ETHIC125: Tough Choices: Moral Dilemmas During the Holocaust Part II Teacher Letter Period 2 on Sunday in Newton Center Instructor: Tamar Duke-Cohan

Dear Parent(s): I am the teacher of your child's course, “The Holocaust and 'Doing the Right Thing' – Part II”, and I'd like to introduce myself and familiarize you with the content of the course. My name is Tamar Duke-Cohan. This is my fourth year teaching at Prozdor; I have previously taught at the Harvard Extension School and have spent many years developing learning materials (written and audiovisual) for adult learners. I hold a BA from the Hebrew University and a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I have conducted research on the Jews of Germany and edited the Brzezin Yizkor Book. I volunteer at the Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh and Education Center. My full-time work is as a senior business analyst, envisioning and designing software. In this course we will analyze answers that rabbis wrote during and after the Holocaust in response to questions that religious Jews posed to them. The selected questions represent a wide variety of topics, including ownership of the property of the victims, atonement for deeds carried out during the Holocaust, the use of Nazi research and more. We will attempt to understand the bases on which the rabbis made their decisions and investigate other factors that might have motivated them in formulating their answers. It is my hope that the students develop three groups of skills in this course: (1) Increase knowledge of the Holocaust and empathy for its victims and survivors (2) Increase knowledge of the Halakhah and some of its basic tenants (3) Develop an ability to analyze complex arguments and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of logical positions. I have made every effort not to include materials that are too graphic; however, this is a course about the Holocaust and therefore some of the material presented may prove distressing to the students. Some of the opinions expressed could seem controversial, complex or alien. In order to assist the students in processing such emotions and thoughts, we will be discuss possible feelings of horror, grief, anger and confusion that the materials may cause the student to feel. The course will involve two assignments. No assignment should take the student more than 1-1.5 hours to complete. Because this is a discussion class, weight will also be given to participation and attendance. If there are any questions, I can be reached at tdukecohan@prozdor.org. Thanks you, Tamar Duke-Cohan

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PHIL161: How Could God Have Allowed the Holocaust to Happen? Part II Teacher Letter Period 1 on Sunday in Newton Center Instructor: Tamar Duke-Cohan

Dear Parent(s): I am the teacher of your child's course, “How Could G-d Have Allowed the Holocaust to Happen?” and I'd like to introduce myself and familiarize you with the content of the course. My name is Tamar Duke-Cohan. This is my fourth year teaching at Prozdor; I have previously taught at the Harvard Extension School and have spent many years developing learning materials (written and audiovisual) for adult learners. I hold a BA from the Hebrew University and a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I have conducted research on the Jews of Germany and edited the Brzezin Yizkor Book. I volunteer at the Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh and Education Center. My full-time work is as a senior business analyst, envisioning and designing software. This course deals with theology, examining the ways in which Jewish thinkers (many of them rabbis) have tried to understand G-d’s role in the world in the context of the Holocaust. There are four aspects we will explore: First, we will examine how Orthodox Jews have explained the Holocaust both during the war and after it. Next, we will think about how survivors dealt with G-d in the context of their experiences. The third unit examines American Jewish theological responses to the Holocaust starting in the sixties. Our final unit will be devoted to Israeli thinkers and their struggles to integrate the Holocaust into their image of the “new Jew.” It is my hope that the students develop three groups of skills in this course: (1) Increase knowledge of the Holocaust and empathy for its victims and survivors (2) Increase knowledge of Jewish theology (3) Develop an ability to analyze complex arguments and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of logical positions. I have made every effort not to include materials that are too graphic; however, this is a course about the Holocaust and therefore some of the material presented may prove distressing to the students. Some of the opinions expressed could seem controversial, complex or alien. In order to assist the students in processing such emotions and thoughts, we will be discuss possible feelings of horror, grief, anger and confusion that the materials may cause the student to feel. The course will involve several assignments. No assignment should take the student more than 1-1.5 hours to complete. Because this is a discussion class, weight will also be given to participation and attendance. If there are any questions, I can be reached at tdukecohan@prozdor.org. With best wishes , Tamar Duke-Cohan

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