COMMUNITY DAYS
Every Tuesday at 1 pm
Our Tuesday program is brought to you in conjunction with JCC Chicago.
No program on April 30 in observance of Passover
Tuesday, May 7—Community Days: Jewish Berlin, Part I: From the Early Settlers to the Golden Age. Embark on an enthralling virtual journey with Olga as your guide and delve deep into the captivating history of Berlin’s Jewish community. “Jewish Berlin Tour: From Early Settlers to Golden Age” offers a fascinating exploration of the city’s rich Jewish heritage, spanning from the first Jewish settlers to the flourishing Golden Age of this vibrant community.
Tuesday, May 14—Community Days: Cutting the Cord: Using Video Streaming Services. Join Tony LaPalio, owner of Senior Tech Support, and learn how to slash expenses by ditching cable TV and embracing video streaming services. Tony will demystify the complexities of cable bills, decode the differences between live TV, network TV, cable TV, video streaming and more. Take control of your entertainment choices while saving money!
Tuesday, May 21—Community Days: Britian’s Hidden Treasures: Unearthing the Relics of an Ancient Past with Claire Evans. During a walk on his family’s farm during COVID lockdowns in 2020, a man noticed unusual pottery shards that ultimately led to the excavation of one of the largest, best preserved Roman villa mosaic floors every found in Europe. Jackpot historical finds aren’t uncommon in Britain thanks to its rich history: Viking hordes, Anglo Saxon treasure, and even King Richard III buried under a city parking lot.
Tuesday, May 28—Community Days: Lake Geneva Virtual Day Trip. Lake Geneva has long been a popular destination for residents of Chicago and its suburbs. While the area’s known for golf, ritzy mansions, and the lake, it’s got much more. Join the Wildbird Shack to learn some of the best reasons to make the short drive, including one of the last remaining mailboat routes, a beer baron’s estate, discovering the birthplace of modern astrophysics, plus ostriches!
Tuesday, June 4—Community Days: Landsmanshaftn with Susannah Trubman, YIVO. Drawing on her experience with the YIVO Landsmanshaftn Collection, Susannah Trubman will introduce landsmanshaftn. Landsmanshaftn were societies started by Jewish immigrants that provided members with structure and community support upon their arrival in America (among many countries.) There were hundreds of active landsmanshaftn in the United States in the early to mid 20th century. They helped their members adjust to their new surroundings while maintaining strong connections to the communities they left behind. Learn about how these societies grew and changed in tandem with larger trends in American Jewish life.
While less commonly discussed than other parts of the immigrant experience, landsmanshaftn left their traces everywhere, and prove helpful for those interested in scholarly research and personal familial history.
Tuesday, June 11—Community Days: Classical Music, Part III. Join Kurt Loeffler for part 3 of his 4-part lecture series on classical music. We’ll discuss Impressionism, Expressionism and Neo-Classical Music. We will look at highly influential composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel and the Viennesse school which introduces the twelve-tone composition process.
Tuesday, June 18—Community Days:The Tumlers, The Yenta, and Tuesday Night Shtick–The Jews of Early TV Comedy with Lois Silverman. Jews have always told stories—some subtle; some reached ridiculous heights or pathetic lows. They have used every medium to tell their stories.
When television was finally available to everyone in the US, Jews were there to tell their stories. This program will explore early television from its origins until 1960 using clips of the various Jews who built the television industry through laughter.
Lois graduated from Montclair State University, NJ, where she received a B.A. Cum Laude and an M.A. in English Literature. She has taught writing at Utica College of Syracuse University and many adult education courses. During her teaching career, Lois developed many film and television courses for every age group. Formerly Lois taught media studies at the State University of NY at Utica/Rome. She is now teaching film and television history at the Center for Learning in Retirement, a program at Delaware Valley University Doylestown, PA.
Despite her love of teaching radio, television, film, and computers, Lois’ first passion is writing. She has written many one-act plays which have been performed all over North America. She now lives in Blue Bell to be closer to her children and grandchildren.
Tuesday, June 25—Community Days:The American Revolution Museum Tour. Join a museum educator for a guided, virtual walk-through of the Museum’s core galleries. Learn how soldiers, women, African Americans, Native Americans, and children experienced the tumultuous events of the Revolution through the stories and objects they left behind.
Tuesday, July 9—Community Days: The Jewish Experience in American Film. Produced shortly after World War II, films like Crossfire and Gentleman’s Agreement startled audiences by provocatively portraying the plight of Jewish individuals assimilating into mainstream American life. Join us for a pre-recorded lecture from One Day University on issues of antisemitism, integration, social justice, and Jewish humor through the films of The Jazz Singer, The Young Lions, The Birdcage and more.
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Tuesday, August 27—Community Days: The Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery. In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd was searching for a lost goat near the Dead Sea when he stumbled upon one of the most remarkable archaeological finds of the 20th century: the Dead Sea Scrolls. The decipherment and study of these ancient documents has led to revolutionary understanding of ancient Judaism, earliest Christianity, and the relationship between the two. In this pre-recorded lecture through One Day University, Professor Gary Rendsburg presents this remarkable story of discovery, excavation, and scholarly work that explores ancient Judaism and the Essene community that created the scrolls.
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Support for these programs had been graciously provided by The Albert and Lucille Delighter and Marcella Winston Foundation, a Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.