What is Melton?
The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning™ engages adult learners in a life-enhancing study of Jewish texts and ideas that nurtures and deepens Jewish community worldwide. Through classes (both in-person and online) and travel seminars, Melton learners find Jewish texts and ideas accessible and relevant to their lives. They become part of a worldwide movement of committed learners who are empowered to enrich Jewish life.
To request additional information or inquire about scholarship opportunities, email sisham@adathjeshurun.com.
Our Classes
"Almost Lost in Translation: Five Jewish Stories from the Septuagint" taught by Dr. Melanie-Prejean Sullivan
Thursdays from May 9 until June 6, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in-person
Why is the Hanukkah story in some Bibles, but not the Tanakh? What other stories of Jewish heroes and heroines (like Judith) or other gems of advice (from Solomon and Sirach) are out there? Join us for a look through the Septuagint (A.K.A. "LXX" or Apocrypha) and discover what it might mean for us today.
This class will require an additional textbook. Please visit the registration page below for links to preferred editions.
Press Pause: Rest, Assured taught by Rabbi Stan Miles
Thursdays from July 11 to August 15, 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. in-person
The Jewish approach to mindfulness and self-care traces back to the roots of creation. The concept of a week comes from the Jewish marking of six days of work and one day of rest. For six days each week, we actively interact with the world. On the seventh, we reflect on our actions. We pause, rest, reflect and reboot. In this unit, we will explore Shabbat and the role of time in Judaism. Along with other prescribed Jewish practices that ask us to pause, reflect and refrain from business as usual. Together, we will reflect on the practices that allow us to start anew, week after week, and year after year. Refresh with us.
Israeli Literature as a Window to a Diverse and Vibrant Society taught by Simon Isham
Tuesdays from May 14 to July 23, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Zoom
Encounter Israeli society through the pens of Israel’s leading writers, discovering voices that are original, frank, contemporary, and heartfelt. This 10-lesson course takes you on a literary journey offering a fresh and fascinating examination of Israeli society. Together, learners will read poetry and prose that is challenging and self-critical, gaining insights into the Israeli national psyche through written reflections on themes including longing for Zion, War, Peace, Immigration, Land and Identity. Learners will interpret, analyze, and simply appreciate the works of classic Israeli writers such as Leah Goldberg, Yehuda Amichai, Dalia Ravikovitch and Amos Oz, as well as voices from outside the mainstream that have emerged and paint a multidimensional picture of a proud and complex nation.
This course is discounted $50 for all learners! AJ Members in good standing are eligible for a further discount of $36. Email sisham@adathjeshurun.com for the coupon code.
The Holocaust as Reflected in Diaries and Memoirs taught by Rabbi Stan Miles
Thursdays from September 5 to December 12, 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. in-person
Take a literary journey into the Jewish communities of Europe during the Holocaust – sobering, profound accounts of extraordinary courage in the face of an unprecedented struggle for survival. For 10 sessions, learners will have the chance to examine first-person narratives found in diaries and memoirs, gaining remarkable insight into this devastating period of modern Jewish history. Both young and old writers—authors, poets and journalists, some who survived and many who did not—describe the growing Nazi threat, coping in the ghettos, and imprisonment in death camps. Their unforgettable stories help us understand the real events of the Shoah and its legacy for us today.
