The Sholem Community - 2011-2012 Seminar Series

Hershl Hartman

Our 2011 - 2012 Seminar Series
Hosted by Hershl Hartman
co-sponsored by ARBETERRING/WORKMEN’S CIRCLE, SO. CAL. DISTRICT

All sessions take place at Westside Neighborhood School,
5401 Beethoven Street, Los Angeles, CA 90066
Advance registration or pay at the door

Secular Yeshiva Course beginning in February 2012

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"Changing the World: Our Legacy in Yiddish Culture"

What lessons do a 1,000-year old language, folklore and literature hold for today's progressives and activists?

Five monthly sessions beginning October 23, 2011.
Guest discussion leaders and a musical program.
All materials will be in English translation.
Coffee, Bagels, and Shmir in a friendly & open atmosphere inar

Session # 1 - Sunday, October 23, 2011 • 10:15 AM

The Roles of Jewish Languages & The Origins of Yiddish
The many languages of the Jewish people and their functions in cultural development. Three theories of how Yiddish began. The earliest literature.

Please download and read these materials in advance. Note: The readings provided on this website are excerpted from copyrighted publications as "fair use," solely as teaching materials relating to the Sholem Seminar series, for use only by its participants. Any further dissemination is prohibited.
The Golden Chain | Yiddish 10th-20th Centuries | The Book of Fables | Medrish Itsik | Words on Fire

Session # 2 - Sunday, November 20, 2011 • 10:15 AM

How Secular Jewish Life Created Modern Yiddish & Hebrew Literature
A one-time apprentice beggar invented two enduring literatures. Why have some accused him of being anti-semitic? Get to know the least-known classic Yiddish author and get a taste of his works.

Please download and read these materials in advance. Note: The readings provided on this website are excerpted from copyrighted publications as "fair use," solely as teaching materials relating to the Sholem Seminar series, for use only by its participants. Any further dissemination is prohibited.
Mendele's Shloyme Reb Khayim's| The Little Man | The Three Classic Writers of Modern Yiddish Literature

Session # 3 - Sunday, January 22, 2012 • 10:15 AM

Looking Beyond Humor and Rooftop Fiddling — Sholem Aleichem As Chronicler
Known, mostly, as a “humorist” (as were Twain and Chekhov), he was a keen observer of vast sociological changes in Jewish life, both in Eastern Europe and the U.S. We’ll look at examples and get into a debate: Was “Fiddler” a travesty? Guest Leader: Dr. Robby A. Peckerar

Session # 4 - Sunday, February 26, 2012 • 10:15 AM

“The Most Complete Jew of His Generation” - Yitskhok Leybish Perets
A sophisticated thinker who blended khasidic tales with socialist beliefs, while regarding both with a far-seeing, critical eye. We’ll examine a prescient essay and two ground-breaking feminist stories.
Guest Leader: Marvin Zuckerman

Registrants will receive email alerts when advance reading materials are posted on this site.

Session # 5 - Sunday, March 18, 2012 • 10:15 AM

20th (and 21st?) Century Literature and Translations
Yiddish literature in the Americas, the USSR and the FSU. Recent translations: good and bad. The present and future of Yiddish…its role in the progressive Secular Jewish movement...the Hebrew/Yiddish debate… etc.
Songs of the Soviet-Yiddish Era

Registrants will receive email alerts when advance reading materials are posted on this site.

Advance Registration

Seminar Series with PayPal
Sholem* and WC/AR	$20.00
Non-members	$50.00

*There is no charge for parents of students enrolled in Sholem's Sunday School during 2011-2012.

Print and Mail Advance Registration Form

Pay at the Door

Single Session Fee:
Sholem* and WC/AR Members *There is no charge for parents of Sholem Students for 2011-2012	$5.00
Non-Members	$15.00
No advance reservation is required to pay at the door. Space is always available.

HERSHL HARTMAN, Discussion Leader, is Sholem’s Education Director, faculty member of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, and on the SoCal. Arbeter Ring District Comm. A Certified vegvayzer, he officiates at weddings and life cycle events. He is the author of The Sholem Family Hagada; The Jewish New Year Festival: A Guide for the Rest of Us; The Hanuka Festival: A Guide for the Rest of Us; The Hidden History of Hanuka for Kids (and Grownups Too).

MARVIN ZUCKERMAN was Academic Dean for six years and Chair of the English Department at L.A. Valley College. He was co-editor of the 3-volume anthology, The Three Great Classic Writers of Modern Yiddish Literature. He co-authored Learning Yiddish in Easy Stages and translated Yiddish Sayings Mama Never Taught You.

DR. ROBBY ADLER PECKERAR is Executive Director of Yiddishkayt, “where Yiddish lives in L.A..” Formerly Asst. Prof. of Jewish Literature and Culture at Univ. of CO, Boulder, Dir. of Education at the National Yiddish Book Center, he has led cultural tours to Eastern Europe.

SONGS OF THE SOVIET-YIDDISH ERA is based on a program of 19 compositions by Shmuel Polonski to lyrics by then-contemporary Yiddish poets. Ruth Judkowitz, Chairmentsh, and Eric Gordon, former Director of SoCal Arbeter Ring. Both are vegvayzer.