Mixed review from last fall's Jewish education series sponsored by the local JCC but really the creation of my congregational Rabbi. They offered a few short series, usually conducted by a Rabbi of each congregation. Typically, a student could choose one of two sessions occurring simultaneously. I enrolled in three classes, each Rabbi giving two sessions on his topic. I knew all, but only two as lecturers. They did not disappoint. The third reminded me more like sitting through Hebrew School. I attended the first class but not the second. To the community's credit, people chose their classes based on the topic. The attendance did not seem top-heavy with each Rabbi's own congregants. The alternative classes taught by non-rabbis each came from my own congregation. Decent topics.
The fall roster just appeared. I will pass on this session. They offer two sessions each night, one early, one late. Each person gives only one session. The student has virtually no choice of what to attend in any session. There are no serial classes where a topic is broken down over several weeks. Again, the three lay presenters, one with cooking, one with dance, the third with Yiddish, all come from my shul. All present one session. The format reminds me of a medical grand rounds series with a different speaker and topic each week, largely chosen by the availability of a speaker. Some things are better taught as a series.
As much as I might enjoy watching two dear ladies make strudel, I can and have followed a recipe for this, doing reasonably well. It would be better to have five consecutive cooking sessions with a different theme each week. In single class the capable Yiddish instructor could teach me what a Shmuck is. I think I can identify them. Language needs more repetition. And Dance as a single class does not do well if attended by people of different skill levels. More importantly, my community has the good fortune to possess knowledgeable, capable people who have allegiance to each of our local congregations. My own congregation seems very inbred. This is one more example. It would have been better for our rabbi to ask each of his colleagues to nominate a congregant to give 3-5 sessions.
For the rabbis, each doing a stand-alone hour, the curriculum has no identifiable theme. A variety of topics to be heard one time. Seven of them spread over five weeks. I'm sure each will give his or her full preparation to the assigned topic. But as a project, it has no unity, nor does it offer alternatives that students can select for their session.
It was not always that way. Many years ago, the JCC sponsored an extraordinary weekly or biweekly educational night. Each speaker prepared four or five classes on a variety of topics. I developed a fondness for Jewish demography taught by a state university professor. I learned about the Apocrypha from the Rabbi of a different congregation, attended a fascinating course by an assistant rabbi on how various authors or public officials related to Jews in their official capacity. A lawyer gave a class comparing Jewish and American law. The talent floats around. It has to be captured.
Education has been central to Jewish culture. I follow three weekly Parsha series each cycle. The Torah goes in sequence. That's the right format. There is a place for a series of stand-alone presentations, much like Grand Rounds or Case of the Week had established a revered place in my medical world. But over the course of a year or two, all major topics have their assigned time. This Jewish series seems more random, based on showcasing people more than upgrading students.
It's only $18 to enroll, a bargain even if only one or two sessions get attended. But even at that nominal sum, the deficiencies of format capture more of my attention than any of its content. While I'll pass on this program this fall, I can and should and likely will allocate every Thursday evening for which sessions are scheduled, to upgrade my Jewish mind in my own way.
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