Midreshet HaKerem is a joint project of Kehilat HaKerem and Midreshet Schechter, which is an affiliate of the Shechter Institute of Jewish Studies In Jerusalem.
Since the early 1990s, the Schechter Institute has offered courses in Jewish studies to immigrants from Russia. Today, Midreshet Schechter offers courses in Judaism to the general public in Israel and abroad.
These courses are based on study of the sources and an examination of the meanings and values implied by them, from a critical historical point of view.
Midreshet Hakerem
ENGLISH LECTURE PROGRAM -
Under the Cross and the Crescent:
1500 Years of Jewish History
Second Semester with Rabbi Dr. Avi Kadish
Feb - June 2023
Lectures will begin at 18:15 and end at 20:30.
Courses will be held in Kehilat Hakerem, and on Zoom (surcharge for local residents - see below).
See below for details of how to register and pay
Course of 12 weekly meetings
Wednesdays starting on 22 February 2023
The main contours of Jewish life in the Middle Ages as a minority within the worlds of Christianity and Islam.
The processes that led to the formation of medieval Jewish communities along with their communal and economic structures.
The rise and fall of the various centers of Jewish life throughout the Middle Ages, the relationships between them, and the historical changes that they endured.
Special attention to the literary creations (historical, cultural and religious) of Jews in the Middle Ages and get a “taste” of them through examples in each lesson.
The Fall Semester began with the repercussions of the Bar Kokhba revolt and ended with the close of the Geonic era (the death of Rav Hai Gaon in 1038), covering a period of roughly 900 years.
The Spring Semester will cover a period of roughly 600 years beginning with the flowering of Jewish communities in North Africa and Europe, and ending with the messianic movement associated with Shabtai Zvi.
Lesson
Date
Subject
1.
22 February
The Rise of Ashkenaz (Megillat Ahima’atz); Family and Society until the Crusades
2.
8 March
Jewish Society and Creativity in North Africa and Muslim Spain
(Story of the Four Captives)
15 March
The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela
4.
22 March
Rashi, the Tosafists and the Ashkenazic Pietists
5.
29 March
The Crusades and the Chronicle of Solomon bar Simeon
6.
3 May
Maimonides and his Works
7.
10 May
Early Kabbalah in Provence and Spain
8.
17 May
The Jews of Christian Spain
9.
24 May
The Maimonidean Controversies
10.
31 May
The Black Death and its Repercussions
11.
7 June
Expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Don Isaac Abarbanel
12.
15 June
Lurianic Kabbalah, the Sabbatean Crisis, and the end of the Jewish Middle Ages
Course Pricing 2023
Full course – members of Kehilat Hakerem
120
Full course – non-members
240
Single class – members of Kehilat Hakerem
30
Single class – non-members
60
Surcharge for Zoom participation by Karmiel/Misgav residents (see note below)
50%
DISCOUNTS
Second course, same semester
Spouse as second registrant
50%
Full year in advance
50%
Friend brings a friend1
50%
"Course Verifier” (one only)2
50%
| Note: Only one discount may be chosen per semester/course
For registration and further information by email or phone
1. Friend brings a friend: This discount will be available to past participants who bring in a new participant who has never taken a course before.
2. Course Verifier: The Education Ministry requires that we appoint someone who is actually present during the activity and who is not an employee or volunteer in the organization. Please contact us if you are interested in fulfilling this essential role.
Please note! In accordance with Education Ministry rules, each course must have at least 10 registrants physically present in the classroom. Any number of participants are allowed on Zoom but cannot be included in the above requirement. We will not be able to hold the course with less than 10 registrants committed to class participation!!!
Zoom participation: In order to encourage in-class attendance, Karmiel and Misgav participants who want to participate by Zoom must pay a surcharge of 50%. In case of sickness or special circumstances Karmiel region participants may use Zoom with prior notification and at no extra cost. Zoom will be available to participants outside of the Karmiel/Misgav region at no extra cost.
