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Virtual Cultural Arts & Jewish Heritage Classes

The Cultural Arts & Jewish Heritage Programs Department presents thought-provoking virtual classes on art, film, and religion, as well as a book discussion group.

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Spring 2022 ONLINE CLASSES

FROM OUR LIVING ROOM TO YOURS

Now you can use your lunchtime to learn something new and stay connected to your community. All classes begin at noon.

 

ART HISTORY: Rebels and Revolutionary Artists

The selected artists are those who broke the mold, took chances, and tried to redefine the very definition of what could be. Many of them are now household names – Picasso, Donatello –and others have been lost to history. We will compare their work to others of their time to assess what set them apart, as well as looking at those who were inspired by their vision.

8 Wed. beg. May 4
12:00-1:00 p.m.
$80 member / $96 non-member

Harry Weil is the Director of Public Programs at the Green-Wood Cemetery where he curates tours, concerts, performances, and art installations. His projects have been features in The New York Times and New Yorker, among other publications. Harry has a PhD in art history from Stony Brook University. 

FILM DISCUSSION GROUP with FILM CRITIC MATTHEW L. WEISS

Film ClassJoin us in exploring how great movies use the power of cinema to rewire our consciousness and defy our expectations.

10 Tues. beg. March 29
12:00-1:30 p.m.
$100 member / $120 non-member

Matthew L. Weiss has done everything in the world of film from craft service to editing, acting, producing, and directing. As an editor, his films have played in festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca, and he is the regular “Film Guy” movie correspondent on Sam Seder’s The Majority Report podcast.

PIRKEI AVOT (ETHICS OF THE ANCESTORS): A Guide for Social Justice

Pirkei Avot is the best known and most beloved text from the Talmud. Over the centuries, Pirkei Avot has been interpreted in many ways, such as a guide to personal and communal ethics. We will focus on the text through the lens of pursuing social justice in our personal lives, primarily using a commentary by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz,* who regards this as the first recorded manifesto of social justice in Western civilization.

8 Thurs. beg. May 5
12:00-1:30 p.m.
$80 member / $96 non-member

Rabbi Irwin Goldenberg is a retired Reform Rabbi who has served congregations in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico and has taught at Gettysburg College and York College of Pennsylvania.

*Students may wish to purchase, Pirkei Avot: A Social Justice Commentary, by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, Central Conference of American Rabbis, NY, 2018.

 

For more information, email [email protected].

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Ongoing Winter 2022 Classes

ART HISTORY: They Made It There – Artists in NYC

Winter2022ArtClass

For almost two hundred years, New York City has been the center of the art world. Whether for a few months or a lifetime, painters, architects, photographers, and designers have flocked to the Big Apple to make a big name for themselves, including Georgia O’Keeffe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Diane Arbus, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and so many more! In this six-part class, art historian Harry Weil will introduce us to artists and various media of the New York art scene in the 19th and 20th centuries.

6 Wed., 12:00-1:00 p.m.
1/12, 1/19, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/16

$60 member / $72 non-member

Harry Weil has a PhD in Art History from Stony Brook University and is currently the Director of Public Programs and Special Projects at Green-Wood Cemetery. 

FILM DISCUSSION GROUP with FILM CRITIC MATTHEW WEISS

Film ClassExplore how great movies use the power of cinema to rewire our consciousness and defy our expectations – of narrative, character, and identification. Filmmaker Matthew L. Weiss chooses unique and exceptional films that deepen our experience of the world and challenge us to expand our powers of perception. Watch each movie at your convenience via link and then come together for an always entertaining and often inspiring discussion of some of the greatest films of the last century.

10 Tues., 12:00-1:30 p.m.
1/11, 1/18, 1/25, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22 (updated dates)

$100 member / $120 non-member

Matthew L. Weiss has done everything in the world of film from craft service to editing, acting, producing, and directing. As an editor, his films have played in festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca, and he is the regular “Film Guy” movie correspondent on Sam Seder’s The Majority Report podcast.

BIBLICAL TEXTS THEY NEVER TAUGHT IN RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

Rabbi's class

How do we make sense out of Biblical texts that challenge our Jewish values or cause us to feel uncomfortable? Reading about a punishing God who demands “an eye for an eye” or requires that a “rebellious son” be stoned to death may test the limits of our understanding. So, our teachers often overlooked or sidestepped teaching these difficult and sometimes misunderstood parts of the Torah. Join Rabbi Irwin Goldenberg as we confront some of these texts head on and try to understand, evaluate, and learn from them.

8 Thurs., 12:00-1:30 p.m.
1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 3/10, 3/24 (updated)

$80 member / $96 non-member

Rabbi Irwin Goldenberg is a retired Reform Rabbi who has served congregations in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico and has taught at Gettysburg College and York College of Pennsylvania.

Book Discussion Group:

Come find out why this book group has such a devoted following! Thoughtful, lively, provocative discussions focus on the best new and classic literature and non-fiction. Moderated discussions dig into the books to get the most from them, yet we also have a lot of fun. New participants are always welcome.

Jose Saramagobook cover saramago
Blindness
Thursday, May 26, 2022 – 12:00pm

A city is hit by an epidemic of “white blindness” which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to a hospital, but there criminals hold everyone captive, stealing food rations and raping women. One eyewitness to this nightmare guides seven strangers out… “A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation, a powerful portrayal of man’s worst appetites and weaknesses-and man’s ultimately exhilarating spirit.” The stunningly powerful novel of man’s will to survive against all odds, by the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature.

FREE, but advance registration strongly suggested. Please register here.

For more information, contact Peggy Kurtz at [email protected].

 

 

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