JLI course at Chabad House to begin on October 29

The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will offer a six-week course, "Israel: The Land and the Spirit," at the Chabad House on Monday evenings beginning October 29 at 7 pm or Wednesday mornings beginning October 31 at 9:30 am. The course fee is $48, which includes the price of the text book. Participants can register by calling the Chabad office at 797-0015 or writing [email protected]. Individuals interested in experiencing JLI without making a commitment are welcome to attend the first class free of charge.

"Using texts both ancient and contemporary, ‘The Land and the Spirit’ provides students with an explanation for the central role the Holy Land plays in the Jews’ mission throughout history," said organizers of the course. "It explains what it means for a land to be holy, and the implications this has for the people living within that land. ‘The Land and The Spirit’ will also explore the relationship that Jews in the Diaspora maintain with Israel despite their place of residence."

Well-known historian Sir Martin Gilbert commented on the course by saying, "Rabbi Aron Herman (course author) and the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute are to be congratulated for their challenging course, ‘The Land and the Spirit,’ in which the spiritual values and centrality of the land of Israel are put expounded through a fascinating range of religious and secular texts. These texts span a remarkably wide range of opinions, from Moses to Herzl, from Rashi to Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, from Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson to Natan Sharansky, from the Talmud to the opinion writers of The Jerusalem Post. These texts, like the course itself, will serve a noble cause in stimulating thought and encouraging understanding."

"What can students gain by attending ‘The Land and The Spirit’?" asked Rivkah Slonim, course instructor. " JLI is a university level study of Jewish texts in a way that is at once accessible to those without previous experience in Jewish study and surprisingly edifying for those with even advanced Judaic background. This particular course will give participants a chance to explore the spirit of a land that pulsates with energy and mystery since the dawn of time. It will give students the opportunity to understand a land that has captured our imagination throughout history, a land that breathes with the glory of our past and the dreams of our future. The course will examine what Israel was meant to be and what Israel means to us today. I am very much looking forward to engaging this material with our terrific community of Binghamton JLI learners."

JLI is the adult education arm of Chabad-Lubavitch. JLI’s classes and programs, now offered in more than 300 locations (more than 250 cities nationwide, as well as international locations), have been attended by nearly 75,000 people since JLI’s creation in 1998. Others participate virtually through online message boards and other Internet-based channels. Every course offered by the JLI is synchronized so that lessons are offered concurrently in all locations; registered students who travel can attend JLI classes wherever they are offered. "This unique feature sets JLI apart from other similar programs and has helped create a true global learning community," said course organizers.