WINTER 2020 OFFERINGS

Eurovision:  Where Israel’s History, Fashion and Drama meet! 

Taught by Ilan Vitemberg

Tuesday evenings, May 5, 12, 19, 26 from 7:00 – 9:00pm

$36 for members; $48 for nonmembers

REGISTER HERE

The Eurovision song contest is the most watched TV event in the world.  It is known as the Olympics of song competitions, the contest offers a stage for political intrigue, high fashion, and high drama.  In this riveting three-session series participants will explore how Israel’s history, culture and internal tensions all come to play in the costumes that the singers wear.  How does a Bediun style dress made of kitchen towels comes to symbolize Israel’s hope for peace? What do the First Gulf War and a dress made out of tablecloth from Jaffa Flea market have in common? What costumes did the daughter of a Holocaust survivor designed when the Eurovision song contest took place in Germany?  These sessions offer a unique look to decipher Israel’s DNA. Prepare to be surprised! 

First session:  From hope to hope: Fashion and History of 70s and 80s in Israel 

Second session:  The 90s and 200s:  Fashion of Peace, Fashion of War

Session 3:  Inside Israel:  Fashion of Personal freedom 

Emanu-El Plein Air Painters led by the Emanu-El Scholar, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner 

For the past several years Rabbi Kushner has become a serious oil painter. He has been painting outdoors (the French Impressionists called it “plein air”). It dramatically improves an artist’s vision, technique and focus. 

Because light and shadows are continuously in motion, you only get a few hours before everything changes. And this means that you must learn how to see what is literally before you and paint it with speed and concentration. For me, plein air is very meditative, even spiritual. 

We suspect that there may be other members of Emanu-El who also enjoy this exhilarating (and, yes, occasionally infuriating) aesthetic practice. So: If you are a plein air artist or an aspiring one and would like to paint outdoors with like-minded oil painters, please read on. 

This group will meet bi-weekly at various San Francisco area parks and other scenic locales where there is ample, more than two-hour parking from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm.  

If you’re interested in joining the group or simply want to learn more about it—whether or not you can attend—please contact Ariana Estoque at: aestoque@emanuelsf.org  

Monthly Learning Opportunities

“Brown Bag,” first Wednesday in the library at Temple Emanu-El
Join Emanu-El clergy for Brown Bag Wednesdays. On the first Wednesday of each month, bring your own bag lunch to the temple library for engaging spiritual and cultural discussions.
Next Date:  January 8, 2020.

“Limonata and Learning,” one Wednesday a Month in Marin
Join Emanu-El clergy on one Wednesday a month for an hour of learning and engagement ranging from a rabbinic/Talmudic issue that speaks to today’s events to a cultural or spiritual discussion.

Location: Book Passage: 51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera
Next Class:   January 15, 2020

Lectures

Our lectures feature outstanding speakers who will engage in intriguing and thought-provoking conversations about contemporary topics vital to our community and to our lives. Please visit our Lectures page. 

At Emanu-El, we are an active community of lifelong Jewish learners – in the endless pursuit of spiritual growth and exploration. As Jews, we are compelled to question and debate. These conversations energize us as we gain new perspectives and challenge our own long-held beliefs. Our shared desire for knowledge and for community enriches us as individuals and bonds us as a congregation. Emanu-El thrives when we are learning together. We hope that you will find time on your calendar and in your mind to join us on a thought-provoking and powerful Jewish journey.

To inquire about adult education, please contact Ariana Estoque, Director of Member Experience, at (415) 750-7552 or aestoque@emanuelsf.org