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


Fall 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. August 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, 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

8 Wed. beg. September 13
12:00-1:00 p.m.
$80 member / $96 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. 

 

Exploring the Book of Psalms

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

Can the Book of Psalms, written thousands of years ago, be meaningful to the modern reader? Both Edward Feld and Martin S Cohen seek to prove that these poems can speak to us today. For one, we share with the book moments of joy, despair and of hope. For the other, the intent is to enable the readers to “use these poems to deepen their spirituality and religious sensitivity.” Through our exploration of these poems, and with the help of these authors, I hope that we may find intellectual stimulation and spiritual inspiration as Jews and Christians have done for centuries.

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.

 

 

For more information, email [email protected].

Click here for 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.

Claire Keeganclaire keegan foster book cover
Foster
Thursday, September 7, 2023 – 12:00pm

An international bestseller and one of The Times’ “Top 50 Novels Published in the 21st Century,” Claire Keegan’s piercing contemporary classic Foster is a heartbreaking story of childhood, loss, and love. Onehot summer in rural Irelan, a child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again. In the Kinsellas’ house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom. But there is something unspoken in this new household… (Amazon) “Like a great, long Ishiguro novel, Keegan makes us complicit in what her characters want, setting us up for utter heartbreak when they don’t get it.” (NY Times)

 

FREE, but advance registration strongly suggested here.

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