The Jewish Community Scholars Program began in 2001 in Orange County California to provide high level adult Jewish education. Technology has given CSP a global reach with partner synagogues in Israel, Europe and all of North America. As a partner synagogue, Temple Israel members have access to CJP’s vast array of live presentations from top notch scholars. CSP also has an extensive archive of past programs on You Tube.
Sunday, October 19th from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (PT) and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (ET) live on Zoom from NYC
“Lines of Identity: A Conversation with Cartoonist Liana Finck” led by Liana Finck
Acclaimed cartoonist Liana Finck draws with humor, honesty, and heart on everything from the awkwardness of daily life to the weight of cultural memory. A regular contributor to The New Yorker and author of graphic works such as Passing for Human and Let There Be Light, Finck reimagines biblical stories, wrestles with questions of faith and doubt, and explores motherhood, Jewish identity and being human in general in both personal and universal ways. In this interview, she will reflect on her creative process, the intersection of art and Judaism, and the power of cartoons to capture what is both timeless and deeply contemporary. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
Tuesday, October 21st from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (PT) and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (ET) live on Zoom from Jerusalem
“Jerusalem: City of the Book: Secrets, Gatekeepers, and the Libraries that Made a City” led by Benjamin Balint
Step inside Jerusalem’s hidden libraries in this 50-minute illustrated talk, based on Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press) and accompanied by striking photographs by Frédéric Brenner, created especially for the project. Through rare access to Jewish, Islamic, and Christian collections, we’ll explore how libraries both guard and unveil the treasures of a city that gave birth to some of the world’s most powerful ideas. Along the way, you’ll hear vivid stories from the field—like negotiating entry to the Temple Mount with the Waqf, or watching cutting-edge imaging technology bring long-lost fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls back to life. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
Thursday, October 9th, 23rd, & 30th from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (PT) and 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (ET) live on Zoom from London
“Ben Sira, Enoch, and Jubilees: Jewish Texts at the Edge of the Canon” led by with Rabba Dr. Lindsey Taylor – Guthartz
In this three-part series, we’ll explore three ancient Jewish works that stood just outside the biblical canon yet shaped Jewish imagination for centuries.
Part 1 – Ben Sira: A 1,900-year-old book that almost, but didn’t quite, make it into the Bible, the Book of Ben Sira (also known as Ecclesiasticus) is full of moral advice, beautiful psalm-like passages, and some unfashionable views about women. We will look at its fascinating history and sample some of the text.
Part 2 – Enoch: Enoch only has a tiny part in the book of Bereshit, but his apparent failure to die inspired later Jews to fill in the rest of his story. We’re going to take a look at the First Book of Enoch, from the 3rd century BCE, which includes a tour of heaven, a universe bristling with angels, a solar calendar, and lots of apocalyptic stuff.
Part 3 – Jubilees: Back in the second century BCE, an adventurous Jew decided to rewrite the Bible … and produced the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating read with all sorts of secret information on the calendar, the early life of Abraham, and God’s plan for the Jewish people. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE UPCOMING SESSIONS IN OCTOBER
