Our Tent 2022 Second Trimester Class Descriptions

Class Description:

Uncovering My Family Tree: An Introduction to Jewish Genealogy: Many of us have watched television shows where celebrities discover their family roots in under an hour, receiving a multigenerational family tree at the end of the program. This mini-course will introduce participants to the tools through which they may discover their own family roots. We will learn how to do computer searches on popular genealogy websites, interview relatives for family stories, find hidden treasures in our own homes, and understand the basics of DNA.

This class is offered on Zoom or in-person, please indicate how you will be taking the class when you register.

Instructor: Sylvia Abrams & Ken Bravo

Sylvia F. Abrams is Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Siegal College. Sylvia holds a Ph.D., Social Policy History, from CWRU. She is Immediate Past - President of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, was President of CAJE, Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education, a past member of the Ohio Council on Holocaust Education and past chair of the Jewish Archives Committee, Western Reserve Historical Society. She is co-author of “Abraham Hayyim Friedland and the Context, Structures, and Content of Jewish Education,” in Cleveland Jews in the Urban Midwest, (2019, Rutgers University Press). Dr. Abrams teaches for Siegal Lifelong Learning of Case Western Reserve University. 

Ken Bravo is the Immediate Past President of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies and a Past President of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland.  He is a frequent lecturer on a variety of genealogy subjects.  He has been searching his own roots since the mid-1970s and, in more recent years, has added the families of the spouses of his four children to his research. 

Class Description:

Our Roots as a Congregation and Where We are Growing: As we get ready to celebrate our 75^th anniversary, this class will take a look back how we started, what we are doing today, and where we are going.

This class is offered in-person only.

Instructor: Linda Wolfe

This is Linda Wolfe’s 50^th year teaching at STKA.  She teaches Hebrew in our learning program and to many of our B’nai Mitzvah students.  She also loves teaching our youngest learners about Torah and values! It is her true passion and joy!

Class Description:

People of the Book: We as Jews have been called a “People of the Book.” This describes both our connection to Torah and our love of learning.  In this class we will literally become a people of the book as we create a book club together.  We will read the first book in the Warriors series, Warriors: Into the Wild (we will provide the book for everyone) and discover how we can find our Jewish story and Jewish values in our everyday interests.

This class is offered in-person only.

Instructor: Micah Nathenson & Rabbi Shana Nyer

Micah Nathenson is a person who reads a lot of books. He is a cool fourth grader at Boulevard Elementary in Shaker Heights. He lives with Ollie, the cutest dog on the planet, his parents and his two older brothers.

Rabbi Shana Nyer was ordained from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2003 and received her Master of Arts in Religious Education from there in 2016. She loves teaching students of all ages and is passionate about advocating for the inclusion of all learners.  Rabbi Shana is a gifted storyteller who loves to teach Jewish values through this medium, and also gets excited when her lessons combine her knowledge of and passion for Judaism and her interest in all things pop culture.

Class Description:

Torah Tots: This program is for our youngest learners. It will be available all morning and will include childcare and age-appropriate fun Jewish learning. 

Please sign up for each session your child will be in Torah Tots. This class is offered in-person only.

Instructor: Liam Jacobs

After four years of working as a toddler teacher at the JCC, Liam returned to school to earn a Bachelor's degree in Psychology at Cleveland State University and will now be in a full-time graduate program at CSU to become a School Psychologist. When he is not studying or babysitting, he likes to stay physically active at the gym and in nature. He is very excited to return as the Torah Tots teacher this year and to connect with the STKA community.

Class Description:

Current Issues through a Jewish Feminist Lens: We will consider the positions inherent in American and Israeli feminism(s) and apply these principles to current Jewish issues such as reproductive rights, critical race theory and anti-Zionism vs. antisemitism. Come prepared to defend your positions or have them change!

This class is offered on Zoom or in-person, please indicate how you will be taking the class when you register.

Instructor: Muriel Lederman

Muriel Lederman is retired from Biology and Women’s Studies at Virginia Tech. She is newish to Cleveland and enjoys the Art Museum, the Symphony and teaching in Health Humanities at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.

Class Description:

I’ve Got a Feeling: Emotions matter. They guide our choices and move us in ways the intellect alone cannot. In this class we develop an understanding and practice of emotional intelligence and explore it through Jewish traditions. This interactive class will use simulations, movies, and Jewish texts to explore emotional intelligence.

This class is offered on Zoom or in-person, please indicate how you will be taking the class when you register.

Instructor: Tracey Messer

Tracey Messer is a professor at Case Western Reserve University at the Weatherhead School of Management and a proponent of emotional intelligence. She and her wife Karen are active members of STKA.

Class Description:

Chai Five Sports: In this class we will take sports to the next level. Whether we are playing games or learning about great moments from the past and present, we will not only have a good time, but also see where Jewish values and sports connect.

This class is offered in-person only. 

Instructor: Noah "Nappel" Appel & Alan Hazzard

Noah Appel, or Nappel as he is known, will be finishing his bachelor’s degree in social work at Cleveland State University, after beginning at Kent State University. He has spent 11 summers at Camp Wise, including this past summer as the Sports Supervisor.  He will bring his love of sports, his love of fun and his love for life to this class!

Alan Hazzard has been teaching at ST-KA for 15 years and is a member the Board of Trustees. Professionally he works at Westfield Insurance managing the company's real estate and facilities.