KEHILLAH HIGH
GRADE 10
2019-20

​​Wednesday evenings: 

7:00 - 7:25 p.m.          Dinner
7:25 - 8:10 p.m.          Session A
8:10 - 8:15 p.m.          Break
8:15 - 9:00 p.m.          Session B

​​​Session A:  7:25-8:10 p.m.

Reform Track

Modern Jewish Thought
10th Grade
​Rabbi David Lyon

Your confirmation year begins by exploring modern Jewish thinkers and their thoughts about God. We will spend time over the next six weeks discussing what it means to confirm your Jewish beliefs, and how the theologies of Martin Buber, Eugene Borowitz, and Milton Steinberg can enhance your own Jewish understanding. Our central text will be my book, God of Me: Imagining God throughout Your Lifetime (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2011). Rabbi Lyon looks forward to welcoming  you to your Confirmation year!

​What Does it Mean To Be A Reform Jew?
10th Grade
Rabbi Adrienne Scott 
​
As you continue your Confirmation year, the question of what you are confirming will be present throughout our sessions together. What does it mean to confirm something? By exploring the goals of the Reform Movement when it was founded nearly two hundred years ago, we will come to discover much about contemporary Reform Judaism today. We will explore both where it was and where it is headed. Rabbi Scott looks forward to helping you answer the question – what does it mean for you to be a Reform Jew?

​Creating Your Own Confirmation Experience 
10th Grade
Cantor Star Trompeter 
​ 
As your Confirmation year comes to a close, we will turn our thoughts toward the Confirmation ceremony itself. Each of you will contribute your talents, personalities, and creativity toward creating your own Confirmation experience. Cantor Trompeter will serve as your guide as you explore what you are confirming and how you can demonstrate this at Congregation Beth Israel.

Conservative Track

Inside Conservative Judaism
10th Grade
Cantor Mark Levine  

Students will explore the history, theology and practicality of living as a Conservative Jew. They will be challenged to consider integrating new information and new lenses into their religious views and to create belief statements which reflect their Jewish understandings at this life stage. 

Jewish Stories and Foundational Mythology
10th Grade
Rabbi Ranon Teller  

​Students will explore powerful narratives from the bible to the sages through the Hasidic masters. They will be challenged to apply the values and wisdom of our tradition to the issues we face in the present.

Social Issues through a Conservative Jewish Lens  
10th Grade
Rabbi Sarah Fort 
Rabbi Brian Strauss

What does Conservative Judaism have to say about issues that you will confront as a young adult? Do we have something unique to say? You will be surprised by just how relevant our ancient texts can be in our postmodern world.

​​Session B: 8:15-9:00 p.m.

Students will have the opportunity to rank the classes of their choosing.

Taste of Israel
Grades 10-12
Gil Brav

Israeli cuisine exemplifies the true melting pot that is Israel. Israelis have created and continue to enjoy delicious cuisine rooted in the uniqueness of Israeli society. These traditions have commingled with other Jewish recipes, Jewish dietary laws, and the native ingredients of the Land of Israel to create a dynamic cuisine. Increasingly trendy worldwide, Israeli food mixes the flavors of the Middle East and the Jewish Diaspora. In this class Gil Brav will teach you about the ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques that make these dishes taste the way they're supposed to while you learn about the history of Israel. 

The Jewish Lens: Exploring Values and Community Through Photography 
Grades 10-12
Lisa Brooks

A picture is worth 1000 words! In this class, we will learn basic photography techniques and skills to become more adept at using cameras to capture the world. We will explore the idea of how Jews look and act in other parts of the world as well as our own communities, and we will capture moments in time through a camera lens. We will use the work of contemporary photographer Zion Ozeri to discover the art of photography and how it connects us to local and global communities. Throughout the course, students will take many photos. ONE winning photograph will be selected to be included in an international exhibition at Beit Hatfutsot (The Museum of Jewish Peoplehood) in Tel Aviv, Israel. Please bring your phone or a digital camera to class each week.

History of Anti-Semitism
​Grades 10-12
Cantor Mark Levine
 
Why are the Jews often singled out?  Why do “they hate us?” The tenacity of anti-Semitic ideology and behavior has shaped much of Jewish history over the last 2,300 years. The crusades, the inquisition, expulsions, ghettos, the Dreyfus affair, pogroms, quotas, and the vast array of Jew hatred in our world today, simmering below the surface and/or manifested in terrorist behavior … seemingly endless. These events have shaped who we are and serve as cautionary tales as we move forward into the 21st century.

The Pursuit of (Jewish) Happiness: Positive Psychology and Jewish Views on Well-Being
​Grades 10-12
Sarah Rosenblum
 
Positive psychology is the scientific study of well-being and human flourishing. While traditional psychology is often focused on deficits or what is wrong, positive psychology is focused on strengths and skills to help people thrive. Come learn about your unique character strengths, positive emotions, relationships, and Jewish views on happiness. Judaism and positive psychology have many overlapping themes and we will explore these meaningful intersections. Warning: this class may make you happier.

Jews and Hollywood​Grades 10-12
Dr. Stephan Wexler
 
Carl Laemmle (Universal Pictures), Adolph Zukor (Paramount Pictures), William Fox (Fox), Louis B. Mayer (MGM), Warner Brothers. How did a group of Immigrant Jews create the Hollywood system at the beginning of the 20th Century? We will explore the lives of the original great Jewish filmmakers, studio heads and theatre owners. We will also look at the Hollywood Blacklist of the 50s and its effect on Jews working in Hollywood. Dr. Wexler is a film aficionado and will inspire you with his stories about the early Hollywood era.