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.

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.

Click here for information about our Book Discussion Group


Summer 2023 ONLINE CLASSES

FILM DISCUSSION GROUP with FILMMAKER 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. June 6
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, South By Southwest and Tribeca, and he is the regular “Film Guy” movie correspondent on Sam Seder’s The Majority Report podcast.


Ongoing Spring 2023 ONLINE CLASSES

Exploring Contemporary Issues of Social Justice Through a Study of The Book of Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs is a collection of ancient Jewish wisdom, song and inspiration. The text often seems vague and ambiguous. However, using, a commentary by Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yankowitz modern Jews will find new meaning and relevance in the book. The Rabbi challenges us to explore the text through the prism of social justice and Jewish spiritual thought. We will take up this challenge through open and respectful dialogue. It is not necessary to purchase the commentary. Rabbi Goldenberg is a retired Reform Rabbi who taught at Gettysburg College and York College of Pennsylvania while serving Temple Beth Israel of York.

8 Thurs. beg. May 4
12:00-1:00 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.

 

FILM DISCUSSION GROUP with FILMMAKER 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 21
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, South By Southwest and Tribeca, and he is the regular “Film Guy” movie correspondent on Sam Seder’s The Majority Report podcast.

 

ART HISTORY WITH HARRY WEIL – ART IN OUR TIME

6 Wed. beg. March 29
12:00-1:00 p.m.
$70 member / $84 non-member

How do artists respond to what’s happening in the world around them? Can something beautiful also be political? This class explores how modern contemporary art (made after 1860 – today) processes, critiques  and questions what is making news in the headlines, including hot button topics: military conflict, feminism, LGBTQ rights, mass shootings, acts of terrorism, and much more! Our focus won’t be on choosing who is right, or who is wrong, but rather exploring art’s role in helping us to make up our own minds. We will be looking at painting, sculpture, photography, and performance.

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. 

 

For more information, email [email protected].

Click here for Virtual Cultural Arts Events

 

 


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.

Aldous Huxleybrave new world book cover
Brave New World
Thursday, June 8, 2023 – 12:00pm

Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine” (The New Yorker), Huxley was… an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history’s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded… and as literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New World likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.”

 

FREE, but advance registration strongly suggested.

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