Thursday, January 15, 2015

A Taste of Honey 2015

Back For Another Great Year: A Taste of Honey, the Jewish community's annual, exciting, social, cultural, and educational event, is scheduled to take place at the Albuquerque JCC on Sunday, February 1st.


 Sign Up By January 23rd for Early Bird Price!!!

Keynote Speaker
Gary Rosenblatt
Editor and Publisher, The Jewish Week
The Joys and Oys of a Jewish Journalist: 
Covering One's Community from the Inside

Session A courses are:

A-1: Not Alone Rabbi Deborah Brin and Lynn McKeever, JD

The law gives us tools to prepare for when we need the comfort and companionship of the right people during life threatening illnesses, hospitalizations and other times of vulnerability. Paperwork matters. We will bring forms and answer questions as we present scenarios which will help you anticipate your needs and make choices in alignment with your values.

A-2: Essentially Yiddish Harvey Buchalter

A bissel of Yiddish, a bissel of laughs! Come learn why our old language (mameloshen/mother tongue) has become part of mainstream American culture. No previous knowledge is needed - only a sense of discovery and humor!

A-3: Online Genealogy-How to Search and Record Family History Schelly Talalay Dardashti

Move forward in your own family history quest by discovering vast collections of data including photos. Learn about numerous websites, search engines containing billions of records, genealogy blogs, Facebook pages and more.

A-4: Crypto-Jews from Spain to New Mexico 1492-current Maria Espinosa

Explore the history of the 400,000+ Jews who left Spain to escape the Inquisition, and the greater number that stayed behind as hidden Jews. Was Christopher Columbus a Jew? Share the surge of interest in the Jewish roots of Crypto Jews in New Mexico. Discuss the idea of hiding one’s identity and its impact on the generations that followed.

A-5: The Biblical Book of Jonah Revisited Shlomo Karni, Ph.D

Is the Big Fish Story just a whale of a tale about repentance and forgiveness? Gain a richer understanding of Jonah as we examine this story, including: Jonah’s personality, God’s unexpected patience and unique sense of humor, the relationship between God and his prophets, the essence of prophecy, and the universality of this story.

A-6: Portrait of Today’s Jewish Community – Results of the First Jewish Demographic Survey of New Mexico Marvin Gottleib, Ph.D, Sara Koplik, Ph.D, Marina Rabinowitz, Ph.D

Discover the fascinating results of the 2014 Jewish Demographic survey. Learn how the Jews of New Mexico differ from the rest of the nation. Understand what our community looks like as a whole as well as the various sub-groups and smaller trends. Discussion will follow presentation of the findings.

A-7: Stretching Bodies, Minds, and Hearts through Shemitic Yoga Rahmaneh Meyers

Interweave movement, music, self-massage, and meditation, using Hebrew songs and words to guide your path through Shemitic Yoga. Then, if and when you are ready, consolidate your realizations, and bring careful closure as you prepare to enter the next adventure of your life.

A-8: Jews and Cremation Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist

The U.S. cremation rate is climbing, and Jews - who historically bury - are part of that rising rate. Examine the “why” of Jewish burial and cremation, the “how” of the cremation process, and “what’s next” for Jews considering cremation.

A-9: Wrestling With the Sh’ma-the Power of a Prayer Diane Schmidt

After facing death in El Salvador and Chicago as a photojournalist, and through many years of life-changing immersion in Navajo spirituality, I came to a deeper understanding of the most primary prayer in Judaism, the Sh’ma. View documentary photos of this journey. Share your personal relationship with the Sh’ma. Together we will recite and meditate on its meaning.

A-10: Meditation, Mindfulness, and the Art of Blessing Paula Amar Schwartz, Ph.D

The Jewish tradition is filled with opportunities to open us to mindful awareness of the richness of life, the beauty of nature, and our relationship to the Divine. Learn about the concepts of mindful Jewish living; sample a meditation; and focus on the “Taste of Honey” in the art of blessing the day.

Session B courses are:

B-1: Hebrew: Its Shaping Power for Jewish Identity Rabbi Paul Citrin

Hebrew has been the glue and the bridge which has maintained the Jewish people in the Diaspora. It is also our repository of the expression of our deepest values. We will examine the drama of Hebrew’s usage over the centuries, its revival and its power to touch the Jewish spirit.

B-2: DNA Genetic Genealogy Schelly Talalay Dardashti

Connect with your known and unknown relatives and branches of your family using DNA genetic genealogy. Explore Y DNA, mtDNA, autosomal tests, with a fascinating focus on the Iberian/Ashkenaz DNA Project. Find the Sephardic origins of numerous Ashkenazi families.

B-3: A Taste of Jewish Dance Michele Diel

Sample the joy of dance with a nibble of Klezmer, a nosh of Israeli and a sip of sacred Jewish dance. Learn steps and variations – to old favorites and new music. Whether you are beginner, intermediate or advanced - come dance with us!

B-4: Lilith: Seductress, Heroine or Murderer? Janet Gaines, Ph.D

Lilith is mentioned just once in the Bible, but many times in the Talmud and folklore. She declared herself equal to Adam, got kicked out of Paradise, and became a figure of female emancipation. Learn all about the Lilith myth in text and artwork, both ancient and modern.

B-5: Conversos and Their Descendants in Literature Dianne Layden, Ph.D

How did a trunk in an Albuquerque cellar and happenings in Arcos de la Frontera, Spain, help reveal hidden heritage and mysterious traditions? Interwoven stories from 1391 Spain, to 1912 New Mexico, to present day, unveil the long-term influence of the Inquisition on so many lives of the descendants who are among us.

B-6: Chant as a Doorway into Liturgy and the Heart Miryam Levy

Come experience Hebrew chanting as a vehicle to transcend your thinking mind and the realm of the ordinary. Enter deeply into the meaning of the words and gather insight by focusing on a single phrase from Psalms and other liturgy.

B-7: Irving Berlin in Song and Story Judy & Michael Muldawer

Learn about a most important song writer in American history, Irving Berlin. Listen to his story while being entertained by popular and lessknown songs. Discover how this uneducated Russian immigrant, a cantor’s son, raised in terrible poverty, made such an impression on American popular music.

B-8: You Don’t Have to be Rich or Dead to Create Your Jewish Legacy Erika Rimson & Vivian Skadron

Understand how you can create a legacy with the Jewish Community Foundation. Support the areas of Jewish life that mean the most to you. Learn the impact of grants for Jewish camping, Israel trips or college tuition. Discover how easy it is to make a difference for the causes you support in our community and worldwide- now and always.

B-9: A Noble (& Nobel) Profession for a Nice Jewish Kid: Physics & Astronomy in Classic Jewish Texts Rabbi Jack Shlachter

Jews constitute an astounding percentage of Nobel Prize winners in physics. Explore the full gamut of Jewish texts that encourage the study of physical sciences with this Los Alamos physicist and rabbi.

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