Home : Adult Programs : Leland & Mary Gottstein Continuing Jewish Education
Studies with Rabbi Alex Felch
An on-going weekly class of study and lively discussion of the Torah, with special focus on the Bible as living tradition as perceived by classical and modern commentaries, and its implications for our contemporary society.
Lore in the Loop and Lore in the Suburbs with Rabbi Alex Felch
Understanding Some of the Most Burning Issues in Life Through the Lens of Jewish Law
We will study and discuss the most amazing decisions of the Committee of Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement.
Lore in the Loop:
Lore in the Suburbs: $20 includes lunch
Jewish Film Series - Screening and Discussion
Madame Rosa –
Madame Rosa is a story of love, mutual need and appreciation. This tender film tells the story of a French Jew who survived Auschwitz. Rosa, played by Simone Signoret, is a former madame in her fading years, and runs a boarding house in Paris where she looks after prostitutes’ children. She knows she is dying, but when she takes care of Momo, an Arab boy whose family has abandoned him, she discovers a renewed lust for life.
The Big Lebowski –
The Big Lebowski is yet another thoroughly entertaining foray into the strange and fascinating world ruled by Joel and Ethan Coen. Mixing in Leninist philosophy, mistaken identity, crazy characters, a kidnapping plot, and a deep love of bowling, they have unleashed upon an unsuspecting world the many glories of “the Dude,” played by Jeff Bridges, a laid-back, easygoing burnout who happens to have the same name as a millionaire whose wife owes a lot of dangerous people a whole bunch of money – resulting in the Dude having his rug soiled, sending him spiraling into the Los Angeles underworld.
Talk Radio –
Talk Radio, an Oliver Stone film, is a compelling take on the dynamics of hate radio and the wages of narcissism. Eric Bogosian stars as an acerbic radio talk show host based in Dallas, discovers that his controversial late night show is about to be "picked up" by a nationwide network of radio stations. However, all is not perfect for him, because on top of troubles with his love life and fears that the management of the network will try to alter the content of his show he has to cope with a neo-nazi group who have been angered by his forthright opinions.
Nowhere in Africa –
A love story spanning two continents is the extraordinary true tale of a Jewish family who flees the Nazi regime in 1938 for a remote farm in Kenya. Abandoning their once-comfortable existence in Germany, Walter Redlich, his wife, Jettel, and their five-year-old daughter each deal with the harsh realities of their new life in different ways. As the war rages on the other side of the world, the trio’s relationships to their strange environment become increasingly complicated. As they eventually learn to cherish their life in Africa, they also endeavor to find a way back to each other.
Real Life – J
Real Life follows the adventures of a crew of film makers and scientists, commanded by Albert Brooks, as they isolate a model family in Phoenix and proceed, in the interests of cinéma vérité, to pester these people mercilessly, and invade their privacy in a variety of colorful ways. It is full of delightful nonsense, a very funny account of one man's crusade to capture all the truth and wisdom that money can buy.
Conspiracy –
A Dramatic Reconstruction of the 90-Minute Meeting That Set In Motion The Details Of Hitler's Final Solution.
On January 20, 1942, 15 men gathered in a villa on the outskirts of Berlin for a clandestine meeting that would ultimately seal the fate of the European Jewish population. Ninety minutes later, the blueprint for Hitler’s Final Solution was in place. Adolf Eichmann prepared 30 top-secret copies of the meeting’s minutes. By the fall of the Reich, all had disappeared or been destroyed—except one. The Wannsee Protocol, found in the files of the Reich’s Foreign Office, is the only document where the details of Hitler’s maniacal plan were actually codified, and serves as the basis for Conspiracy.
I Served the Kind of England –
The film tells the story of Jan Dite, an ordinary Czech citizen who reflects on life after being released from jail. Much of the film is told in flashback, both before and during World War II, where the young restaurant worker does whatever it takes to fulfill his dreams of becoming a millionaire. His reckless and frequently hilarious path to achieving his goal becomes the backbone of the movie. Director Jiri Menzel deftly edits back and forth between the older and younger versions of Dite as his history is revealed. Food and sex become important parts of the storyline as Dite demonstrates his passion for both.
The Namesake –
The Namesake offers audiences an outlet into Bengali traditions and the immigrant experience while telling a universal story of family bonds which all parents and children should connect with.
The film follows two generations of the Ganguli family. After wedding via an arranged marriage, the couple move from their native Calcutta to New York where they embark upon a lifelong balancing act to meld into a new world without forgetting the old. As struggles to adjust to life in their new home, a true love grows between the newlyweds. While attempting to balance their new life with Indian traditions, their children have the very different experience of being raised first-generation Americans. With little interest in their ancestry, however, they disappoint their parents by having little respect for the sacrifices their parents made for them.
Noodle –
Noodle is a sweet, melancholy film which shows moments of hope and humor. It provides a fascinating glimpse into everyday Israeli life that foreigners are rarely given. Miri, a flight attendant for the national airline of Israel, is a depressed woman who has been widowed twice and seems to have given up on her trust in people. Noodle follows her interactions and eventual bonding with a Chinese boy who is accidentally foisted upon her, forcing her to come out of her shell and risk losing someone again.
The Little Traitor –
The Little Traitor takes place in 1947 Palestine, just a few months before Israel becomes a state. Proffy Liebowitz, a militant yet sensitive twelve year old, has grown up under British occupation and wants nothing more than for the occupying British to get out of his land. Proffy and his two friends are always plotting ways to terrorize the British until one evening, while he’s out after curfew; Proffy is seized by Sergeant Dunlop. Instead of arresting him, Sergeant Dunlop escorts him back home and a friendship begins to develop in the following weeks. While Proffy has learned a great deal from his mentor, he is also shunned by his friends for this friendship and thus called a “traitor” by his neighbors and community. The resulting trial and shock that he could have such genuine affection for his “enemy” will change Proffy’s life forever.
Whatever Works –
Woody Allen and Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David seems like a natural match and the pair unite for the first time in this comedy which follows a rich man who decides that he should be living a different, less-status based life.
Preaching his ideologies on religion, relationships, and the randomness (and worthlessness) of existence, lifelong New York resident Boris Yellnikoff rants to anyone who will listen, including the audience. But when he begrudgingly allows naive Mississippi runaway Melodie St. Ann Celestine to live in his apartment, his reclusive rages give way to an unlikely friendship and Boris begins to mold the impressionable young girl's worldly views to match his own. When it comes to love, "whatever works" is his motto, but his already perplexed life complicates itself further when Melodie's parents eventually track her down.
