PH OTO BY DANI EL LI PPITT

Keep On Learning

Jewish classes for adults combine in-depth
study with timely topics.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

W

ith the approach ofYom HaShoah
comes the study of Holocaust poet
Primo Levi. As we anticipate
spring and Shavuot, out comes

the Book of Ruth.
"Eilu v'Eilu," an ongoing study series
sponsored by Hillel Day School and con-
gregations B'nai Moshe and Beth Abraham
Hillel Moses, kicks off a new round of class-
es for adults on May 7.
Scheduled for Wednesday nights at Hil-
lel, 32200 Middlebelt Road in Farmington
Hills, "Eilu v'Eilu" is free for B'nai Moshe
and BAELM members as well as parents of
Hillel students. For others, the cost is $5
per session.
It's one thing to "feel" Jewish or help out
Jewish organizations, says Ruth Bergman,
rebbetzin of BAIIM. But "it's the ritual that
actually grounds you. People are at a loss;
[they] don't know where to start."
The three co-chairs of the class series are

Mrs. Bergman; Nancy Kaplan,
who is co-chair of B'nai Moshe's
adult learning committee; and
Rabbi Michele Faudem, rabbi-in-
residence of Hillel Day. School.
The series' name comes from a
phrase in a talmudic story: "Eilu

v'eilu devarim elohim chayirn"

(These and these are the words of
the living God), says Ms. Kaplan.
That parable tells about an ar-
gument on Jewish law. "It's a
statement of pluralism," says Ms.
Kaplan. "We're trying to be eclec-
tic, but with depth."
The classes are intended "to en-
courage different points of view,"
she says. "We are open to congre-
gations from other Jewish move-
ments participating."
The classes are held at the
same time that Hillel holds class-

es for 9th- and 10th-grade alumni, says Ms.
Kaplan. The parents who drive the kids to
and from the classes now have an oppor-
tunity to stay and learn, she adds. -
Mrs. Bergman will teach a class called
"Conversion Issues in the
Book of Ruth" (five ses-
Rabbi Michele
sions, 6:15-7 p.m.) and
Faudem: "You
"Leadership Values in the
can never learn
Torah" (five sessions, 7:15-
too much."
8 p.m.). Leonard I.
Wanetik will discuss the
weekly Torah portion May 7 and 14, 7:15-
8 p.m.
Rabbi Aaron Bergman will lead a two-
session course (May 21, June 4) on Primo
Levi, 7:15-8 p.m. A class called "Judeo-
Christian: Myth or Reality?" will be taught
by Tom Wexelberg-Clouser (four sessions
starting May 14, 7:15-8 p.m.).
"You can never learn too much," says
Rabbi Faudem.
"The atmosphere we're trying to cre-
ate is intellectually stimulating and at
the same time an open environment to
encourage adults to continue their Jew-
ish learning." CI

For information on "Eilu v'Eilu" class-
es, call Nancy Kaplan at Congregation
B'nai Moshe, (810) 788-0600.

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