Classes

Monday, April 28

Visit the Sixth Man Center of Philadelphia Youth Basketball, 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM with Kenny Holdsman (off-site)
Please join us for a tour of the Sixth Man Center and a talk by Philadelphia Youth Basketball (PYB) co-founder Kenny Holdsman. PYB is a holistic youth development and community empowerment organization established in 2015 with a mission of creating access and opportunities for thousands of young people to self-determine in positive ways. Built by, for and with the community, PYB has an authentic commitment to racial and gender equity which manifests itself in a multitude of ways. In June 2024, PYB opened the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man Center,” a 100,000 square foot space in Nicetown, North Philadelphia to enable the organization to dramatically enhance its reach and impact.

Souls Shot Portrait Project Exhibition, 2:00 to 3:00 PM (RS)
Join us for a tour of the Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition soon to be on display in the Community Room. This project links fine artists with families or friends of victims of gun violence. We will hear from one of the artists about the portrait they painted and their reasons for participating in the Project. We also will learn about volunteer opportunities to assist survivors of gun violence from a team member of the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program. RSVP to Ellen Poster for this program.

When Bible Meets History, 6:00 to 8:00 PM with Steve and Elaine Crane and Talia Jaskol (RS)
Join Steve and Elaine for an evening of dinner theater based on Steve’s book, When Bible Meets History, describing how the Torah narrative and actual history can be reconciled. Eve, Rebecca, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, Miriam, and even Moses, will take the stage to explain their roles in creating both history and Torah. A few mystery guests will also make an appearance. All will unabashedly speak their minds. History, scripture, comedy, and surprise combine for a most entertaining event. By the end of the performance, you should be able to decide if history is compatible with the Torah story.

Tuesday, April 29

A Visit to the Mikveh, 9:30 to 11:30 AM with Amy Eisen, Open Waters Mikveh Director (off-site)
Learn about and tour the Open Waters Mikveh, used by RS members for conversion and other sacred events. Since biblical times, the mikveh has provided spiritual elevation and comfort. Today, it continues to offer inspiration, strength, and renewal at meaningful moments in life. This session is limited to ten people. Cost: $18/person. To register for this class, click here.

“Where Words Fail, Music Speaks,” 1:00 to 2:30 PM with Louis Bernstein, Jon Broder, Melissa Broder, and Cantor Brad Hyman (RS)
Join us for 90 minutes of Jewish-inspired songs performed by Cantor Hyman, Jon Broder, his sister Melissa, and Louis Bernstein.

“You Shall Be a Kingdom of Priests”: The Idea of Chosenness in Our Tradition and Our Lives, 4:00 to 5:30 PM with Howard Green (RS)
The notion that God gave the Jewish people special status is a basic idea of Judaism. It is also one of the most perplexing issues we face. Why would God do such a thing? Is it a privilege or a burden? What did terms such as “chosen people,” “treasured possession,” and “light of nations” mean to the authors of our ancient texts? What has Jewish tradition done with them over the centuries? Can chosenness withstand the Holocaust? How might we make it meaningful today? In this session, we will discuss these things.

Getting to Know You, 6:30 to 7:30 PM with Cara Schneider Bongiorno (RS)
Getting to know each other is at the heart of Days of Learning – and it’s the purpose of this session. In two different group exercises, you’ll be invited to share part of your own story, and be inspired to think about relationships in a different way. This session is meant for both new and returning members.

Wednesday, April 30

Tour the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art (PMJA) Galleries, 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM with Ruth Fine and Patricia Moss-Vreeland (RS)
Have you been mesmerized by the beautiful and intriguing works of contemporary art currently displayed on our walls? Each image was submitted to and juried by our very own PMJA Committee, responding to the theme of tikkun olam, repair of the world. Two members of the Committee, Ruth Fine, a curator who had a distinguished career with the National Gallery of Art who oversaw the installation of the show, and Patricia Moss-Vreeland, a well-known artist with a piece in the current show, will take us on a tour of the galleries. 

Unscrambling an Omelet – Making Sense of Israeli Politics, 2:30 to 4:00 PM with Fred Strober (RS)
Confused by the number of Israeli political parties, what each stands for, and how it fits into the government? Join Fred Strober as he sorts out this hodgepodge and offers insights about each party, how it evolved, and who leads it. The landscape seems to change weekly, and Fred will take us to the plenum of the Knesset to make sense of what is happening in the Israel of today – and what the future may hold.

Around the World with Jeffrey Saunders, 5:30 to 6:45 PM (RS)
Circumnavigate the globe for 4 ½ months with a rabbi, a priest, and a minister, accompanied by Jeffrey, his wife, and 1,000 other passengers on a Holland America Line ship, MS Zuiderdam, which visited 27 countries, 42 ports, and rerouted around a shooting war with the Houthis.

Thursday, May 1

Visit to Mikveh Israel and Christ Church Cemeteries and Woodford Mansion, 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM with docents, including Susan Roth (off-site)
We will visit three Philadelphia landmarks. Our first stop will be the Mikveh Israel Cemetery, where we will learn about prominent Jews of the Revolutionary War period, including Haym Salomon, a principal financier of the American Revolution. Next we will visit the Christ Church burial ground, and learn about David S. Franks, an aide-de-camp of Benedict Arnold. Finally, we will tour Woodford Mansion, in East Fairmount Park, which was the home of the Franks family. Cost: $25/person. To register for this session, click here. 

Friday, May 2

Just Like Queen Esther: Children, Gender, and Purim, 10:30 to 11:30 AM with Rabbi Ari Moffic (RS)
Join Rabbi Ari Moffic (Ellen Poster’s daughter) the co-author of the newly released book, Just Like Queen Esther, for a conversation about children, gender and Purim! This is one of the first children’s books featuring a Jewish transgender child. Ari will talk about the impetus for this book. Learn what allyship can mean in this political environment and come away with an understanding of how to have wonderful conversations with our children and grandchildren about who they are and the people they’ll meet in life.

YIVO comes to RS, 1:00 to 2:30 PM with Susannah Trubman (RS)
Susannah Trubman, the Learning and Media Center Educator of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, will use archival materials to tell the story of the Jewish inhabitants of the Vilna Ghetto and the cultural resistance efforts of a group known as “The Paper Brigade.” You will learn about the everyday life of Jews under the Nazi occupation of Vilna; how they built schools, mounted theatrical productions, and struggled to keep themselves and their culture alive. This presentation will feature an exploration of reproduced and translated archival materials from the ghetto.