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MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010, 8:40 P.M.

Title: JEWS OF ITALY

Guest Lecturer: STANISLAO G. PUGLIESE

There has been a continuous Jewish presence on the Italian Peninsula for more than 2,000 years, with a Jewish community in Rome before the advent of Christianity. Join us for an informal discussion on the history and culture of Italian Jewish life from ancient Rome through the Middle

Ages and the Renaissance with a special focus on the risorgimento, fascism, anti-fascism and the Holocaust in Italy. We will examine the history of anti-semitism, the development of the first ghetto, Italian Jewish participation in the cultural revolution of the Renaissance and through

modern history, as well as Jewish life in Italy today. Prof. Pugliese is professor of history and the Queensboro UNICO distinguished professor of Italian and Italian American studies at Hofstra University.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2010, 8:40 P.M.

Title: WHY DO SOME EVANGELICAL CHURCHES

SUPPORT ISRAEL? CAN A CHRISTIAN

TRULY BE A ZIONIST?

Guest Lecturer: IRVING ROTH

This lecture will focus on the theological and political issues that drive Evangelicals to Zionism and the support of Israel. What are the perceived and real negatives that keep many Jewish groups away from them? Is conversion and the “second coming” a factor? Is there a price for

their support? Is their support unconditional? Irving Roth, Director of the Temple Judea Holocaust Center, lectures nationally and internationally on the Holocaust.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010, 8:40 P.M.

Title: HOW I FINALLY BROKE OUT OF

MY PRISON OF SILENCE

Guest Lecturer: JACQUELINE GROSSMAN

Ms. Grossman will discuss her deeply moving book, “Chased by Demons: How I Survived Hitler's Madness in my Native France,” a haunting and beautifully written memoir of her childhood in France. It took over 60 years for her to reveal her story – to tell how she escaped, how she survived, and how, at the age of eleven, she became a surrogate Mother for her two younger sisters, and how the skills that she mastered as a child when hiding from the Nazis became shackles on her psyche in later life. Ms. Grossman's accomplishments as an author, sculptress and teacher are truly awe-inspiring.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2010, 8:40 P.M.

Title: ABRAHAM'S JOURNEY—THE JOURNEY OF

EVERY FAMILY: HOW THE BIBLE HELPS IN

OUR STRUGGLES AS PARENTS AND CHILDREN

Guest Lecturer: RABBI NORMAN J. COHEN

Through the use of selected Midrashim (rabbinic interpretations of the Bible), we will confront some of our own struggles as human beings living today. The Rabbis of old used the process of Midrash to respond to the challenges they faced. We will use it to find contemporary meaning

in the Bible as it relates to the timeless questions with which we all deal. We will ask how these stories relate to us and help us cope with our problems and relationships. We will see what the biblical characters can teach us about who we are and who we aspire to be. Dr. Cohen is Provost of Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010, 8:40 P.M.

Title: JEWISH CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS OF

THE LIFE CYCLE

Guest Lecturer: RABBI PAUL KUSHNER

In the Jewish religion superstitions are plentiful and are related to life cycle events. Learn the difference between a custom and a superstition. Why did your grandmother say so many strange things such as “ugly little girl,” and spit the first time she saw your beautiful baby boy? What

is the real reason for breaking a glass at weddings? Superstitions have been inherited from our ancestors and, whether you believe in them or not, the world of superstitions allows us to take a fascinating look into the historical archives of Jewish life. Rabbi Kushner is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shaarei Shalom. He is a graduate of Columbia University, the Jewish Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College and a frequent lecturer at Molloy College.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2010, 8:40 P.M.

Title: THE MANY FACES OF SEPHARDIC JEWS

Guest Lecturer: RABBI MOSHE TESSONE

We will explore the vast landscape of different Sephardic communities – their commonalities and differences in the context of the greater Jewish Community, as well as the history of the early Sephardim in America and the recent growth of the new Middle Eastern communities. The presentation will highlight specific cultural, social and religious comparisons of the different types of Sephardim and reflect some of the distinctly unique and beautiful aspects of each community and their importance in our contemporary Jewish world. Moshe Tessone is a Rabbi and Cantor and the Director of the Sephardic Community Program of Yeshiva University.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010, 7:45 P.M.

FINAL SESSION

THREE SHORT PROVOCATIVE FILMS

Join us for a stimulating and interesting night at the movies as Isaac Zablocki, Director of the Israel Film Center at the JCC in Manhattan and one of the leading presenters of Jewish and Israeli films, presents three short provocative films: “Oranges,” ”Shnaim,” and “Bus Station-Ir Amim.” Each story is a gem and will make you think. Be prepared for an engaging, exciting and enlightening discussion led by Isaac Zablocki.

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