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Click here for information on a special class for parents!
Spring
Semester Courses
Spring Semester Courses 6:30-7:25 Grades 8-10
Hip, Hot and Hebrew (8-10) Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had been born in Israel? Learn about Israel from our Chaverim M’Israel teen ambassadors. Taught by our young and hip educators from Netanya, Gil Blum and Ortal Tamam. We will spend time investigating and learning about everything from the film industry, to the arts, to TV, music, food, sports, and how holidays are celebrated in Israel. Learn where Israeli’s go to have fun. Learn what it is like to live in a country in conflict and how to enjoy the land and her people as well as how modern trends affect the Israeli teenager. Join us for this great interactive class and get a taste of what life is really like in Israel!
Holocaust 101: Echoes and Reflections (8-10) Examine our own identities and challenges that we face within the larger picture of the Holocaust. We will explore many of the questions society must confront after the horrors of the Holocaust and look at issues today stemming from what happened. We will also focus on how the Jewish people responded to the extreme crisis and how people joined together to help one another survive. This class will use a variety of media to delve deeper into in the Holocaust through reflection, open dialogue, and creativity.
Swords, Knights, and Jews at War
(8-10) We will explore many wars, battles and revolts in which Jews took part throughout the ages. We will look at battles in the Torah, as well as those in the times of the Prophets, and throughout the rest of our long history including those in the 20th century. The survey of wars will include: the Battle of the four and five kings of Genesis, the Amalakite War in Exodus, the conquest of land of Israel in Joshua, the destruction of the Temple in Jeremiah, Massada, the Inquisition, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Yom Kippur War, the Six-Day War and many more.
Grades 10-12
From Here Everything Grows: Jews and the
Environment (10-12) Come and join me for an interesting discussion where environmentalism and animal rights intersect with Judaism. The course will facilitate a mature discussion of where and how Judaism falls on the issues of protecting the environment and animals. Each week will center on comparing and contrasting biblical verses, midrashim, and other Judaic principles with concepts and practices in both the environmental and animal rights movement. This class will be a safe area to discuss questions and concerns that are centered around primary and secondary documents that deal with the environment, vegetarianism and veganism.
If the World Rests on Three Things, Guess What
One of Them is, Exploring Prayer… (10-12) So by now you’ve learned what’s involved in davening both as a prayer leader and as a member of the congregation. But do you understand what you’re saying? Maybe and maybe not. More importantly, do you understand the why of what you’re saying when you pray? The next logical question is, of course, what does this stuff mean to me and why should I care? Come and explore your relationship with other people, with G-d, and with the world as it is influenced by, or defined through, prayer.
Prime Time Jews: From “The Goldbergs” to “The
O.C.” (10-12) Was Rachel on “Friends” Jewish? What came before Seinfeld? These and many other questions will be answered in this journey through Jewish American history as told by the small screen. The history of television is full of Jewish families from one of the first sitcoms, “The Goldbergs”, to cartoons like “Pepperann.” However has the image of the Jew in America really changed over the years? Is television presenting more complex Jewish characters or are we still seen under the stereotype of the Jewish Mother, or the Jap? In this class we will spend time watching and discussing these and other issues, looking at television through both a positive and a critical lens.
Grades 8-12
Beginner Hebrew Through Games (8-12) Come and learn some basic conversational Hebrew in a fun and interactive way! This class will focus on basic vocabulary that might come in handy on a trip to Israel. We will play some entertaining Hebrew games while we improve our Hebrew skills. You will even get the chance to make some of your own games! The competition is on so get ready for some fun with Hebrew!
Do you plan to strike it rich when you are older? Do you plan on working in television? Do you want to do non-profit work? How do we, as Jews handle these responsibilities in a menschlecht way. A variety of guest speakers from the community will join us to talk about what you can do within your community and within your life to be a responsible citizen and Jew. This unique class will let you hear from people that have successful businesses, to people working in television to the heads of some big non-profit organizations in Cincinnati. We will also hear things about Jewish History that you won’t learn in school, as well as Jewish Cincinnati of today and tomorrow! All speakers are invited because they are dynamic speakers that have something important to share with you as you move forward in your life as a Jewish adult.
HONORS Jewish Legal Ethics in an Age of
Terrorism (8-12) Whose life is more important? Yours, your family or your next door neighbor? In an age of terrorism, what does Jewish law (halacha) have to say about deciding 'who shall live and who shall die?' In this course, students will be presented with a 'terrorist' situation that presents a number of ethical choices in determining life and death. Students will explore a variety of classical (biblical, Talmudic, medieval) and modern Jewish sources to determine how Jews have responded throughout history to the ethical dilemma when faced with acts of terrorism.
7:35-8:30 Grades 8-9
A Deeper Look Into The Concentration Camps of
the Holocaust (8-9) Lessons about the Holocaust usually revolve around the larger concentration camps like Birkenau and Treblinka. But this class is different. Just because a camp was small in size or not mentioned as often in your history book does not mean it is irrelevant. On March of the Living, I visited camps I had never heard of, and towns I did not know existed. I am excited to share my experiences, pictures, and knowledge about the camps and towns with you. We will spend the semester learning about the lesser known concentration camps, towns, and ghettos impacted by the Holocaust. By the end of the semester, you should have a working knowledge of a wide variety of the camps in the Holocaust and what specific purpose they served. Students will also be able to refer to small towns and ghettos that were impacted by the Holocaust and cite why they are relevant today.
Countdown to 60 (8-9) Our Jewish State has evolved quickly in the last 60 years. From the kibbutz movement forward Israel has lived a volatile and tenuous life yet managed to become a thriving modern nation. This class will explore the varied history and culture of Israel from her founding to the present. Topics will include confrontations, daily life, religious observances, teen life and so much more!
Grades 10-11
The Week in Review (10-11) The major newsworthy events of the week will be examined in light of their effects upon Israel and Jews everywhere. How do the happenings in the Middle East affect you? What happened at the White House this week? Who’s who in the Jewish world? These and many more questions will be answered each week as we take an in-depth look at the world around us.
Judaism Around the World with Mercaz! (10-11) Avoid the lines at TSA and put your passport away (for now). Take a journey every Sunday night to visit the Jewish communities of some of the most exotic and exciting places on the globe. Find out how and why there came to be Jewish communities in such interesting places as Alaska, Gibraltar, Chile, China, and Uganda, and see what makes these communities so unique. Bring your interest and your curiosity.
You Can Change the World! Tikun Olam (10-11) Do you want to change the world? Do you want to make it a better place to live? If you said yes then this is a great class for you! In this class, we will start off by studying the Jewish sources that tell us how and why we, as Jews, should do our share to repair the world. We will take a look at issues of hunger, homelessness, environment, the aged, and other interests to the class. In this action-based view of Tikun Olam. We will learn how to make a difference in the lives of others and in our own lives. You will then choose the projects that you do as a class in your quest to help heal the world! (Community service hours will be available for parts of this course)
Grades 8-11
Calligraphy (8-11) Learn to make greeting cards for all occasions. We will incorporate calligraphy, watercolor, and selected Jewish texts to create a set of greeting cards you will be proud to send to friends and family. The first five weeks we will learn the foundation of Hebrew Calligraphy. You will learn how to hold your pen and how to form Hebrew letters. As you become more comfortable with the alphabet, you will learn how to create variations of the basic letter forms. The remaining five weeks will be devoted to designing and creating greeting cards that use quotes from Jewish sources each student finds meaningful. Students are asked to bring a Jewish Greeting Card they like to the first class. There will be a $15 materials for this class.
"Kosher Chicken Soup For The Soul”: Pirke Avot:
(8-11) Pirke Avot is one of the earliest and the best of the “How to…” books. It provides direction on “how to” live a moral and ethical lifestyle. We will analyze sections of this classic Jewish work and have lively classroom discussions from each of the chapters of this masterpiece. We will also compare various selections from Pirkei Avot to the ethics that should be part of today’s society.
Israeli Latin Dancing (8-11) Come see what happens when Belly Dancing crosses Salsa, Middle Eastern Hora crosses Indian Bhangra, and Merengue comes together with the Brazilian Samba. Latin-Israeli dancing incorporates multicultural elements from a dozen different Israeli traditions to the sound of modern world music. Learn about the different cultures, the dances themselves, and how to teach the dances as well. No experience required. This will be a fast paced, action-packed class, so bring a lot of energy, some comfortable shoes and get ready to dance!
Grade 12
Senior Seminar (12) Senior Seminar is the culmination of 5 years of learning at Mercaz. It is here that we will help to prepare our students for the next stage in life as they leave their homes and congregations. First, we will plan and execute a Senior Project of your choosing. Next, through speakers, discussions, and a visit to Miami Hillel, we will learn about Jewish life on campuses around the country and different aspects of college life. We will focus on the real decisions you will address in college from issues around dating, diversity, self-expression, confronting anti-Semitism and more. Finally, we will plan your graduation ceremony together as a class. You will gain the skills to continue your Jewish journey in understanding who you are as Jewish individuals and how that fits into the greater Jewish world.
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