow the Rabbis engineered an infrastructure for a vibrant and functional society, namelyto determine the responsibilities men have towards their wives, children, parents, andcommunity in this new reality,and explore the degree to which their views of a healthysociety are in consonance with contemporary values and sensibilities.

7:309:00am | Oct 27 Nov 3,10,17 Dec 1,8,15

6:308:00pm | Oct 24,31 Nov 7,14,21,28 Dec 5

2:003:30pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14

12:302:00pm | Oct 26 Nov 2,9,16,30 Dec 7,14

12:302:00pm | Oct 18,25 Nov 1,8,15,22,29

Skirball 2011 | 9

T

HURSDAY

Daytime Courses

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

One must have loved religion

and art like mother and

nurseotherwise one cannot

grow wise. But one must be

able to see beyond them, outgrow

them; if one remains undertheir spell, one does not

understand them.

NIETZSCHE

Portrait ofFriedrichNietzsche

*See page 5for course description.

Save the date!As part of a two-day conference called Genesis and Revolution:

On Gender, Power, and Authority in Jewish Life, jointly sponsored

by The Skirball Center and the Shalom Hartman Institute, we will behosting a special lecture open to the public. More details to follow.

A partnership of

and

7:30pm | Thursday,Nov 17,2011 | FREE

What?The Skirball Center for Adult JewishLearning at Temple Emanu-El waslaunched in 2001 to provide a new kindof Jewish learning experience for adultsin the New York City area. Skirball offersopportunities for in-depth study of the

great Jewish texts and ideas in a warmand open environment.

Why?For many people, Jewish study isthe primary way of expressing theirJewishness.At Skirball we are creatinga Jewish home for adults of all agesand backgrounds who share in Judaismspassion and enthusiasm for learning.

Where?We are located around the corner fromTemple Emanu-El, at 10 East 66th Street,between Fifth and Madison Avenues.Some courses are held at One East 65thStreet.Sk irball can be reached by bus:M1,M2,M3,M4, M18, M66, M72; and bysubway: N/R/Q 5th Avenue Station, 4/5/659th Street Station or 68th Street Station,F Lexington Avenue/63rd Street. Selectedcourses, events,and learning opportunitiesare held at other sites. Check the courseguide for course location.

When?Skirball offers three semesters of Jewishlearning throughout the year.Our Fallsemester begins in October 2011.

Skirballs program includes SundaySeminars and other stand-alone events,as well as evening and daytime coursesthat meet once a week. Most weeklyclasses are 90 minutes long and extendover 7 or 8 weeks so that in-depthlearning and a sense of community canbe realized. Early morning study groups,special lectures, and other events arescheduled throughout the year.

Who?Skirball students are seekers and thinkersfrom all streams of Judaism, and fromthroughout the tri-state area. Students

range in age from 20 to 90+, and manyare in their peak years of career develop-ment or community leadership. Ourcourses attract beginners and advancedstudentsoften in the same classroom.Texts are translated; for most courses nobackground in Hebrew is required.

Skirball faculty are master teachersscholars from many different disciplines,from all streams of Judaism,from theUnited States, Israel, and around the world.

Do you knowabout The Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning?

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Skirball 2011 | 1110 | Fall Courses

DR. ARIELLA LANG has a PhD in Italian

Studies from Columbia University. She

has taught at both Barnard College and

Rutgers University, and her interests include

Vatican-Jewish relations, Holocaust studies,

and the relationship between religion and

national identity. She has published a number

of articles in these areas, and her book,

Converting a Nation: A Modern Inquisition

and the Unification of Italy, was published

in 2008. She currently works at the

Institute for the Study of Human Rights

at Columbia University.

MICHAL NACHMANY is a graduate of the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Michal has

taught liturgical, biblical, and modern Hebrew

for more than 20 years at synagogues and

other institutions throughout New York City.

DR. ADOLFO ROITMAN is the Lizbeth and

George Krupp Curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls

and Head of the Shrine of the Book at The

Israel Museum in Jerusalem. A native of

Argentina, he holds a Licenciado from the

University of Buenos Aires, an MA inComparative Religion, and a PhD in Ancient

Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University of

Jerusalem. He is also an ordained conservative

rabbi. Adolfo is the author of four books,

including The Bible in the Shrine of the Book:

From the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Aleppo Codex,

as well as numerous articles.

DR. DANIEL RYNHOLD serves as Associate

Professor of Modern Jewish Philosophy at

the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish

Studies, Yeshiva University, having previously

held a post at Kings College London since

2001. Educated at the universities ofCambridge and London, Daniel was a fixture

on the adult education circuit in the United

Kingdom, and is the author ofTwo Models

of Jewish Philosophy: Justifying Ones Practices

andAn Introduction to Medieval Jewish

Philosophy(2009).

RABBI LEONARD A. SCHOOLMAN has been

engaged in interfaith adult education for more

than 15 years, founding and directing the

acclaimed Center for Religious Inquiry at St.

Bartholomews Church in New York. Rabbi

Schoolman has been a leader in bringing Jews

and Muslims to the same table and advocating

new understandings of Judaism by Muslims,

and of Islam by Jews. He has participated in

and led visits to Israel and Jordan by Jewish,

Christian, and Muslim interfaith groups.

DR. DIANE M. SHARON is a member of the

faculty in Bible at the Academy for Jewish

Religion. She has taught at JTS, Fordham

University, General Theological Seminary

(Episcopal), and other institutions of higher

learning. Her area of expertise is the Hebrew

Bible in its context in the ancient Near East,

comparative religion, and womens studies.

RABBI YAEL SHMILOVITZ is the Program

Director of the Skirball Center. She is a

graduate of the University of Haifa and was

ordained by HUC-JIR, where she also received

a master of arts in Religious Education. Anative Israeli, Yael is co-author ofResilience of

the Soul: Developing Emotional and Spiritual

Resilience in Adolescents and Their Families

(URJ Press).

DR. REGINA STEIN has taught for the

Wexner Heritage Foundation, CLAL, and

the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel, as

well as the Academy for Jewish Religion, JTS,

Temple University, and the Pardes Institute of

Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. She is formerly

the National Director of the Hadassah

Leadership Academy.

DR. MARK WEISSTUCH received his doctorate

in Theater History from the City University

of New York. He has taught courses on the

Second Temple, general Jewish history, the

history of the Jews in Poland and Eastern

Europe, and various subjects related to the

Holocaust. Mark is Administrative Vice

President of Congregation Emanu-El of the

City of New York.

ARLENE AGUS is Jewish Resource Advisor to

Jewish Child Care Association and an executive

consultant to Jewish family foundations. She is

a contributing author to Beginning Anew: A

Womans Companion to the High Holidaysand

What Happens After I Die?

RABBI ALFREDO F. BORODOWSKI,PhD, is the

Executive Director of The Skirball Center for

Adult Jewish Learning. Previously, he served as

Executive Director of The Hartman Institute

North America. Alfredo was ordained as a rabbi

by the Seminario Rabinico Latino Americano

and received an MA in Rabbinic Literature and

a doctorate in Jewish Philosophy from JTS. He

also holds a law degree from the University of

Buenos Aires. He published Isaac Abravanel on

Miracles, Creation, Prophecy, and Evil in 2003

(Peter Lang Press).

SHELLY R. FREDMAN teaches writing at

Barnard College. She received an MFA from

Washington University and has taught at the

University of MissouriSt. Louis Honors

College. Her work has appeared in Best Jewish

Writing 2002, First Harvest, the ChicagoTribune Magazine, Lilith, and a number of

anthologies and literary magazines.

DR. NEIL GILLMAN is Professor Emeritus

of Jewish Philosophy at JTS. A world-renowned

thinker and teacher, Neil is the author of several

seminal books on Jewish theology, most

recentlyDoing Jewish Theology: God, Torah

and Israel in Modern Judaism(Jewish Lights

Publishing, 2008).

RABBI DANIEL C. GOLDFARB is the Director

of the Conservative Yeshiva of the United

Synagogue of Conservative Judaism inJerusalem. He is a native of Boston, and a

graduate of Harvard College, Columbia Law

School, and JTS. He made aliya in 1976 and

worked as an attorney before joining the Yeshiva

in July 2000. He has taught at Limmud in

England and New York and at synagogues in

Israel, Europe, and North America.

DR. FREEMA GOTTLIEBwas a peripatetic teacher

of Torah in the Prague Jewish community and

Bohemia and visiting professor of Midrash in

Pragues Charles University. She has written

the meditational text for a book of photographs

of symbols on Jewish gravestones: Mystical

Stonescapes in Pragues Old Jewish Cemetery

and in Bohemia.

TOBI KAHN is an internationally acclaimed

painter and sculptor whose work has been

shown in over 40 solo exhibitions and over 60

museum and group shows. He is the cofounder

of Avoda Arts and has taught at the School of

Visual Arts in New York since 1985.

RABBI YSOSCHER KATZ is the Director of the

Beit Midrash Program at Yeshivat Chovevi

Torah and the Director of Judaic Studies at the

Luria Academy. He received ordination in 1986

from Rabbi Roth, dayanof UTA Satmer. Rabbi

Katz studied at Brisk Yeshiva and at Yeshivat

Beis Yosef, Navaradok and is a graduate of the

HaShaar Program for Jewish Educators. He

lectures widely and teaches adult education

classes in numerous venues. He was a leadingteacher of a daf yomiclass in Borough Park for

over eight years.

JUDY KLITSNER is a senior faculty member

at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies in

Jerusalem, where she has taught courses in

Bible and biblical exegesis for nearly two

decades. She lectures widely to diverse and

multidenominational audiences in Israel, the

U.S., and Europe and is the author of the

recent groundbreaking book, Subversive

Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories

Mine and Undermine Each Other(Jewish

Publication Society, 2009).

DR. DAVID KRAEMER is Professor of Talmud

and Rabbinics at JTS, where he is also Joseph J.

and Dora Abbell Librarian, overseeing the

greatest collection of Judaica in the Western

world. Among his many publications is his

recently publishedJewish Eating and Identity

Through the Ages(Routledge, 2008).

FacultyPictured

left to right,

beginning

with top row

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Skirball 2011 | 13

TO CONTACT US

Phone 212.507.9580Fax 212.570.0826

Email info@adultjewishlearning.orgWeb adultjewishlearning.org

YOU MAY REGISTER BY

Phone,fax, or online.Registration form and paymentcan also be sent to:

Skirball CenterOne East 65th StreetNew York, NY 10065

PAYMENT IN FORMATION

Checks should be made payable to:Skirball Center

We accept:MasterCardVISAAmerican ExpressDiscover

Getting There

By Bus:

M1,M2,M3,M4,M18,M66,M72

By Subway:N/R/Q 5th Ave./59th St.4/5/6 59th St.

or 68th St./Hunter CollegeF Lexington Ave./63rd St.

ScholarshipLimited scholarships are available. ContactThe Skirball Center to inquire. All inquiriesremain strictly confidential.If you would liketo contribute to our scholarship fund,pleaseindicate so when you regi ster.

Refund PolicyFor ongoing classes,a full refund may berequested after the first Fall class meeting. Afterthe second class,a credit of 75% will be giventhat may be used towards any course and isgood for one year. No credit will be given afterthe third class. No refunds will be given forSunday Seminars.

All classes take place at 10 East 66th Street,except for Sunday Seminars,special lectures,and Early Morning Talmud, which take placearound the corner, at One East 65th Street.

Cancellation Policy and Missed ClassesThe Skirball Center reserves the right tocancel courses for insufficient enrollment.Tuition cannot be pro-rated if you cannotattend all class sessions.The Skirball Center isunable to record class sessions that you miss.Please arrange to borrow notes or have aclassmate record the class for you,instead.Photocopies of hand-outs from missed classeswill be provided in person or via mail, uponrequest, and without charge.

Library PrivilegesAll students enrolled in a 7-week SkirballCenter course have borrowing privileges for

one year at the Ivan M. Stettenheim Library,Congregation Emanu-Els own extensivecollection.For information includinghours call 212.744.1400, ext. 361, or visitwww.emanuelnyc.org/library.

For the Visually ImpairedThe Jewish Braille Institute can make it possiblefor any visually impaired or blind person toparticipate in courses at The Skirball Center.Given reasonable lead time,JBI can preparerelevant reading materials in the appropriateformat. For more information or to volunteerin the JBI studios call 800.433.1531.

AdministrationRabbi Alfredo F. Borodowski ,PhD,Executive Director

Rabbi Yael Shmilovitz,Program DirectorMichele Davison,Office Manager/RegistrarRachel Honeyman,Director of

Communications

Advisory CouncilDr.Steven BaymeRoger BennettDr.David GordisDr.Frances GottfriedDr.Lisa Grant

Dr.Mi chelle Lynn-SachsDr.Kerry OlitzkyDr.David M. PosnerFred RosenbaumDr.R obert SeltzerBarry ShrageDr.Ronald B.SobelLeah StriglerMarcia Waxman

Design: Masters Group Design

T he Skirball Center links people to Jewish study that is relevant andmeaningful. For many, Jewish study is the primary way of expressing theirJewishness. At Skirball we are creating a Jewish home for adults of all agesand backgrounds who share in Judaisms passion and enthusiasm for learning.

General Information

Leadership CircleVicki AbramsRobert BaumSonia Simon CummingsSheila FosterBarbara C.Freedman

Marc HavesEdward KersonLori PerlowRobert SchwalbeMarcia Waxman

12 | Fall Courses

The Mystery of the Jewish Zodiacand the Blessings of Complexity

A letter from the Executive Director

You may be wondering what a zodiac is doing on the front ofthe Skirball course guide. Have we at Skirball suffered a crisis of

idolatry? And even more perplexing: A closer look at the picture onthe cover reveals that written above each of the zodiac symbols is aHebrew word!

Well, it may be surprising, but this stunning mosaic was meticulously crafted for a 6th-centurysynagogue in Beit Alpha in northern Israel. A Greek inscription honoring the memory of thetwo artists who made the mosaic, Marianus and his son Hanina,is found on the entryway tothe synagogue.

The zodiac depicts the names of thetwelve astrological signs in Hebrew. Inthe center, we see the sun beingwhisked away by four galloping horses.The women in the four corners of the

mosaic represent the four seasons.Many are unaware that there ever was arelationship between Judaism and thezodiac, but in reality, this mosaic is not arare deviation from Jewish practice andstyle. In fact, similar ones have beenfound in flourishing and central townssuch as Sepporis in the Galilee.

In addition to its exquisiteness, weselected this mosaic as emblematic ofthe Judaism we cherish and seek toshare.The world is traversing uncertain

and difficult times. In periods of crisisand insecurity, it is easy to fall prey tointellectual and spiritual regression. Uncertainty craves simplistic solutions; doubt likes easyanswers.It is a seductive and deceitful proposition we must resist.

And thus we present the Beit Alpha mosaic as a representative of an open conversation,ofa Judaism that always engages in an interesting, challenging dialogue with surroundingcultures and current realities.

Further, this mosaic reveals another mosaic: the thematic kaleidoscope of Skirballs Fallofferings,ranging from archaeology to modern Jewish literature. We are not a one-size-fits-all institution, because that is an unrealistic model of Judaism. What we offer is a widevariety of topics and approaches, so that there is something for everyone. And just as amosaic's imperfect pieces join together to create beauty and meaning, each of you who

come to study at Skirball holds a piece of the puzzle forming the endless dialogue thatmakes up the whole of Judaism. You are responsible for taking your fragment and doingsomething meaningful with it to create a beautiful mosaic.

Welcome to the Fall semester.

Rabbi Alfredo F. Borodowski,PhD,Executive Director

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PAGE CLASS TITLE FACULTY TUITION CODE

(NODISCOUNTSAPPLY)

Registration Discounted early registration feesare highlighted below. Early registration must be received

BY SEPTEMBER 26.

!

Endowmentfor Our Future

Anonymous

Thomas Epstein*

Leon Finley*For the Leon Finley Course

in Jewish Studies

Richard Gilder

For the Jane Moyse Gilder

Course in Jewish History

Charles and Carol Grossman

Family Fund-NYCT*

Josephine C.S. Jordan*

For the Hortense Jordan

Course in Ethics

Henry Kravis

For the Robert S.and

Kimberly R.Kravis Coursein Jewish Studies;and the

Harrison S.Kravis Course

in Jewish Studies

Lionel I.Pincus*

For the Pincus

Family Course in

Jewish Studies

William Rosenwald*

For the William Rosenwald

and Ruth Israels Rosenwald

Course in Contemporary

Jewish History

The Skirball Foundation

John Vogelstein

For the Hans A.Vogelstein

Course in Jewish Studies

The Women's Auxiliary

of Temple Emanu-El

In honor of

Dr. Ronald B.Sobel

* OFBLESSEDMEMORY

Annual Supportfor Our Program

Contributions made

between June 1, 2010

and May 31,2011

Leaders

Anonymous

The Skirball Foundation

Benefactors

Anonymous

The Nathan Cummings

Foundation

The Charles and Carol

Grossman Family Fund

SustainersAnonymous

Neil and Juliet Cooper

Bettijane L. Eisenpreis

Geller & Company

Carol Grossman

Paul J. Isaac,Esq.

Edward W. Kerson

Painted Flower Fund

Perlow Family Foundation

Ethel Romm

Dr. Robert and Janie Schwalbe

The Julius Stulman Foundation

Supporters

Stephen Dubner

Larry and Lisa Frankel

Judith Hannan

Rosalind Pretzfelder

Dr. Ronald and Joanne Sobel

Marcia and Robert N.

Waxman

Gerald and Shirah Zeller

Friends

Harold Anfang

Carol Anshien

Michelle Ashley

Michael Blumenstein

Murry and Leona Brochin

Deborah Fogarty

Ellen French

Richard and Barbara

Glickman

Caroline Harris

Frances A. Hess

Mark H.Heutlinger and

Bonnie Cutler

Henry and Terri Jasen

Andrew J. Ely and Rachel

Kanter

Dr. Ralph and Jessica Kaslick

Earle and Judith Kazis

Stephen and Susan Kippur

Michael and Anita Malina

Patrick Moriarty

Rabbi Leon A. Morris and

Dasee Berkowitz

David Rheingold

Dr. Lee R. Robbins

David and Charlotte

Rosensweig

Darone Ruskay and Rabbi

Stephanie Ruskay

Dr. Jill Salberg

Viviane SallayAlan R. Samuels

Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller

Ellie Silk*

Rabbi Abigail N. Sosland

Peter Tyor

Rona E. Weinstein

Alvin Weiss

and many others

Skirball students

(between 2001 and 2011)

Thank you! These friends and students have made generouscontributions to The Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning.

SUNDAY

I want to make it possible for students with financial need to attend The Skirball Center.

Enclosed is my contribution to the Scholarship Fund in the amount of $ _________________.

My gift is in memory/in honor of _____________________ ____________________________

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__________________________________________________________________ADDRESS

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INFORMATION BELOW:

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DISCOUNTSTuition reductions may not becombined. Discounts do not applyto 1-day events. Please indicatewhich discount,if any, applies.

An individual registering formore than one full-semestercourse: take 20% off eachadditional course

Members of Temple Emanu-El:take 15% off each course

Senior citizen (age 65 andolder): take 10% off each course

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TOTAL COST OF COURSES:

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Yes, I want to support Jewishlearning at The Skirball Center.

Enclosed is my tax-deductible

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Because ideas can transform us. Because Jewish texts belong to eachand every one of us. Because we need not take our texts literally inorder to take them seriously. We need your support.

Please use this form to send a contribution to The Skirball Center.One East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065 | Or donate online at www.adultjewishlearning.org

2 From Serpent to Satan: Roitman $60 F101

The Story of Paradise in

Archaeology,Biblical

Interpretation,and Art (Oct 16)

2 A Hebrew Marathon (Oct 23) Nachmany $60 F102

3 From Madoff to Weiner: Goldfarb $60 F103

Is Sin a Growth Industry? (Nov 6)

3 Why Bad Things Happen to Klitsner $60 F104

Good Biblical Characters:

The Opposing Cases of

Abraham and Job (Nov 20)

3 The Biblical Jacob: Gillman $60 F105

Our Dubious Patriarch (Dec 4)

4 Encounter: Islam and Judaism Schoolman $240 $270 F201

4 But Is It True? The Bible, Stein $240 $270 F202

Archaeology,and History

4 Ju daism and Early Christianity : Weis stuch $240 $270 F203Intersections and Divergences

5 Simply Maimonides:A n Encounter w ith the Greatest Bor odow ski $240 $270 F204Jewish Mind of All Times

5 Artists Beit Midrash Shmilovitz/ $290 $325 F205Kahn

5 Writers Beit Midrash Fredman $290 $325 F206

8 Bible: T he Weekly Torah Portion Agus $240 $270 F301

8 Nietzsche and Judaism Rynhold $240 $270 F401

8 Simply Maimonides: Borodowski $240 $270 F402An Encounter with the GreatestJewish Mind of All Time

6 Ancient Egypt in the Bible: Sharon $240 $270 F403Myth or History?

6 Classical Talmudic Stories Kraemer $240 $270 F404

6 Rav Kook and the Heroism Rynhold $240 $270 F405of the Holy

7 Revelation and Authority: Gillman $240 $270 F406Whose Judaism Is It?

7 The Vatican and the Jews Lang $240 $270 F407

7 Prague in Jewish Letters Gottlieb $240 $270 F408

8 Early Morning Talmud Katz $240 $270 F501

AFTERSEPT 26

BYSEPT 26

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

MONDAY

THURSDAY

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Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New YorkOne East 65th Street | New York,NY 10065

Visit www.adultjewishlearning.orgfor additional information.

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