We believe in life-long learning and offer the adults in our community a variety of ways to expand their knowledge and education. In addition to our stimulating cultural programs at Shabbat, we also offer stimulating opportunities for adult study throughout the year.
ADULT PERSPECTIVES is the name of our Sunday Adult Education program. These sessions are led by Rabbi Peter Schweitzer or by a member of the congregation. TCC Members occasionally participate on panel discussions and guest speakers, including our own members, are also invited to make a special presentation. All are welcome to attend.
Sessions are held on Sundays from 3:30 to 4:45 at 15 West 86th Street (SAJ), between Central Park West and Columbus Ave. in Manhattan. We meet in the Social Hall on the 2nd floor. No charge. Guests are always welcome.
JUDAISM 101: WHILE STANDING ON ONE FOOT is a new program that is being introduced this year. This is an on-going series of classes presented by Rabbi Peter Schweitzer. They will be held on four Wednesday evenings and one Tuesday evening, from 7:00-8:30pm, at 15 West 86th Street. Free to members, but donations will be appreciated. $10 to non-members. All are welcome. Registration required to 212-213-1002 or info@citycongregation.org.
All dates and programs are subject to change. To confirm events and for more information, contact the office at 212-213-1002 or info@citycongregation.org.
Sunday, October 16
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Engaging our Parents' Politics A program on negotiating the legacy of activism from one generation to the next.
What happens in families when adults take a stand based on strong beliefs and are targeted for their views? What lessons do children learn from their parents’ activism, especially if the consequences are awful? What messages of responsibility and moral obligation are passed down – and at what cost?
Ellen Meeropol, author of House Arrest, and a founding Board member of The Rosenberg Fund for Children, a public foundation supporting the children of targeted progressive activists, will discuss these issues and read from her work. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the Stonecoast program at the University of Southern Maine. Publishers Weekly gave House Arrest, a starred review: “Meeropol’s work is thoughtful and tightly composed, unflinching in taking on challenging subjects and deliberating uneasy ethical conundrums.”
Sunday, October 30
LIGHTS, CAMERA, EMOTION: Making Humanistic Movies
Is there such a thing as a humanistic movie? If so, what are the criteria and what are some of the outstanding humanistic movies of all times? Can a humanistic movie get made today? How does it get financed when the major studios just want to make sequels and superhero films?
We'll pose these questions to three TCC members in the film industry: Peter Saraf, producer of Little Miss Sunshine and Away We Go; David Schisgall, director of Very Young Girls and co-screenwriter of Our Idiot Brother; and David Klein, Senior Director of the New York Film Academy. Moderated by TCC member Jack Lechner, executive producer of Blue Valentine and The Fog of War. (Photo from Little Miss Sunshine)
Wednesday, November 2
Philosophy 101 / BASIC BELIEFS AND PRINCIPLES OF JUDAISM: Are these our beliefs too?
What are the basic beliefs and principles of Judaism that have been espoused over the millenia? Do these core ideas still hold true for contemporary secular and cultural Jews? If not, what Jewish concepts are meaningful to us?
How do we interpret the trajectory of Jewish history? How do we explain bad things happening to good people? What is the traditional view on God-Torah-Israel? Where does knowledge and truth come from? What are the traditional Jewish positions on when life begins, when life ends, heroic measures and afterlife? What are our views on these and other matters?
Sunday, November 13
COLLECTING JEWISH: What Gives Meaning to Jewish Books and Objects?
Why do we collect what we do? How does one especially go about collecting, preserving and displaying Jewish memorabilia? What is the future of Jewish collecting?
Presented by Rabbi Peter Schweitzer, recognized as one of the leading private collectors of Jewish Americana, and TCC Member Dan Wyman, proprietor of Dan Wyman Books, a leading international dealer in rare and out of print Jewish books. They’ll share their personal stories and invite the audience to share their experiences and interests as well.
For 25 years, Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer amassed one of the most significant collections of Jewish Americana, with more than 10,000 items and artifacts. He donated the collection to the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia in 2005. Many items are now on display in the new museum building that opened in November 2010.
Dan Wyman has been a dealer of Jewish books since 1991. He buys from and sells to most of the world’s top Jewish and academic libraries, museums and institutions, as well as to private scholars and collectors.
Sunday, December 4
THE BINDING OF ISAAC AND THE TEST OF ABRAHAM
This Biblical story recounts the primal scene of the near-sacrifice of Isaac. How did Abraham do? Did he pass the test? What role did Isaac play? What is the significance of this story historically and through the generations? How does it continue to play out in the Jewish psyche?
Rabbi Peter Schweitzer will explore how these questions have been addressed from the Bible account itself to rabbinic and modern commentary including Woody Allen and Rabbi Schweitzer’s own retelling of the story.
Wednesday, December 7
Culture 101 / ANCIENT TALES AND LEGENDS: The Biblical version of history and the origins of the Hebrew people
How do secular Jews read our ancient literature? Discover the truths and real history of the Bible. Find out how this “sacred” text is a disguise for a political tractate that supports the priesthood and the Davidic Dynasty. Learn how to analyze ancient tales as works of literature with a rich cast of characters…including God.
Who wrote the Bible and why? Did you know there were two Creation stories? Why did God bring the Great Flood and later destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Why did Abraham protest but Noah didn’t? Did the Exodus occur, and if not, what’s the point?
Sunday, January 8
HELLTER SHELTER
Theatre of the Oppressed NYC presents Hellter Shelter, a story of corruption, discrimination and dehumanization in the NYC shelter system. The story is told through original documentary footage, interactive theatre, break-dancing and laughter. Created and performed by Concrete Justice, a collective of homeless and formerly homeless artists, based on the real-life experiences of the ensemble. A donation of $10 will be appreciated to defray costs and support the efforts of Concrete Justice ensemble.
Wednesday, January 11
Culture 102 / HILLEL ON THE ROOF: A sampling of our classic folklore
Why is the moon smaller than the sun? Why did Abraham smash his father’s idols? What was Hillel doing on the roof and where did the Rebbe of Nemirov disappear? What are the classic rabbinic tales from our folklore? Do we agree with the lessons they try to teach? Are these stories still noteworthy for secular Jews?
How did Abraham discover God when he was only a child? What did the bee say to Solomon? Why did the cow refuse to budge? How did Beruria face the death of her two sons? How did the people of Chelm capture the moon? What are the stories you missed in Sunday School?
Sunday, January 22
PEOPLE OF THE SILVER SCREEN: A Celebration of Jewish Songwriters in Hollywood
Just as Jewish songwriters have dominated musical theater for almost a century, Jews have also written most of the songs for Hollywood movies. Think of composers and lyricists like Rodgers and Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Bacharach and David, and the Sherman Brothers, to name only a few.
In this program, presented by TCC members, Jack Lechner will review the colorful history of Jewish songwriters in Hollywood, while Rachel Dahill-Fuchel, Trudy Elins, David Klein, Jennifer Klein, Kim Kramer, Jim Ryan, Michelle Lang Zalph, and Dan Wyman perform musical selections, accompanied on piano by Louise Moed. Come enjoy this wonderful music! This same production will also be performed at our Shabbat program on January 20.
Wednesday, February 1
Philosophy 102 / THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN SECULAR JUDAISM: From the early Hellenists to modern Humanistic Judaism
How did secular Judaism develop? Is it a new phenomenon or can its roots be traced back to Hellenism? How did it emerge in the 18th century and how has it continued to take form over the last two centuries? Where does Humanistic Judaism fit into this history?
What did the original coffeehouse have to do with the development of secular Judaism? How much was “bottom up” versus “top down”? What was the reaction from traditional Jews? How has secular Judaism continued to take shape in the last two centuries? What are the basic tenets?
Tuesday, March 6
History 101 / THE AMERICAN JEWISH EXPERIENCE: Tracing the waves of immigration from 1654 to the present
Who were the first Jews who came to America? How were they received? How did the American Jewish population grow and expand? What does it mean to be identified as a secular and cultural Jew in the United States today?
Where is the oldest Jewish cemetery? How did the Jewish population grow and expand? How were the early Jews received? When did Jews get the right to vote? Who was Asser Levy and why was he such an important Jewish New Yorker?
Sunday, March 18
NEW RITUALS: Compelling or Contrived?
What place do rituals hold in marking special moments in our lives? Which ceremonies do we preserve or adapt to conform to our modern sensibilities? Which do we discard? And what and how do we create new rituals for our times?
We already mark the birth of a baby and the transition into adolescence. What about a ceremony for retirement or the onset of menopause?
We have rituals for dedicating a new home and getting married. How about when we move out or get divorced?
Is there a ritual for being cancer-free after five years? Or getting closure on a long-standing grievance with someone who is deceased? What about marking the anniversary of our family’s arrival in America?
Rabbi Peter Schweitzer will lead a discussion on these questions and explore ways to create ceremonies that are vital, healing and meaningful.
Sunday, April 1
JEWS AND ROCK AND ROLL: From Behind the Scenes to Out in Front on Stage
Susan Ryan, TCC member and popular culture/rock music maven, will explore the Jewish contribution to the genre, from the dawn of rock and roll to today's songwriters and performers. Who are the Jewish managers, promoters and songwriters? Who is on your top ten list of Jewish rockers? Come, enjoy the talk, and sing along! Special repeat presentation from last year’s Shabbat programs!
Sunday, April 15
MY GERMAN-JEWISH GRANDPARENTS AND THIRD-GENERATION PREOCCUPATIONS: History, Healing, and Happily Ever After?
What is it like to live in the shadows of our parents' and grandparents' lives? What does it mean to "work through" their experiences, and what do we have to work through anyway? What duty do we have to the past? What responsibility do we have to bring it with us--or leave it behind?
Erika Dreifus’s debut story collection, Quiet Americans, addresses these questions and others as the author contemplates the experiences of German Jews before, during, and after the Holocaust. A Jewish doctor in Berlin treats the Reichmarschall’s child. A Jewish immigrant in the US army is assigned to supervise German POWs. Each situation is fraught with choices. There are no simple answers.
Erika Dreifus earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard University, where she taught history, literature, and writing for several years. She is a prolific book reviewer, the editor and publisher of The Practicing Writer, and the Director of Communications in the Office of Academic Affairs at CUNY's central office. Her blog, My Machberet, features notes about and links to what’s happening in the Jewish literary and cultural world.
Sunday, April 29
A GLIMPSE INTO THE TURKISH JEWISH WORLD: Sephardic Writer Jane Mushabac Tells Tales
Sephardic Jewish culture is not monolithic. Rather, there are a multitude of unique Sephardic Jewish cultures that include Jews from Egypt, Tunisia, Greece, Iraq, Morocco and Algeria, just to name a few of the countries where Sephardic Jews have lived for centuries.
Jane Mushabac, a Turkish Jew on both sides of her family, will perform her short story, Pasha: Ruminations of David Aroughetti. The story, originally written in Ladino, offers an entry into Turkish Jewish culture and explores themes of gender, identity and survival.
Dr. Mushabac is the 2011 Scholar on Campus at City Tech, a CUNY college,. She's won fellowships from the Mellon Foundation and Harvard. She is the author of Melville’s Humor: A Critical Study and (with Angela Wigan) A Short and Remarkable History of New York City, now in its 5th printing. She also has written fiction and essays about Judeo-Spanish characters and culture along with a radio play, Mazal Bueno: A Portrait in Song of the Spanish Jews, that was broadcast on NPR with Tovah Feldshuh.
Sunday, May 6
OUR MOTHERS, OURSELVES: Lilith Magazine Writers Contemplate Motherhood from Generation to Generation
Lilith is the celebrated Jewish-American feminist publication that has been publishing quarterly since 1976. It has explored a vast range of cutting edge topics and issues including abortion and adoption, body image and eating disorders, deconstructing the JAP stereotype, and new rituals and celebrations.
In this program, several of Lilith's authors will explore how the theme of mothers and motherhood has entered their writing. What issues were they “working through?” How did they depict mothers of previous generations vs. their own generation? Is there a Jewish angle to any of this? And, if they are mothers themselves, how do they imagine being perceived one day by their own children?
Participants: Susan Weidman Schneider, Editor-in-Chief of Lilith; Yona Zeldis McDonough, Lilith fiction editor and author; and Janice Eidus, author, essayist, Lilith contributor and TCC member.
Sunday, May 20
INTEGRATING IDENTITIES: Family, Jewish Heritage, and Adoption
Adoptive families are increasingly aware of the importance of recognizing, honoring, and integrating the ethnic, racial, national, and adoptive identities of their children. How does this process play out in the Jewish community? Does it have different implications for secular or humanistic Jews?
Hear a panel of TCC adoptive parents share their approaches to supporting the complex identities of their children.
