Community Blog Genetics, Israeli Dance, and Parent Learning: Another Prozdor Sunday
Jewish Genes
Renowned geneticist and pathologist Dr. Harry Ostrer stopped by Prozdor on Sunday to present on the origins and genetic linkages between Jews and their neighbors. He visited our class, 鈥淎 Chosen People,鈥� which explores the origins of 鈥渃hosen-ness,鈥� the consequences of that perception, and a look at聽what modern science can tell us about the subject. Dr. Ostrer, author of Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People and professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, explored not only the history of the efforts to study Jewish genes, but also some of the insight that genetics has provided about the histories of contemporary Jewish people. Interested in engaging in this type of dialogue? You should check out Daniel Parmer鈥檚 courses at our Lexington branch on Wednesday nights.
Dance Dance Revolution
The Nilhav Dance Troupe has been working hard on choreography for Boston鈥檚 39th Annual Israel Folkdance Festival at MIT. Under the tutelage of our dance instructors Sara Danitz and Gabrielle Avery-Peck, the team has been collaborating on updating traditional Israeli dances, practicing modern movement exercises, and even choreographing their own original pieces to the tunes of 鈥淐halomot Shel Acherim鈥� by The Idan Raichel Project, and 鈥淏abali Oto鈥� by Kobi Peretz.聽In addition to practicing for this exciting performance, the group is regularly learning popular and classic Israeli dances. The group鈥檚 energy and dedication is really starting to pay off. 聽Please mark your calendars to see them perform on March 15, 2015 at 3:00 PM at MIT!
A Family Journey: Reflecting with Emilia and Anita Diamant
Yesterday, we welcomed author Anita Diamant to join her daughter (and our assistant director) Emilia Diamant for the second of two parent learning sessions on Sunday mornings. Anita and Emilia engaged a large group of Prozdor parents in a conversation about parenting a Jewish adolescent, tackling topics such as the value of independence, personal identity vs. family history, and the utility of parental expectations. We are always enthused to see that the Prozdor community exists beyond our classroom walls. Be on the lookout for more parent events in the months to come.