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Hebrew to history
Adult Jewish education shifts gears
bv Amv B Falk As one WalW thrmmU L-ll r
by Amy B Falk
Excitement was high, but not
tense.
Teachers scattered to their re
spective classrooms, where some
scribbled notes on the board be
fore their students arrived. Oth
ers set up small displays or or
ganized reams of handouts for
those who would attend their
first adult education class this
academic year, sponsored by the
Atlanta Bureau of Jewish Educa
tion.
Professionals and nonprofes
sionals, singles, couples, Jews
and non-Jews quickly strolled
into the lobby of the Atlanta
Jewish Community Center on
Peachtree last week to become
students once again.
“Adult education programs
have existed in Atlanta for about
20 to 25 years,” says Dr. Leon
Spotts, executive director of the
Bureau of Jewish Education. “But
20 years ago, the classes were
probably more formalized around
historical subject matters. Today,
education tends to be a bit more
contemporary. There’s also more
of an emphasis on modern He
brew.”
There certainly is. For one
hour, the curriculum involves
only Hebrew and Yiddish classes.
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As one walks through the halls of
the AJCC, the sounds of five dif
ferent Hebrew classes, ranging
from beginning reading to ad
vanced conversation, are heard.
“People are taking more of an
interest in learning Hebrew be
cause they want to travel to Is
rael,” Spotts explains. “Adults
want to learn to read Hebrew in
order to participate more intelli
gently in the prayer service.”
If one keeps walking, a more
gutteral sound starts echoing
through the halls: Yiddish.
To many of today’s youth,
Yiddish is more foreign than Latin.
“But,” says Jacob Szczupak,
the Yiddish instructor on Wed
nesday evenings, “I cannot say
that it is dying out. However,
fewer and fewer people are speak
ing it.”
Jan L. Epstein, the Bureau’s
adult education coordinator, says
she is disappointed in the low
class enrollment for Yiddish this
fall. “In comparison to past years
at this time, attendance is the
lowest,” she laments. “Usually,
we have had to offer two separate
classes—beginning and then more
advanced conversational Yiddish.
This year, however, we have had
to combine the two.”
Szczupak says he thinks it is
necessary to speak Yiddish. “It is
considered by almost every branch
of Jewish life as the spine of pres
ervation of the Jewish religion,
identity, heritage and culture,”
he explains. “Personally, I think
the younger generation is coming
back to the language for these
reasons.”
Adult education doesn’t stop
at the study of language. Last
week, 41 students—the largest
class—sat shoulder to shoulder
in a small second-floor classroom,
listening to words of introduc
tion to basic J udaism from Rabbi
Steven Lebow, rabbi at Temple
Kol Emeth in Cobb County.
In the next classroom, instruc
tor David Oren was introducing
himself and his area of exper
tise—Israel and the media. Oren,
a former television news producer
for Cable News Network in Israel,
will discuss during the next eight
weeks such topics as Israeli cen
sorship and the the foreign press
and competition among televi
sion networks.
At the end of the hall on the
second floor, five more adults
were engaged in a discussion and
fact-finding lecture on interdat
ing and interfaith marriage, a
course which will last four weeks
as opposed to the regular eight.
Rabbi Ilan Feldman of Congre
gation Beth Jacob was conduct-
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ing his class with the use of a
paper he handed out at the be
ginning of the one-hour session.
“I would never marry a non-
Jew; dating a non-Jew is a differ
ent story,” Rabbi Feldman stated,
reading from the sheet. Some
adults flinched; others just waited
for his response to the argument.
His second statement—“The
rise of intermarriage presents
new opportunities to strengthen
our people”—raised eyebrows a
little higher.
Rabbi Robert Ichay of Con
gregation Or VeShalom, mean
while, was engaged in a discus
sion of “The Sephardim as De
scendants of Jews Who Lived in
Spain or Portugal Before the
Expulsion of 1492” in another
classroom. Just the year 1492
inspired a debate on whether
Christopher Columbus was Jew
ish.
N ot all of the classes began last
week. Some began this week,
while still others will begin in
mid-November. Among the lat
ter are Congregation Etz Chaim
Rabbi Shalom Lewis’ presenta
tion of “Love, Sex and Marri
age—Jewish Style” and Congre
gation Beth Shalom Rabbi Leonard
Lifshen’s discussion of “History
of Aging in Judaism.” Lifshen’s
class will be conducted at his
synagogue on Chamblee Tucker
Road.
What purpose do these lec
tures and discussions serve?
“Plenty,” the Bureau’s Jan
Epstein says enthusiastically.
She points out that the Feder
ation just completed its demo
graphic study of Atlanta’s Jewish
population and estimates that
65,000 Jews live in the metropoli
tan area. Of those, an estimated
54 percent are affiliated with a
congregation or Jewish organiza
tion.
Adult education provides the
community with an opportunity
to study together as Jews, Mrs.
Epstein says, and to learn about
subjects pertaining to Judaica,
be they contemporary issues such
as about Israel and the media or
terrorism, or Jewish history.
“Judaism is not a pediatric
religion,” she adds. “If we expect
our children to grow up and
make a Jewish home for our
grandchildren, then we must
prepare a Jewish home for them
first, and what better way than
through adult education?”
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PAGE 27 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 24, 1986