Hey everyone. It has been a while since I had a post for my upcoming semester in Jerusalem, so I thought I would give you guys a sneak peek at the classes that I will hopefully be taking when I am there. So here they are:
The Battle Ove The Bible: The Bible in the Eyes of Jews, Muslims, and Christians
Original Sins: Genesis and its Ancient Interpreters
The opening chapters of the Book of Genesis contain some the most famous and captivating stories in the Bible, including the Story of the Garden of Eden, the story of Cain and Abel, and the story of the Tower of Babel. The universal nature of these stories and their concern with fundamental issues such as what it means to be human has captivated throughout history. In this class we will study these stories with an eye towards understanding their appeal and relevance to both ancient and modern readers. For each story, we will first study the Biblical text from a modern literary perspective. We will then go on to examine how these stories were understood and developed by their earliest interpreters: Jews of the Second Temple period, the rabbis of the Midrash, and the fathers of the Christian Church. Through this course, students will gain an appreciation of what has made the Bible such a compelling and controversial text from ancient times until our own day.
Jewish-Non-Jewish Relations and Rescue During the Holocaust
The course will examine case studies of Jewish – non-Jewish relations during the Holocaust, as well as rescue attempts – whether initiated by Jews, by non-Jews, or both. Several overlapping topics will be addressed, among them, the events in Jedwabne in July 1941; partisans and family camps; rescue efforts in several European countries (e.g., Slovakia, Hungary, Belgium, France, and Poland); the question of the bombing of Auschwitz; and the reactions of the Pope and the Vatican. Each general subject discussed will include an examination of some of the literature on the subject, documents, and visual material where possible. The documents give an insight into the types of sources available to help us understand the events and their significance, as well as the limitations of those sources. If possible, a survivor will be invited to meet the class in connection to one or more of the subjects under discussion. The events at Jedwabne exposed by Jan Tomasz Gross in his 2000 book Neighbors rocked Polish society and the debate engendered by the book continues to reverberate to this day. The course will study his book and some of the discussion around it, as well as additional research on Polish-Jewish relations. Family camps were a singular Jewish phenomenon during the Holocaust, consisting of Jews hiding in the forest in organized, underground towns, protected by armed Jewish partisans. Two such groups in particular will be examined – the Grynszpan group and the Bielski group. The section will include a film, if possible the new film "Defiance" (tentatively scheduled to come out in Israel in April). A variety of rescue attempts initiated by Jews and others in Slovakia, Hungary, Belgium, France, and Poland will be examined, as well as the controversial question of the bombing of Auschwitz, the responses of Pope Pius XII and the Vatican, and the Righteous Among the Nations
The Battle Ove The Bible: The Bible in the Eyes of Jews, Muslims, and Christians
Not long after the canonization of the Bible, it had already become the subject of fierce debate between Jews and the nascent Christian church. With the appearance of Islam centuries later, all three major monotheistic religions took part in such polemics. These polemics involved both technical issues surrounding the biblical text and larger theoretical issues such as the method by which it should be interpreted, the identity of its author(s), and the editorial process which it underwent. For each of these issues, we will proceed chronologically from the earliest Jewish-Christian debates in the ancient period to the polemics involving Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Middle Ages. Finally, as we move into the modern period, we will explore the pivotal role that Jewish-Christian disputes played in the evolution of modern biblical criticism. Examining inter-religious debate about the Bible throughout the ages provides a window into central themes in the history of these religions as well as familiarizing us with the questions that form the core of modern biblical studies.
Colloquial Arabic I (Beginners)
During the course students will learn the conjugation of the verbs, declination of the nouns and the prepositions and will acquire a large vocabulary from different fields of daily life. Attention will be given to listening comprehension and to active use of the spoken dialect. A selective list of topics: Acquaintance, self-presentation and greetings; Proverbs and other expressions; Family and kinship terminology; Languages and nationalities; Numbers; Colors. Course requirements: presence in class and active participation are two main conditions for success in this course. This is not a theoretical course and in order to learn how to speak Arabic one must be present and participate. Another crucial dimension is the willingness of students to work seriously at home between lessons; without work at home the above mentioned goals cannot be reached.
Original Sins: Genesis and its Ancient Interpreters
The opening chapters of the Book of Genesis contain some the most famous and captivating stories in the Bible, including the Story of the Garden of Eden, the story of Cain and Abel, and the story of the Tower of Babel. The universal nature of these stories and their concern with fundamental issues such as what it means to be human has captivated throughout history. In this class we will study these stories with an eye towards understanding their appeal and relevance to both ancient and modern readers. For each story, we will first study the Biblical text from a modern literary perspective. We will then go on to examine how these stories were understood and developed by their earliest interpreters: Jews of the Second Temple period, the rabbis of the Midrash, and the fathers of the Christian Church. Through this course, students will gain an appreciation of what has made the Bible such a compelling and controversial text from ancient times until our own day.
Jewish-Non-Jewish Relations and Rescue During the Holocaust
The course will examine case studies of Jewish – non-Jewish relations during the Holocaust, as well as rescue attempts – whether initiated by Jews, by non-Jews, or both. Several overlapping topics will be addressed, among them, the events in Jedwabne in July 1941; partisans and family camps; rescue efforts in several European countries (e.g., Slovakia, Hungary, Belgium, France, and Poland); the question of the bombing of Auschwitz; and the reactions of the Pope and the Vatican. Each general subject discussed will include an examination of some of the literature on the subject, documents, and visual material where possible. The documents give an insight into the types of sources available to help us understand the events and their significance, as well as the limitations of those sources. If possible, a survivor will be invited to meet the class in connection to one or more of the subjects under discussion. The events at Jedwabne exposed by Jan Tomasz Gross in his 2000 book Neighbors rocked Polish society and the debate engendered by the book continues to reverberate to this day. The course will study his book and some of the discussion around it, as well as additional research on Polish-Jewish relations. Family camps were a singular Jewish phenomenon during the Holocaust, consisting of Jews hiding in the forest in organized, underground towns, protected by armed Jewish partisans. Two such groups in particular will be examined – the Grynszpan group and the Bielski group. The section will include a film, if possible the new film "Defiance" (tentatively scheduled to come out in Israel in April). A variety of rescue attempts initiated by Jews and others in Slovakia, Hungary, Belgium, France, and Poland will be examined, as well as the controversial question of the bombing of Auschwitz, the responses of Pope Pius XII and the Vatican, and the Righteous Among the Nations
