Syllabus/Syllabi Period 2 on Sunday in Newton Center Instructor: Tamar Duke-Cohan | |
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| Body: | The Holocaust and “Doing the Right Thing”
Course Syllabus – Prozdor Spring 2010 Instructor: Tamar Duke-Cohan Email: tdukecohan@prozdor.org Course Description Should a Jewish lawyer defend a Nazi war criminal? Does the property of victims of the Holocaust belong to their relatives or does the rule of "finders-keepers" prevail? Is it permissible to make use of the results of the Nazi medical experiments? These are some of the many questions we will examine in this course. We will reach our own conclusions about these controversial issues and also learn what rabbis thought when these questions were posed to them. We will analyze the methods that rabbis used to construct their replies and glimpse both the rich tradition that guided them and the compassion and wisdom they showed. Universal Question(s) Learning Targets/Objectives: The following categories of objectives are those that you would like to your students to have reached upon successful completion of your course. Fill in specifics that are appropriate for your course: 1. Knowledge and simple understanding of: · General knowledge of the Holocaust and its history (multiple terms and events) · General understanding of Halakha and some of its central tenants · Understanding of responsa literature and its sources, aims, and structure 2. Deep Understanding (and Reasoning skill) of: · Ability to analyze difficult and unfamiliar texts · Ability to analyze material morally and emotionally 3. Skills to: · Develop critical and independent thinking · Identify “objective” and “subjective” statements 4. Products: · 2 assignments 5. Affective targets: · Develop empathy for the victims and survivors of the Holocaust · Learn to deal with feelings of horror, anger and sadness related to reading difficult sources about the Holocaust Texts/Books/Material: I will be providing all materials Assessment Methods: “What will be your means of assessing your students” – 1. Assignments (please describe) – 60% (30% each) – 2 reflective essays on ethical dilemmas during the Holocaust or on literature from the period. 2. Class Participation 30% - because this is a discussion-based course, participation (both in quantity and quality) will contribute to the grade 3. General Considerations Attendance - 10% Tentative Schedule/Course Outline: Session # 1 Topic: General Introduction to the Course Questions to be answered: · Where do we find moral questions about the Holocaust? Who posed them and who replied? · How do we decide what the right answer to these questions is? Is there really a right answer? · How did the rabbis answer these questions? Why should we care about their answers? · How is the course structured, what are the sources we will use and other procedural questions. Most of the response we will read in this part of the year, will relate to events that happened after the Holocaust Session # 1-2 Topic: May One Defend Nazis and their Helpers during Their Trial? Questions to be answered: · What religious custom is under discussion here and how did the problem arise? · What halakhot are at issues here? · What double pronged humanitarian and legal approach did the great Rabbi Oshry adopt to resolve this thorny problem? Session # 3 - 4 Topic: The Cohen Killer · Why was the killing a problem for the Cohen in the story? · What was the motivation of the rabbi? · What methods were used to release the Cohen from the problem in his life? Session # 5 Topic: Can an Agunah Remarry? Questions to be answered: · What are the marital states that Judaism recognizes? · What is an Agunah and why is this status so problematic in Jewish law? · Are there Agunot today? · What methods did Rabbi David Kahana employ to release the Agunah so that she may remarry? Why was this decision so important for the woman in the case? Session # 6: Topic: Children Lost and Found · Who were the Hidden Children? · What are the two issues with which Rabbi Oshri is trying to contend? · Do his response make sense logically and from the point of view of the halakha? Session 7 #: Topic: The End of the Story – Rabbi Oshry and Liberation Questions to be answered: · How did Rabbi Oshry and his friends survive the last dreadful days before liberation? · What are Rabbi Oshry’s thoughts about his survival? Survival in general? G-d’s role in his and other Jews’ life and death? Session # 8: Topic: Ownership over the Property of Victims of the Holocaust Questions to be answered: · What type of property is under discussion is this case? Why is this an emotional, rather than economic issue? · What does zuto shel yam and ye’ush mean? How is this halakhah relevant to the issue at hand? · How did the rabbis attempt to do justice in this case? Session # 9 Topic: Kadish for a Non-Jewish Father Questions to be answered: · What are the circumstances that caused this question to be asked? What is their connection to the Holocaust? · What sources does Rabbi Ariel employ and what conclusion does he reach? · Why did Rabbi Ariel want to rule this way – what other considerations are at play here? Session # 10 Topic: Desecrated Torah Scrolls Questions to be answered: · What is the problem the rabbis are trying to address? · How is it resolved? Session # 11-12 Topic: Using the Results of Nazi Research Questions to be answered: · What problem is placed before the rabbi? · Is this a realistic scenario? Can it apply to other parts of our life? What does “fruit of the poisoned tree” mean in legal and ethical terms? · Do events in the rabbi’s own life influence his decision? |
| Syllabus Modified: | 2010-01-10 15:10:01 |
Syllabus/Syllabi Period 1 on Sunday in Newton Center Instructor: Tamar Duke-Cohan | |
| Modified by: | |
| Body: | “How Could G-d Have Allowed the Holocaust to Happen?”
Course Syllabus – Prozdor 1009/2010 – Year Long Course Instructor: Tamar Duke-Cohan Email: tdukecohan@prozdor.org Course Description How could G-d have allowed the Holocaust to happen? This question has troubled Jewish thinkers during and after the Holocaust. Was it a punishment for the sins of Israel? Is it proof that there is no G-d? Is this a question that good Jews should even pose? In this course, we will examine the explanations that rabbis from all braches of Judaism and other Jewish thinkers have offered for this thorny issue. We will also read what Holocaust survivors had to say about their relationship with G-d. Our year will close with the writings of a teenager, living in hiding in Nazi occupied Holland, who tried to wrestle with this question in his touching and thought-provoking diary entries. Universal Question(s) Learning Targets/Objectives: The following categories of objectives are those that you would like to your students to have reached upon successful completion of your course. Fill in specifics that are appropriate for your course: 1. Knowledge and simple understanding of: · General knowledge of the Holocaust and its history (multiple terms and events) · Basic understand of theological questions and how Jews approach them. · Recognition of the range of theological answers to the problem of the Holocaust 2. Deep Understanding (and Reasoning skill) of: · Ability to analyze texts difficult and unfamiliar texts · Ability to analyze morally and emotionally complex material 3. Skills to: · Develop critical and independent thinking · Identify “objective” and “subjective” statements · Contend with ideas that cannot be fathomed. · Recognize the complexity and mysticism of faith 4. Products: · 3 assignments 5. Affective targets: · Develop empathy for the victims and survivors of the Holocaust · Learn to deal with feelings of horror, anger and sadness related to reading difficult sources about the Holocaust · Accept the emotional basis for the urge to faith Texts/Books/Material: I will be providing all materials Assessment Methods: “What will be your means of assessing your students” – 1. 3 Assignments (please describe) – 60% (20% each) 2. Class Participation 30% - because this is a discussion-based course, participation (both in quantity and quality) will contribute to the grade 3. General Considerations Attendance - 10% Tentative Schedule/Course Outline: Session # 1 Topic: General Introduction to the Course Session # 1 - 3 Topic: Faith during the Holocaust – the Kovno Ghetto and Rabbi Ephraim Oshry Questions to be answered: · Who was Rabbi Ephraim Oshry? · Where is Kovno and what was its history during the Second World War? · How does Rabbi Oshry describe Jewish life in the ghetto? · What role did preserving books play in Rabbi Oshry’s recollections of the Kovno Ghetto during the Holocaust? Why was this the case? · What are the central themes in the way Orthodox Jewish thinkers after the Holocaust portrayed the events? Does Rabbi Oshry’s world view fit in well with these themes? Session # 3 - 4 Topic: Faith during the Holocaust – Rabbi Meisels’ Talith Questions to be answered: · Who was Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Meisels and how did he end up in Auschwitz? · How does Rabbi Meisels explain God’s actions in relation to the Holocaust? What theological view is embedded in this explanation? · How does the story about Willy the Nazi relate to the story of the Talith? · What standard elements of post-Holocaust rabbinic literature are found in this story? · Is it important to know if the story really happened? Session # 5 - 6 Topic: Faith during the Holocaust - A teenager’s reflection – Moshe Flinker Questions to be answered: · Who was Moshe Flinker and what was his fate? · Did Flinker retain his faith in G-d despite his and his family’s suffering? · What theological conclusions did Flinker draw from what has come to be known as the Holocaust? Session # 7-8 Topic: Faith after the Holocaust: Ultra-Orthodox View of the Holocaust in Modern Times – Rabbi Kirzner and Suffering Questions to be answered: · Who was Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner and why were his lectures collected? · What is Rabbi Kirzner’s explanations for why the Holocaust happened? · How does he explain the fact that most of the victims were, in fact, religious Jews? · What lessons does he draw from the Holocaust? · How does Rabbi Kirzner’s philosophy fit in with the evolution of Ultra Orthodox views of the Holocaust? Session # 9-10 Topic: Faith after the Holocaust – Survivors and the Belief in God Questions to be answered: · Who is Rabbi Reeve Robert Brenner and what is the research question he formulated? · What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative research? · How did Rabbi Brenner conduct his research? · What are the findings of the study? Did Holocaust survivors’ faith change as a result of the Holocaust and how did it change? · What can we learn from reading survivor testimonies about their faith? Session # 11 Topic: Primo Levi’s poem “Shema” · Who is Primo Levi? What were his experiences during the Holocaust? · Why is the poem entitled Shema? · What are some of the ideas expressed in this poem? Session # 12-13 Topic: Faith after the Holocaust – Richard Rubenstein and the “Death of God” Questions to be answered: · What was going on in the sixties in terms of society and theology? · Who was Richard Rubenstein and what is his importance in our theological understanding of the Holocaust? · What is Reconstructionist Judaism and how do Rubenstein’s ideas fit into the beliefs of this Jewish movement? · What did Rubenstein think about the Jews as a chosen people, God and the role of Judaism in our world? Session # 14-16 Topic: Movie: G-d on Trial Watch the movie and discuss the themes in it Session # 17-19 Topic: Faith after the Holocaust – Eliezer Berkovits and the God with the “hidden face” Questions to be answered: · Who is Eliezer Berkovits? · Does Berkovits agree with those who state that the Holocaust was a punishment for the sins of Jews? · How does Berkovits explain the Holocaust’s role in Jewish history? Is it a unique event? · What is the theory of Hester Panim (“Hiding of the Face”) and how does Berkovits use this theory to explain the Holocaust? · How does Berkovits explain the fact that God “hides his face” and allows Jews to suffer? · For Berkovits, what is the ultimate proof of God’s existence and love of the Jews? Session # 20-22 Topic: Faith after the Holocaust – Rabbi Harold Kushner · Who is Rabbi Harold Kushner and what life experiences moved him to write his best seller? · How does Kushner explain the Holocaust and why were his views so upsetting to Orthodox (and other) Jews? · Why were his views so popular and why do they continue to provide solace to sufferers the world over? Session # 22-25 Topic: The Israelis and the Holocaust · How did Israelis view the majority of the victims of the Holocaust? Why is this attitude so upsetting to us? · Were these views correct and historically supported? · What in Israel’s ideological foundation led to such views? |
| Syllabus Modified: | 2010-01-10 15:09:32 |