Durham County Library will host a book discussion series entitled Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature Identity and Imagination in August 2008 through January 2009. This national, scholar-led program is being presented for the first time in Durham, and offers residents a unique way to learn about Jewish culture and literature. The first three discussions will be held at the Southwest Branch at 3605 Shannon Road, and the last three at the Main Library at 300 N. Roxboro Road. This program is free and open to the public.

Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature will be hosted by Dr. Sally Ann Drucker, a professor in the English Department of Nassau Community College and Coordinator of the Jewish Studies Project. Drucker lives part-time in Durham and has led Let’s Talk About It programs in other communities.

The series will feature books that have been pre-selected on the theme “A Mind of Her Own:Fathers and Daughters in a Changing World” to engage the audience and stimulate their exploration of Jewish literature and culture.

Participants will read and discuss five books: Tevye the Dairyman (the book that inspired Fiddler on the Roof) by Sholem Aleichem; Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska; O My America! by Johanna Kaplan; American Pastoral by Philip Roth; and Bee Season by Myla Goldberg.

“These books are about generational conflict, ethnic identity and individual growth,” Drucker said. “We also see how relationships of fathers, daughters, and other family members are affected by forces of history.”

The American Library Association (ALA) launched Let’s Talk About It on a nationwide level in 1982. The program model involves reading a common series of books selected by a nationally known scholar and discussing them in the context of a larger, overarching theme. Reading and discussion groups explore the theme by relating the readings to historical trends and events, other works of literature, philosophical and ethical considerations.

Durham County Library’s presentation of Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature was made possible by the support of The American Library Association, Nextbooks, the North Carolina Humanities Council and the Durham Library Foundation Humanities Endowment.

For more information about Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature Identity and Imagination at Durham County Library, please contact Rheda Epstein at 919-560-0187 or visit http://durhamcountylibrary.org/ltai.php

Durham County Library provides the entire community with books, services and other resources that inform, inspire learning, cultivate understanding and excite the imagination. For more information, visit your local library or visit us online at www.durhamcountylibrary.org .

Durham County Library presents
Divining America – Religion in American History.
This lecture series will explore many of the major religious movements and watersheds in American history from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Scholars from around the Triangle will invite you to learn, to think, and to discuss religion from a historical perspective during 11 discussions September-November. The first program is on Sunday, September 14 at 3:00pm at the Main Library on N. Roxboro Street. More information and complete schedule at: http://www.durhamcountylibrary.org/divining.php

The first concert of the “Rishie Baroff Memorial Series” will open the Triangle Jewish Chorale’s fourteenth season on Sunday, December 14 at 3 PM at the Hillel House, 210 West Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill.

This program series is dedicated to the memory of Rishie Baroff, who was devoted to all things Jewish. As an early member of Judea Reform congregation, Rishie, her husband George, and their two children, Marina and Roy moved to Chapel Hill in 1963 when he joined the Psychology Department at UNC. In addition to Judea Reform, Rishie was very active in Hillel, the University Jewish center, where she served as an unofficial board member. Her involvement with Hillel is memorialized in a library collection in her name. The intent of the collection was to focus on Yiddish literature, but that goal came to be broadened and the funds now support leadership projects among Jewish students at the University.

Very much a “people “ person, she created a volunteer driving service to enable widowed Jewish women in Durham and Chapel Hill enjoy a monthly social at her home. There was no public transportation in the area at the time and this later became part of the Jewish Family service of the Federation.

Rose, as she was named, was a native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvannia, and active in the Jewish community there, also. Her family, Kislin, were from Vitebsk, in the Ukraine, and she was nicknamed “Rishie” by one of her relatives.

The Chorale is under the leadership of Jane Peppler and the accompanist is Gary Berman. The group is made up of members of the Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and Raleigh communities and sings in Hebrew, Yiddish, English, and Ladino. Many of the members sing with other groups as well and range from high school students to retirees and all wish to share the rich heritage of the Jewish people.

The Triangle Jewish Chorale (TJC) performs vocal works in concert, for special occasions, and in celebration of community events. If you enjoy singing and wish to reap the psychological and physiological benefits as well as just plain fun of entertaining yourself and others, please consider joining us under the leadership of talented musician and singer Jane Peppler.

* want to sing and perform Jewish music in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino;

* are willing to put in the time to learn their parts; downloadable mp3 files of the parts are provided and fellow chorale members are available to help in the learning process. You may also bring your personal tape recorder to rehearsals. Rehearsals of new pieces include going over each voice part individually;

* are responsible and committed enough to attend rehearsals with great regularity!! Our regular rehearsals take place only twice a month - on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, 7:30-9:30pm –at Judaea Reform Congregation in Durham as of this writing.

* You do not have to be able to sight read but rudimentary knowledge of musical notation is required;

* You do need to enjoy the process of group creation of wonderful performances along with affable, fun-loving, and erudite individuals.

Our first rehearsal for the Fall occurs on Tuesday September 2. For further general information on membership contact Bernard Most at bmost@nc.rr.com or (919)493-1288. To set up an audition, contact Jane Peppler at jane@mappamundi.com (preferred contact route) or at (919) 383-8952.

Jewish Sparks is a local weekly TV program that broadcasts the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies lectures and also other important Jewish material.

Jewish Sparks can be viewed Weekly as follows:

Chapel Hill (CH) - Peoples Channel, Time Warner Cable Channel 8: Thursdays 8:00 PM, Fridays 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM
Durham (DR) - DCTV8, Time Warner Cable Channel 8: Wednesday mornings at 9:30 AM
Raleigh (R) - RTN, Cable Channel 10: Thursdays 6:00 PM, Fridays 1:30 PM

Week of September 29
Tamara Levitz: “Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre – Part 1” (CH,DR)
Aviva Kempner: “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg” (RTN)

Week of Oct. 6
Tamara Levitz: “Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre - Part 2” (CH,DR)
Tamara Levitz: “Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre - Part 1” (RTN)

Week of Oct. 13
Triangle Jewish Chorale (CH, DR)
Tamara Levitz: “Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre - Part 1” (RTN)

Week of Oct. 20
Eli Evans: “Southern Jewish Insights – Part 1” (CH,DR)
Tamara Levitz: “Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre - Part 2” (RTN)

Week of Oct. 27
Eli Evans: “Southern Jewish Insights – Part 2” (CH,DR)
Tamara Levitz: “Kurt Weill's Kol Nidre - Part 2” (RTN)

Students, faculty and staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University have access to what is thought to be the world's largest visual history due to the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) deploying a 5.5-terabyte digital media cache of testimonies from the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation Institute's Visual History Archive.

http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov06/rencishoah112006.htm

The general public may access the archives as well at Duke's Perkins Library, UNC's Davis Library at UNC, and NC State's D.H. Hill Library, where special listening/viewing areas have been set aside.

A Mitzvah Opportunity to help our Jewish Elderly: On the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month, Jewish Family Services provides a program and lunch for seniors in our community. This is a wonderful opportunity for our elderly seniors to get together on a regular basis, spending time together chatting over a good lunch. We are looking for small groups of friends, such as a family or two, a Hebrew school class, a B'nei Mitzvah student to consider preparing or sponsoring ($100 donation) a lunch in honor or memory of someone or just for the fun of it, for between 15 - 20 seniors. This is an easy and wonderfully rewarding mitzvah opportunity. For more information please contact Michele Pas at mjbpas@aol.com or 493-3175.

The North Carolina Museum of Art's Judaic Art Gallery reopened on Sunday, July 9, after its first extensive renovation in 10 years. The renovation showcases recent acquisitions and provides new and updated interpretive labels.

"The Museum periodically refreshes all of our galleries in order to introduce new thinking in how we display and interpret the art," said Museum Director Lawrence Wheeler. "With the Judaic Art Gallery, we also wanted to show off the many new objects acquired in the past three years."

*One of the most spectacular new objects is a large silver and gilt Torah Case made in China for a community of Baghdadi Jews in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. Baghdadi Jews immigrated to South Asia from Iraq and Persia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and became great merchants and traders with business interests from Lebanon, China, and Japan. In Sephardic and Eastern Jewish communities, the Torah scroll is housed in a decorative case. According to the dedicatory inscription, it was commissioned by a rabbi in 1887 as a memorial to his wife. The case is that it is one of a very small group of Jewish ceremonial objects known to have been made by Chinese artisans. The case was originally placed in the Magen David Synagogue in Mumbai and was later transferred to a Baghdadi synagogue in Israel. The Museum purchased in June it with funds provided by the Friends of the Judaic Art Gallery.

"This case is an exceptionally powerful work of art, both aesthetically and historically" explained John Coffey, deputy director for art. "It is the ultimate Diaspora object."

*The Museum recently acquired other ceremonial objects related to the Torah. The oldest is a rare late 18th century silver Torah Shield from Hamburg, Germany. In Central and Eastern European Jewish communities, a decorative shield, sometimes called a breastplate, is traditionally hung from the staves of a draped Torah scroll. This elegant Torah Shield is the first piece of German silver to enter the collection. It features an imperial crown, symbolic of the majesty of the Divine Law, and the twin columns Joachim and Boaz that once flanked the Temple in Jerusalem.

*Not all of the objects in the Judaic Art Gallery are old. One of the most striking objects in the gallery is a modernist Torah Crown by Israeli artist Moshe Zabari. Inspired by the space race and Sputnik, it consists of meandering loops of forged silver like the sky traces of jets or rockets. Pearls, like stars or planets, dangle in the voids. To complement this "cosmic crown", the Museum commissioned Zabari to design and make a Torah Shield and Yad(pointer). Funding for the commission was provided by Gale and Steve Sons of Raleigh.

*Other important additions to the collection are gifts from Greensboro, North Carolina families. One is an imposing tower-shaped spice container used in the Havdalah ceremony at the close of Shabbat. Unusually tall and finely crafted of silver filigree, this spice container is exemplary of the ceremonial objects produced for the Jewish communities in Galicia, a province of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Shavitz. Smaller but no less exquisite is a spice container from the Jerusalem's famed Bezalel Workshop, the first modern design school for Jewish ritual art. The family of Albert Jacobson donated the container.

The Museum also acquired an important Hanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah), made in Warsaw, Poland in 1854. Like most finely crafted Judaica, the lamp was made by a non-Jewish silversmith for an affluent urban Jewish family. Adopting the traditional "bench-type" of hanukkiah for the home, this lamp is handsomely decorated with a basket brimming with fruits and flowers---a wish for abundance and prosperity. The lamp is the gift of Zelda Bernard.

*Grander in scale is the Standing Hanukkah Lamp, one of the masterpieces of Ze'ev Raban, the foremost designer at the early Bezalel Workshop. Raban and other Bezalel artists created a self-consciously"Hebrew Style," rooted in the romantic belief that the artistic traditions of the Islamic and local Jewish communities were closest to the forms and styles of art of the ancient Hebrews. The lamp takes the form of the Menorah, the seven-branched lamp stand of the ancient Jewish Temple. However, two additional branches have been added to allow for the required eight candles plus the central server candle. The lamp was purchased in Israel, partly with funds provided by Stanley Fox and JoAnn Pizer-Fox of Oxford and Raleigh.

"More than an astonishing work of art, this lamp beautifully summarizes Jewish history and aspiration in the early 20th century," said Coffey.

All of the recent acquisitions were made possible through the work of the Friends of the Judaic Art Gallery, a volunteer support group affiliated with the Museum.

"None of these magnificent new objects would have been possible without the commitment and support of the Friends of the Judaic Art Gallery," said Wheeler. "We owe this group and its many donors a loud round of applause."

The Judaic Art Gallery, founded by Dr. Abram Kanof, displays the ceremonial art of the Jewish people. The ritual objects, often made of precious metals and embellished with great artistry, beautify the ceremonies that define Jewish life and worship. Visitors may tour the gallery during Museum hours or arrange for a guided tour with one of the Museum's trained docents. Guided tours should be scheduled at least three weeks in advance by calling (919) 664-6748.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
LIBRARY DEBUTS NEW WEBSITE ON SOUTHERN JEWISH HISTORY

A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life went live at the UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries October 17th (http://www.lib.unc.edu/apop).
It chronicles the story of Jewish settlers in the South and their descendants, from the late 1600's through the 21st century. The site includes portraits, maps, historical documents, ritual books and objects, photos, and oral histories. The accompanying text provides context and explanation. The library's web team, advised by the North Carolina Collection Gallery, programmed the site, which is based on a traveling exhibit developed by the College of Charleston.

Help Wanted:

Judea Reform Congregation is seeking a full-time Clergy Assistant to provide administrative support to the Senior and Assistant Rabbis. This role is responsible for standard administrative support, as well as for program logistical support, including ordering supplies, taking RSVPs, submitting publicity, etc. This role is also responsible for administrative work related to holidays, ritual events, and life-cycle events. See the full posting on http://www.judeareform.org.

This position requires multi-tasking, good communication and people skills, the ability to prioritize and take initiative with limited direction. Strong computer and organizational skills are a must, including the Microsoft Office suite and data management software. Knowledge of Judaism is essential; exposure to the Hebrew language is a plus.

Hours are M-Th, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Fridays 8:30 - 3:30 PM.

Respond by Monday, September 8th at the email above with your resume to be considered.

_____________________________________

ELON UNIVERSITY – Hillel Coordinator
One of the most widely recognized campuses for engaged and experiential learning, Elon University, a private liberal arts university of 5,000 students, is located in central North Carolina. Elon sits within an hour of Raleigh and Chapel Hill and three hours from the Atlantic Ocean and Blue Ridge Mountains. Elon University offers programs leading to Bachelor, Master, JD and Doctorate degrees. Elon’s five core experiences include: study abroad, service-learning, leadership, internships/ co-ops, and undergraduate research.

HILLEL OVERVIEW
With over 200 Jewish students on campus, Elon University is considered a small and mighty Hillel campus by Hillel International. Features of Jewish life at Elon include:

Five to ten Elon students participate each year in Taglit-Birthright-Israel, a free 10-day trip to Israel.
Hillel enjoys strong relationships with Hillel International and NC-Hillel.
Rabbi Green serves on campus as a part-time campus Rabbi.
Elon has a new Jewish Life Advisory Committee of parents, students, administrators planning for the future enhancement of Jewish life at Elon.
Elon Hillel was recognized by Hillel International as an emerging campus for growing Jewish life, with participation in The Soref Advancement program ($5,000 grant and Soref Advancement workshops).
Elon Hillel enjoys a strong relationship with North Carolina Hillel, the parent Hillel advancing Jewish life on 25 campuses throughout North Carolina.
Elon families have recently donated $40,000 towards Hillel’s future and pledged $75,000 for a Hillel House.

SUMMARY OF POSITION

The Hillel Coordinator shares responsibility for the overall planning, management, and execution of Elon Hillel's mission. The Coordinator reports to the Assistant Dean of Students and works collaboratively with the Chaplain and staff of the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. The primary responsibilities of the position are developing mentoring relationships with Jewish students, student executive board development, and annual program planning and oversight. Other responsibilities include communication with incoming and current Jewish students and families, website management, budget administration, campus relations, etc. The Hillel Coordinator is a part-time, 18 hour per week, 35 weeks per year position late August to mid-May.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree required.
Experience working in the Jewish community or with Jewish youth/college students required.
E xperience in Hillel or in non-profit management is highly desirable.
Creativity, flexibility, and excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication, and leadership development skills are essential. Ability to work independently and as part of a team, to prioritize and handle multiple assignments, to build relationships and partnerships across university departments.
Experience in coordinating projects, as well as working with various groups including faculty, staff, students and parents/families.
Position begins late August, 2008.Review of applications begins May 9; applications accepted until position is filled. Sendletter of application, resume, three references (including phone numbers) to Office of Human Resources, 2070 Campus Box, Elon, North Carolina 27244. For more information: contact Jeff Stein at jstein@elon.edu or view www.elon.edu/hillel.

Elon University is an equal opportunity employer.

________________________________________

Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh, NC is actively recruiting for a Preschool Director

Our school is undergoing tremendous growth. We seek a highly capable and knowledgeable Early Childhood Education professional, who embraces a developmentally appropriate practice philosophy, to assume this key role.

Ideal candidate will offer:
Degree in Early Childhood Education
Experience as an educator and an administrator in a high quality ECE program
Knowledge of NAEYC accreditation guidelines/practices and state licensing procedures
Ability to obtain NC Administrator’s credential by July, 2008
Background and knowledge of Jewish traditions, values and culture

This is a key role at a key time. The community and the synagogue are experiencing tremendous growth. The Preschool is at the heart of the community. Seek a talented and passionate director who will guide the school (and its broad constituency) into its future with a commitment to excellence, integrity and compassion.

Many more details are available. Interested candidates should forward resume or inquiries to leef@frankelstaffing.com., or Preschool Search Committee 504 Newton Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27615

The Inter-Faith Council food pantry is in urgent need of non-perishable food: for a complete list of what they need most please visit: http://www.ifcweb.org/foodneeds.html

Please help them collect the following items for their pantry shelves.

Ramen Noodles
Can fruit
Macaroni and Cheese
Canned pasta
Can pinto beans
Dry beans (pinto, black and lentil)

For some kids, childhood means soccer games and family picnics. For others, it means abuse, neglect, and a life of hurt. But, you can help by being a powerful voice in their lives. Volunteer as a court appointed Guardian ad Litem and change a life of hurt into one of hope.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Stephanie Kelly at 564-7289 or stephanie.l.Kelly@nccourts.org

In addition to providing timely deliveries, they are donating 5% of their sales to Beth El. For more information, see http://www.grillerspride.com

Kosher. com will donate 5% of sales through Beth El to our Synagogue. Just use this link or give the code TR=99. They ship groceries, wine, kitchenware, gift baskets, Israeli products, fish, beef, lamb, poultry, baked goods, travel meals and more. http://www.kosher.com/?Tr=99 Phone - 1-866-KOSHER-X (1-866-567-4379) Fax - 1-866-456-8877

B’nai B’rith Radio presents Studio J -- the first-ever nationwide Jewish news and feature radio magazine. Broadcast each week from B’nai B’rith headquarters, Studio J offers a livelier, Jewish version of National Public Radio’s acclaimed show “All Things Considered.”

Studio J reveals, in-depth, the feature stories behind the weekly headlines, and covers the culture, music, arts, and entertainment events of world Jewry.

Sundays
3-4 pm EDT (noon–1 pm Pacific)
SIRIUS satellite radio Channel 115
and
24/7 at www.bnaibrith.org.

Studio J is a co-production of B’nai B’rith International and JTA – the global news service of the Jewish people.

Public Events 2008-2009

Rediscovering the Dance of Klezmer Music Monday, October 27, 2008, 7:30 p.m., William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education

Klezmer Trio Concert
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 7:30 p.m., Gerrard Hall.

WALTER ZEV FELDMAN , a leading Klezmer researcher and performer, will lecture on Monday, October 27 and perform in a Klezmer Trio concert with Christina Crowder and Alex Fiterstein on Tuesday, October 28. This lecture is made possible by a grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation in honor of Eli N. Evans, ‘58.

Communal Genocide: Personal Accounts of the Destruction of Buczacz, Eastern Galicia, 1941-44
Eli N.Evans Distinguished Lecture in Jewish Studies
Monday, November 17, 2008, 7:30 p.m.
William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education

OMER BARTOV , the John P. Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History at Brown University and one of the world’s foremost experts on the Holocaust, will explore how genocide unfolded in a town that had a mixed Jewish-Polish-Ukrainian population for centuries.

Evangelical Christian Support of Israel
Sylvia and Irving Margolis Lecture on the Jewish Experience in the American South
Monday, February 23, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education

STEPHEN SPECTOR , professor of English at Stony Brook University, will examine the motives and intentions of evangelicals who support Israel.

The Settlement Cookbook and the Transformation of Jewish American Identity
Monday, March 30, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education

NORA RUBEL , assistant professor of Religion and Classics at the University of Rochester, will examine the best-selling cookbook and the ways it shaped the identity of Jewish Americans in the 20th century. This lecture is made possible by a grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation in honor of Eli N. Evans, ‘58.

Jewish Family Services - Chaverim

“Chaverim” means “friends” in Hebrew. The Chaverim program is an opportunity to learn, meet new people and schmooze. You can make new friends and connect with old ones.
Programs are subject to change.

October

Celebrate Sukkot with Chaverim and Our Families
Sunday, October 19
Free Program, transportation available
Program: 2:30 pm. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Judea Reform Congregation
1933 Cornwallis Road
Durham, NC 27705
RSVP by: October 13

Bring along your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other loved ones for a special Chaverim Family Sukkot Celebration. We will join together under the Sukkah at Judea Reform Congregation for learning and noshing. Rabbi Leah Berkowitz, the new Assistant Rabbi at Judea will offer a teaching and lead a discussion about our Fall Festival. We will share in a light snack and beverages.

PLEASE NOTE: Free SUNDAY program, lunch NOT served.

The Dead Sea Scrolls in Raleigh

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh will be hosting an exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls from June 28 to December 28, 2008.

The Dead Sea Scrolls date from 250 BCE to 68 CE. Among the Scrolls are some 207 biblical manuscripts that represent nearly every book in the Hebrew Bible and that predate any previously known copies by more than 1,000 years.

Thanks to the generosity of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) the Museum of Natural Sciences will display 12 authentic Dead Sea Scrolls during the six month exhibition (six different scrolls each three-month period) representing portions of the books of Genesis, Isaiah, Deuteronomy, Exodus and others. All Scrolls will be fully interpreted with translation of text and background information. Also included in the exhibition will be more than 100 authentic artifacts (primarily coins and pottery) from Qumran, the ancient settlement on the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea in Israel closest to the caves where the scrolls were discovered.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were initially discovered by Bedouin herders and then by archaeologists between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near Qumran. More than 100,000 fragments were discovered and pieced together into over 900 separate documents. In addition to biblical manuscripts, sectarian (non-biblical) manuscripts were recovered that reflect a wide variety of literary genres: biblical commentary, religious legal writings, liturgical (prayer) texts, and compositions that predict a coming apocalypse.

Most scholars believe the Scrolls were copied and composed by a group that broke away from mainstream Judaism to live a communal life at Qumran. This group saw themselves as the “true Israel” and viewed those living in Jerusalem, including the priesthood at the Temple, as corrupt. It is also believed that when the Romans invaded Qumran around 68 CE, the community hid their manuscripts in nearby caves.

In addition to displaying scrolls and ancient artifacts, the Museum of Natural Sciences will explore the scientific interpretation, conservation and preservation of the Scrolls, as well as the natural history of the Dead Sea region.

Ticket information available at:
www.naturalsciences.org/exhibits/special_exhibits.html#dss

Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation presents
Understanding the Arab Israeli Community from the Eyes, Heart and Soul of a Jewish Professional Leader
Postponed until Fall, 2008 (new date to be announced soon)
Location: NC Hillel, 210 W Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
The Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation presents Marilyn Forman Chandler, the Executive Director of the Greensboro Jewish Federation recently accompanied a group of 70 volunteers and professionals representing the international Jewish community on a Study Mission to Israel sponsored by the Task Force on Arab Israeli Issues. What she saw and heard was eye-opening and disconcerting with regard to the lives of the Arab minority within Israel. Come hear her very personal story. RSVP by June 6 to the Jewish Federation. Call 919-489-5335 ext 10 or email Orit at oramler@shalomdch.org .

Introduction to Judaism

All sessions meet at 7:00 p.m. at Judea Reform Congregation, 1933 W. Cornwallis Road, in Durham. The cost of the course is $25 per person for Synagogue members; $50 for non-members, plus the cost of the textbook. There is no ‘pre-registration’. Registration will take place during the first class.

Below are the dates, session title and instructor for each class:

Sept. 10 High Holy Days: Rosh Hashanah& Yom Kippur Rabbi John Friedman, Judea Reform Congregation

Sept. 17 Redemption and Wanderings:Pesach and Sukkot Rabbi Leah Berkowitz, Judea Reform Congregation

Sept. 24 Torah: Shavuot and Simchat Torah Rabbi Michael Goldman, Duke Freeman Center

Oct. 15 Jewish Marriage Dr. Ben Landman

Oct. 22 Shabbat Rabbi Steve Sager, Beth El Congregation

Oct. 29 Holocaust and Israel:Yom HaShoah & Yom Ha’atzmaut Rabbi Leah Berkowitz, Judea Reform Congregation

Nov. 5 Jewish Law & Lore:Jewish Texts Rabbi Frank Fischer

Nov. 12 Beginnings and Endings:Birth and Death Rabbi Michael Goldman, Duke Freeman Center

Nov. 19Conversion, Bar/Bat Mitzvah & Jewish Education Rabbi Jen Feldman, Chapel Hill Kehillah

Dec. 3 Chanukah & Purim Rabbi John Friedman, Judea Reform Congregation

Triangle Seminar for Jewish Studies, Fall Semester:
A Kaleidescope of Jewish Interests & Concerns

A variety of topics will be the subject of the four Monday night lectures at the Triangle Seminar for Jewish Studies in its fall 2008 semester.

In September, Jodi Magness, the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism at UNC, explores Jerusalem in the Old Testament period. She will be followed by Rabbi Aaron Herman, Chabad of Cary, who looks at dealing with non-rational commandments in the Torah. For the November session, Kalman Bland, Professor Religious Studies at Duke, discusses the tension between intellectual freedom and dogmatic uniformity in Rabbinic Judaism. Our final lecturer is Rebecca Stein, Assistant Professor,Cultural Anthropology at Duke, with an alternative reading of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of pop culture and artifacts.

Monday, September 15, will open the series with Jodi Magness' slide presentation of Old Testament Jerusalem, exploring the city's fortification wall, water systems, David's citadel and Solomon's temple and palace.

The topic for ~~Monday, October 27,~~ Postponed to January, 2009 is 'How to Deal with Non-rational Commandments', with Rabbi Aaron Herman. He examines the perennial struggle of relating to the commandments in the Torah that are non-rational, such as the verse forbidding a mixture of wool and linen in the same garment (Lev. 19:19). What are the multiple approaches that have shaped the relevance of the non-rational commandments for those living in the modern world?

On Monday, November 10, Kalman Bland presents 'Rogue Scholars, Dissent, and Intellectual Freedom in Rabbinic Judaism", a look at the humanistic values of liberal democracies, such as the freedoms of thought, private conscience and right to dissent vis-a-vis religion, which seems to prefer dogmatic uniformity. How then does rabbinic tradition and laws governing the education and behavior of judges, intellectuals and scholars enshrine 'democratic' values and prevent Judaism from becoming a 'religion'?

On Monday, December 8, Rebecca Stein lectures on 'What "things" teach us about the Israeli/Palestian Conflict'. This provacative lecture places 'things' at the heart of the material and symbolic struggle. What are these things?: souvenirs, war spolia or loot, homes and home furnishings and artifacts found in the Israeli landscape, whose histories derive from the Israeli military conquests of 1948 & 1967 and dispossessions of the Palestinians.

The four sessions are at the National Humanities Center at Alexander Drive near the Durham Freeway in the RTP. Starting time is promptly at 7:30 pm on each Monday. Each session lasts two hours.

Series tuition is $20.00; For students $5.00. For further information, contact Dr. Herbert Posner at 688-5495/384-2663 or Dr. Ronni Marblestone at 848-3752.

Jewish Song & Story Time

Children ages 4-7 experience Jewish holidays through engaging songs, stories and crafts with a Rosh Hashanah theme, led by Lerner School staff. Sunday, September 21st at 2pm.
Barnes & Noble, New Hope Commons in Durham.
Free
http://www.lernerschool.org

More Jewish Song & Story time: Sunday, October 19^th and November 9^th at 2pm at the Barnes & Noble at New Hope Commons in Durham. Ages 4-7.
Free.
Please visit www.lernerschool.org for more information.

The Center for Jewish Studies at Duke University Fall Events

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Controversies and Theories of Early Judaism and Christianity

Wednesday, October 1, 7 pm, Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh with Eric Meyers, Ph.D. Bernice and Morton Lerner Professor of Judaic Studies and Director of the Graduate Program in Religion, Duke University

Towards an Integrated History of the Holocaust

Sunday, November 9, time TBA, The Freeman Center of Jewish Life

Holocaust historian Saul Friedlander has won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for his book "The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945."

Friedlander, 75, one of Israel's most respected and senior historians, was born in Prague. Shortly before they were sent to the Nazi death camps, his parents left him in a monastery, where he was raised. Friedlander grew up Catholic and even trained for the priesthood, but in 1947, he discovered his Jewish roots and reclaimed his Jewish identity. In 1948, he emigrated to Israel aboard the Altalena, a ship carrying arms for the pre-state Irgun militia. The vessel was later involved in a clash between Irgun fighters and members of the newly formed IDF. In 1983, Friedlander was awarded one of the country's top honors, the Israel Prize, for his scholarship. That same year, he moved to California and began his career at UCLA, where he still teaches history today. Friedlander has written numerous books on the Holocaust, including "Nazi Germany and the Jews, Volume 1: The Years of Persecution, 1933-1939" and a memoir called "When Memory Comes."

Jewish Federation Newcomer's Brunch

Sunday, October 12

10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

D-CH Jewish Federation

RSVP by October 8 to: Janice Brahms-Butler, janice@shalomdch.org

Down Home Documentary Film Debut

Learn about the remarkable stories of Jewish life in North Carolina from its earliest pioneering settlers to the diverse communities of today.

The Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina documentary film will bring this poignant history to life. You won’t want to miss it!

RALEIGH: SUNDAY, OCT. 12, 2008 - 5:30 pm: NC Museum of History, Raleigh (Reception and Film)

GREENSBORO: SUNDAY, OCT. 19, 2008 - 5:30 pm: Carolina Theater, Greensboro (Reception and Film)

Contact Will Grossman today to reserve gala tickets!
(919) 668-5839 • wgrossman@jhfnc.org • www.jhfnc.org

JCC Young Adult Division

Jews in Canoes

Celebrate Sukkot old-style: Saturday night and Sunday, October 18th and 19th, the Federation's Young Adult Division invites you into the wild for an overnight camping and canoe trip on Jordan Lake. The adventure begins at 7:30 pm Saturday with Havdallah, followed by s'mores and songs around the campfire. Sunday, we'll coast down the lake on canoes, with Frog Hollow Outdoors Guide Service. Look for a special YAD email with more details soon. Questions? Contact Ellisha Caplan ( ellisha@shalomdch.org).

Chapel Hill-Durham Hadassah Meeting/Potluck Dinner
Bring a dairy or pareve dish: Thursday, October 30th
at home of Marcy Hirsch 4 Upton Court Durham, NC 27713
"Role of foreign policy in the US presidential election" presented by Dr. Maurice East, Prof. Emeritus of International Affairs and Political Science at George Washington University. He will speak about how others abroad are viewing the elections and speculating about what changes in US foreign policy are likely given various election outcomes.
Contact: Margaret Weinstein 960-3539

Women's Chai Tea
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Millennium Hotel
Save the Date. Details to come.

Tents of Hope in D.C.

Speak out for Darfur ! Tents of Hope, a nationwide movement that speaks for those in Darfur who cannot be heard, announces the Gathering of the Tents in D.C. on the weekend of Nov 7-9. Join peace activists from around the country, hear speakers on Darfur, attend genocide and advocacy workshops, take in the arts and music of Sudan, and most importantly, STAND UP AND BE COUNTED at a vigil at the Sudanese Embassy. Carpools are being organized in the Triangle, and hotel bookings are available at very low prices. It's not too late for your congregation to even host and paint your own Tent of Hope to take to D.C.! Contact Sonia Katchian at sk@photoshuttle.com, 919.967.1585 or http://www.tentsofhope.org/.

Benefit Concert and Reception
Cantor Alberto Mizrahi: Voice of the People

North Carolina Museum of Art
Friends of the Judaic Art Gallery

Sunday, December 7 | 2 p.m.
Museum Auditorium
Reception to follow concert
$50 per person

The Friends of the Judaic Art Gallery are pleased to present one of the world's greatest interpreters of Jewish music, classical music, and popular song in a special concert benefitting the Museum's Judaic art collection.

Affectionately known as "The Jewish Pavarotti," Cantor Alberto Mizrahi is Hazzan of the historic Anshe Emet Synagogue of Chicago. With a repertoire that spans nine languages, Cantor Mizrahi has performed with major symphony orchestras throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East—from the White House to Carnegie Hall to the Cairo Opera House—and has recorded 25 critically acclaimed albums.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience what The Chicago Tribune calls "a phenomenal solo voice" in an intimate setting. Tickets are available on-line or through the Museum Box Office at (919) 715-5923.

All proceeds to benefit the Friends of the Judaic Art Gallery at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Corporate sponsor: CT Weekends

Individual sponsorship opportunities for this event are available. Contact Sue Finkel for details: fjag@ncmamail.dcr.state.nc.us

Federation Celebration Dinner
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Parizade
Presenting the Sara & Mutt Evans Leadership Award and
the Earl & Gladys Siegel Young Leadership Award
Save the Date. Details to come.

The Center for Jewish Studies at Duke and
The Center for Jewish Studies at UNC
Present the Carolina/Duke Jewish Seminars for Fall 2008.

ALL SEMINARS TAKE PLACE AT THE FREEMAN CENTER FOR JEWISH LIFE
DUKE UNIVERSITY at 3:00 PM

October 26, 2008
Laura Lieber, Professor of Religion, Duke University
"'You have been skirting this hill long enough!' : History and conventionality in Yannai's Piyyut for Deut.2"

November 16, 2008
Omer Bartov, Professor of European History and German Studies, Brown University “Eastern Europe as the Site of Genocide”

December 7, 2008
Karen Kletter, Assistant Professor of History, Methodist University
“Politics, Prophecy and Jews: The Destruction of Jerusalem in Anglo-Norman Historiography”

January 18, 2009
Magda Teter, Associate Professor of History and Associate Professor of Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Department of History, Wesleyan University “The Politics of Sacrilege and the Jews in Post-Reformation Poland”

February 8, 2009
Shmuel Feiner, Professor of Jewish History, Bar-Ilan University, Israel “Seductive Science and the Emergence of the Secular Jewish Intellectual”

Chapel Hill-Durham Hadassah Group Tour of the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit at The NC Museum of Natural Science 11 W Jones Street Raleigh, NC 27601 (919)733-7451
       Sunday, November 9 from 1:45-3:30
       The Dead Sea Scrolls is an exhibition that tells a story that is beyond words, beyond time and beyond our imaginations. Experience the most remarkable archaeological discovery of the 20th century -the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible. This exhibition links the the spirituality of the Dead Sea Scrolls with the archaeological mysteries. Families and guests are welcome. Group limited to 30 people. $18 per person, includes 45 minute minute audio tour. Payment in advance. Checks sent to Ronni Nichamin 104 Oak Spring Court Carrboro, 27510. Please include telephone number with reservation.
       Carpooling to Raleigh can be arranged.
       Contact: Ronni Nichamin 933-9382

For additional information contact Diane Krome 919-642-0044 Deadline for reservations is November 1, 2008

Chapel Hill – Durham Hadassah is getting ready for our annual Holiday Gift-Wrapping fundraiser at University Mall in Chapel Hill. Our hours are 10am until 9pm daily and 1pm until 6pm on Sundays. We are open from Friday, Nov 28 until Wednesday, Dec 24.

If you would like to volunteer to wrap, contact Phyllis London (929-9469) or Ronni Nichamin (933-9382), co-chairs or one of our captains: Sunday: Carol Minton (942-0990); Monday: Helen Nacheman (929-8904), Tuesday: Miriam Slifkin (929-2451), Wednesday: Phyllis London (929-9469) or Jane Levy (967-5736); Thursday: Cheryl Solow (967-5585) or Aida Zukowski (967-6003); Friday: Martha Ginsberg; (408-0940); or Saturday pm: Ronni Nichamin (933-9382).

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS