It was another interesting day at Prozdor on October 19th; here’s just a taste of what was happening!
JEWS IN BEANTOWN
One of Daniel Parmer’s most popular classes, “Jews of Beantown,” embarked on a 3-hour walking tour of Jewish Boston, beginning with a visit to the Charles Playhouse, which, before it was home to the Blue Man Group, hosted the first Jewish community in Boston. They made their way through the Theater District and South End as they talked about the religious and economic lives of Boston's first Jewish immigrants (anyone ever hear of Filene's Basement?). They passed the historic offices of the Jewish Advocate on their way to the North End…and obviously had to make an obligatory stop at Mike's Pastry for some delicious treats. If you know where to look in the North End, you can see the remnants of old synagogues, Talmud Torah schools, and even a matzah factory! Their historic walk ended with a visit to the beautiful Vilna Shul, the last remaining immigrant-era synagogue in Boston.
JEWISH ACTIVISM
Etta King from the Jewish Women’s Archive stopped by our “Privilege and Power” class to teach about the history of American Jewish activism. The class delved into the stories of the Labor movement, the activist group Wednesdays in Mississippi, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. The entire session focused on the question of whether Jewish values influence our desire to be involved in social movements, or if it’s just part of our human nature. The session included some
incredible questions from our students, such as…
“If morality is relative, how can a group of people enforce their morals onto another?”
and
“Is my activism Jewish, or is it human? Isn’t it just human to care for others”
BACK TO SCHOOL
We hosted our first of two incredible learning opportunities for parents of our Prozdor students. Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, president of Hebrew College, taught a session entitled "Organ Transplant lists, Israeli Policy, and Ethics." This ethical jam explored Israel’s unique and controversial approach to organ transplant list formation and how we think about the ethics of the policy from humanistic and Jewish perspectives. Don’t forget to register for our next session, a mother and daughter team of Anita and Emilia Diamant, who will discuss parenting, generational leadership, and their Jewish journeys on November 2nd.
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