UNIVERSITY Where learning is for life
WINTER/SPRING 2019 COURSE CATALOG
Jewish Community Housing Corporation of Metropolitan New Jersey
TABLE OF CONTENTS Meet our faculty.................................................................................................. 2-3 2019 course schedule & descriptions............................................................... 4-6 Registration form................................................................................................... 8
MEET OUR FACULTY
JCHC University is pleased to present this semester’s esteemed lecturers and the courses they’ll teach. As you see from their bios, the JCHC faculty members have eclectic backgrounds, some with multiple graduate degrees. We look forward to having them share their insights and knowledge with our residents.
Professor Ian Drake
Ian Drake is an associate professor of political science and jurisprudence at Montclair State University. His teaching interests include the American judiciary and legal system, the U.S. Supreme Court and constitutional history, political theory, and the history and contemporary study of law and society. Prof. Drake obtained his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Maryland and his J.D. from the University of Richmond Law School. Prior to earning his Ph.D., Dr. Drake practiced insurance and tort law. • The Challenges Confronting the New Congress • A Review of the Likely Presidential Candidates in 2020 • NJ Politics: Gov. Murphy, Taxes and the Future of New Jersey
Professor Linda Gould Levine
Dr. Gould Levine is professor emerita of Spanish at Montclair State University where, as full professor, she chaired the department of Spanish and Italian and was director of the women’s studies program. She also taught at Rutgers University and Dartmouth College. Dr. Gould Levine is the author, co-author, and co-editor of seven books on Spanish literature and has published over 40 articles on Spanish and Latin American writers and feminism in Spain. She was invited as guest lecturer in the United States, Spain, France, Morocco, Sweden, and England and was honored with many awards at Montclair State, among them for excellence in teaching and scholarship. She currently directs an amateur theater group which recently gave four performances of her adaptation of García Lorca’s “La Casa de Bernarda Alba.” Dr. Gould Levine received a B.A. from New York University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. • Don Quixote
Professor Paula Taylor-Osborn
Professor Taylor-Osborn is an adjunct professor of English in the humanities department at Essex County College. She completed both her master’s and bachelor’s studies (cum laude) at Kean University. • Critical Thinking
Professor Elizabeth Redwine
Professor Redwine was an adjunct professor in Seton Hall University’s department of English for ten years, teaching European literature surveys, introduction to literature classes, and composition sections. Today, she lectures there on literature, Great Books surveys, and composition sections. • W. B. Yeats and Rabindranath Tagore 2
Professor John Kenrick
John Kenrick is now in his 12th year teaching musical theatre history at NYU’s Steinhardt School. A native New Yorker, Prof. Kenrick worked for many years in the professional theatre, serving as personal assistant to six Tony Awardwinning producers. As the creator of Musicals101.com, a popular educational website, he pulls back the curtain on show business history as only an insider can. He has discussed theatre on TV and radio, including PBS, BBC and NPR. His book, “Musical Theatre: A History” has just been released in a revised 10th anniversary edition, and Publishers Weekly calls it “the go-to text on this subject.” He has also taught at The New School University, Marymount Manhattan, Pace University, and The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Reviewing his course, one of his students recently wrote, “He didn’t just make me laugh; he made me care.” • Irving Berlin • Yiddish Theatre in America: Laden with Happiness and Tears
Professor Barbara Tomlinson
After serving for many years as history department chair at a small independent secondary school, Dr. Tomlinson moved to Kean University in 1986 to be the course coordinator for the cultural history component of the general education program. She now teaches cultural history in various continuing education programs statewide. Dr. Tomlinson received her B.A, cum laude, from Barnard College, her M.A.T. from Harvard University and her Ph.D in American women’s history from Rutgers. • Chagall In Paris: The Making of a Jewish Artist • Saul Steinberg: Cartoonist, Illustrator, Artist
Professor Richard Alston
A masterful and exciting pianist, Prof. Alston has garnered praise for his passion and technical mastery at the keyboard, his charismatic personality, and his innovative programming. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School of Music in New York City and was later awarded the highly prestigious Maria Guerra Judelson Scholarship in piano to return to Juilliard for his master’s degree. Under his direction as associate professor of music and coordinator of the performing arts, Alston crafted a degree program in music at Essex County College that has flourished into a full-fledged performing arts department of music, dance, and drama. Prof. Alston has also served as a faculty member of Rutgers University (Newark), on the board of music advisors for Westminster Choir College’s education opportunity program, and he was a faculty member of the Juilliard School of Music’s music advancement program. • Classical Songs of Love for the Piano: A Concert with Commentary
Rabbi Michael Jay
Rabbi Jay is the spiritual leader at the Jewish Community Center of Long Beach Island. After practicing law for many years, he began to study and teach Torah, and went on to pursue a career in the rabbinate, receiving rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary where he was a Neubauer Fellow. During his rabbinic studies, Rabbi Jay practiced law full time and served as the rabbinic intern at Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell. He also spent two years as the director of Rimon, an adult educational initiative where he catalogued all adult educational opportunities in the local federated community and made them available to the public. Prior to his Long Beach Island pulpit, Rabbi Jay was the rabbi at Beit Rayim Synagogue in Toronto, Canada. • Family Dynamics in the Torah, Part 1 • Family Dynamics in the Torah, Part 2 3
2019 WINTER/SPRING COURSES & SCHEDULE JANUARY Tuesday, Jan. 15, 7:00 p.m.
The Challenges Confronting the New Congress (Professor Drake) LOCATION: LESTER SENIOR LIVING DESCRIPTION: This course will review
the political and policy challenges facing the 116th Congress, which convened on January 3, 2019. The most significant change is a House of Representatives controlled by the Democratic Party, which will have new and different policy preferences over the next two years. This is a drift back to a recent norm in America: divided government. Big questions loom: Will the Democrats in the House impeach President Trump? Will investigations of the President’s administration proliferate? Will any new legislation be enacted? Will government shutdowns be a frequent feature of national governance for the next two years? We will review the challenges and controversies facing the new Congress.
Wednesday, January 23, 3:00 p.m. Irving Berlin (Professor Kenrick)
LOCATION: B’NAI B’RITH RESIDENCE DESCRIPTION: Widely considered one
of the greatest songwriters in American history, Irving Berlin published his first song, “Marie from Sunny Italy” in 1907 and had his first major international hit, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” in 1911. He also was an owner of the Music Box Theatre on Broadway. Berlin’s music forms a great part of the Great American Songbook; he wrote hundreds of songs, many becoming major hits, which made him a legend before he turned thirty.
Monday, Jan 28, 2:00 p.m.
Don Quixote (Professor Gould Levine) LOCATION: VILLAGE APARTMENTS DESCRIPTION: “Don Quixote” (1605,
1615), the second most translated book ever written, continues to fascinate readers across the globe more than four hundred years after its publication. How does its author, Miguel de Cervantes, succeed in writing a novel that is rooted in 17th century Spanish history yet has crossed the boundaries of time to anticipate many aspects of our contemporary reality and offer us a model for transcending differences? Part of Cervantes’s genius is through his portrait of Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s loyal squire. At the beginning of the novel Cervantes portrays Sancho as radically different from the knight errant in every way. But as the novel progresses, he becomes more and more like Don Quixote, adding great humor and psychological depth to this classic masterpiece. Selected passages from the novel will be distributed that highlight this aspect of the novel.
FEBRUARY Thursday, February 14, 2:00 p.m.
Chagall in Paris: The Making of a Jewish Artist (Professor Tomlinson) LOCATION: JEWISH FEDERATION PLAZA DESCRIPTION: This presentation will explore
the early, formative years in the career of Mark Chagall, one of the most distinctive artists of the 20th century. Born in Vitebsk, he traveled to St. Petersburg and Paris, absorbing influences there and combining them with his native Jewish culture to create a style that is uniquely his own.
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Monday, February 18, 3:00 p.m.
Yiddish Theatre in America: Laden With Happiness and Tears (Professor Kenrick) LOCATION: LESTER SENIOR LIVING DESCRIPTION: Invented in Eastern
Europe, Yiddish theatre enjoyed a golden age in the “goldene medina.” We take an affectionate look back at its great stars and most memorable plays, and discuss why this popular art form may have faded but still refuses to disappear.
Wednesday, February 27, 3:00 p.m. Don Quixote (Professor Gould Levine) LOCATION: LESTER SENIOR LIVING DESCRIPTION: “Don Quixote” (1605,
1615), the second most translated book ever written, continues to fascinate readers across the globe more than 400 years after its publication. How does its author, Miguel de Cervantes, succeed in writing a novel that is rooted in 17th century Spanish history yet has crossed the boundaries of time to anticipate many aspects of our contemporary reality and offer us a model for transcending differences? Part of Cervantes’s genius is through his portrait of Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s loyal squire. At the beginning of the novel Cervantes portrays Sancho as radically different from the knight errant in every way. But as the novel progresses, he becomes more and more like Don Quixote, adding great humor and psychological depth to this classic masterpiece. Selected passages from the novel will be distributed that highlight this aspect of the novel.
MARCH Monday, March 11, 2:00 p.m.
Saul Steinberg: Cartoonist, Illustrator, Artist (Professor Tomlinson) LOCATION: JEWISH FEDERATION PLAZA DESCRIPTION: Saul Steinberg was much
more than a clever cartoonist who drew the most famous New Yorker magazine cover. He was also a perceptive and prophetic documenter of the changing American cultural scene. He told us about ourselves in a way no other artist of the 20th did. Come see what he said.
Monday, March 25, 2:00 p.m.
Classical Songs of Love for the Piano: A Concert with Commentary (Professor Alston) LOCATION: LESTER SENIOR LIVING
APRIL Monday, April 1, 2:00 p.m.
Critical Thinking (Professor Taylor-Osborn) LOCATION: JEWISH FEDERATION PLAZA DESCRIPTION: Participants will practice
a disciplined, systematic approach to problem solving by learning how to deeply analyze a story line, problem, situation or event, and assess possible solutions and associated risks. They will hone their strategic decisionmaking skills by following a methodology based on creative, sound approaches and tested actions and exercises.
Tuesday, April 16, 7:00 p.m.
A Review of the Likely Presidential Candidates in 2020 (Professor Drake) LOCATION: LESTER SENIOR LIVING DESCRIPTION: If you thought 2016
was an unexpected wild ride, you haven’t seen nuthin’ yet! As the Democratic Party is contemplating how to oppose President Trump’s administration in the new Democratic-controlled House, well over 20 Democrats are considering running for President in 2020. The leftward drift of the Democratic Party in 5
recent years raises concerns for a party that hopes to persuade moderate 2016 Trump voters and regain the White House. Also, will there be any primary challengers to President Trump? If so, what are their chances? We will review the backgrounds and challenges facing each of these possible candidates.
Tuesday, April 30, 3:00 p.m.
Family Dynamics in the Torah, Part 1 (Rabbi Jay) LOCATION: LESTER SENIOR LIVING
(Part 2 will be held on May 13) DESCRIPTION:
Our forefathers and foremothers were not just holy people—they were real people who were living real lives. This two-part course will look at the family structures and relationships of our biblical heroes. Were the family units strong? Were they loving? Can we learn about ourselves by looking at them? We will read the Torah stories that most of us are already familiar with and view our heroes (even our G-d) in human terms.
MAY Tuesday, May 7, 7:00 p.m.
A Review of the Likely Presidential Candidates in 2020 (Professor Drake) LOCATION: VILLAGE APARTMENTS DESCRIPTION: If you thought 2016
was an unexpected wild ride, you haven’t seen nuthin’ yet! As the Democratic Party is contemplating how to oppose President Trump’s administration in the new Democratic-controlled House, well over 20 Democrats are considering running for President in 2020. The leftward drift of the Democratic Party in recent years raises concerns for a party that hopes to persuade moderate 2016 Trump voters and regain the White House. Also, will there be any primary challengers to President Trump? If so, what are their chances? We will review the backgrounds and challenges facing each of these possible candidates.
Tuesday, May 13, 3:00 p.m.
Family Dynamics in the Torah, Part 2 (Rabbi Jay) LOCATION: LESTER SENIOR LIVING DESCRIPTION: We continue our exploration
of the family structures and relationships of our biblical heroes. Were the family units strong? Were they loving? Can we learn about ourselves by looking at them? We will read the Torah stories that most of us are already familiar with and view our heroes (even our G-d) in human terms.
JUNE Tuesday, June 4, 7:00 p.m.
NJ Politics: Gov. Murphy, Taxes and the Future of New Jersey (Professor Drake) LOCATION: JEWISH FEDERATION PLAZA DESCRIPTION: This course will review the
relationship between Gov. Murphy and the NJ legislature, particularly Senate President Stephen Sweeney. We will discuss the governor’s policy proposals, especially about taxes, marijuana legalization, a state bank, state employee pensions, and the minimum wage.
Thursday June 13, 3:00 p.m.
W.B. Yeats and Rabindranath Tagore (Professor Redwine) LOCATION: LESTER SENIOR LIVING DESCRIPTION: This lecture will examine
the friendship between Yeats and Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore. We will read the poetry and plays of both men and study how they both identified as postcolonial subjects, even though their families had become rich through trade with the British. This friendship was also touched by questions about who owned certain plays and poems. 6
The mission of JCHC University, a nonaccredited adult learning program, is to promote healthy aging and provide lifelong learning experiences to the residents of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation of Metropolitan New Jersey. We do so by offering unique and interesting lectures that foster personal and educational growth. As always, we have assembled a variety of interesting topics, which will be taught by experts in their fields. JCHC residents attend these lectures for free; transportation is provided free of charge. JCHC University is made possible through a generous gift from the Murnick family.
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JCHC UNIVERSITY
Winter/Spring 2019 Course Registration Form Place a check mark next to the events for which you are registering and remit your form to the concierge desk or management office at your community. DATE
LECTURE
LOCATION
INSTRUCTOR
Lester
Drake
Jan 15
The Challenges Confronting the New Congress
Jan. 23
Irving Berlin
B’nai B’rith
Kenrick
Jan. 28
“Don Quixote”
Village
Gould-Levine
Feb. 14
Chagall in Paris: The Making of a Jewish Artist
Plaza
Tomlinson
Feb. 18
Yiddish Theatre in America: Laden With Happiness and Tears
Lester
Kenrick
Feb. 27
“Don Quixote”
Lester
Gould-Levine
March 11
Saul Steinberg: Cartoonist, Illustrator, Artist
Plaza
Tomlinson
March 25
Classical Songs of Love for the Piano: A Concert with Commentary
Lester
Alston
April 1
Critical Thinking
Plaza
Taylor-Osborn
April 16
A Review of the Likely Presidential Candidates in 2020
Lester
Drake
April 30
Family Dynamics in the Torah, Part 1
Lester
Jay
May 7
A Review of the Likely Presidential Candidates in 2020
Village
Drake
May 13
Family Dynamics in the Torah, Part 2
Lester
Jay
June 4
NJ Politics: Gov. Murphy, Taxes and the Future of New Jersey
Plaza
Drake
June 13
W.B. Yeats and Rabindranath Tagore
Lester
Redwine
Name: _________________________________________________________________ JCHC Community: _______________________________________________________ Do you need transportation? Yes _____
No _____
(There is a $1.00 fee for the JCHC to provide transportation to & from each lecture attended.)
• B’NAI B’RITH RESIDENCE 219 South Orange Ave., South Orange • JEWISH FEDERATION PLAZA 750 Northfield Ave., West Orange
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• LESTER SENIOR LIVING 903-905 Rt. 10 East, Whippany • VILLAGE APARTMENTS 110 Vose Ave., South Orange