The Adult Jewish Education @ Midreshet Rockland Summer 2014 Session begins in June and runs for four consecutive Wednesdays. Two exciting courses will be offered: “A Bintel Brief” with Rabbi Daniel Pernick and “Jewish Bioethics” with Rabbi Dr. Jill Hackell. Course descriptions and instructor bios are below; cost is $70 for each four-session course. Call to register today: 845-362-4200 or e-mail meltondirector@jewishrockland.org.

Jewish Bioethics will be held on 6/18, 6/25, 7/2 and 7/9
A Bintel Brief will be held on 6/25, 7/2, 7/9 and 7/16
 

WS. 1   A Bintel Brief
As millions of Jewish immigrants streamed to the shores of America from 1881 - 1924, the Editor of "Der Forverts" Abraham Cahan received emotional letters from them regarding how to deal with problems encountered in this new land.  The forerunner to "Dear Abby" and "Ann Landers", the letters of "A Bintel Brief" (a brief note) give us a moving look at the problems our ancestors faced in America a century ago.

9:30-10:45 AM  |  4 sessions  |  Instructor: Rabbi Daniel Pernick

 

WS. 2  Jewish Bioethics – Beyond the Core Melton Ethics Class
Technological advancements in medicine have brought with them bioethical issues of increasing complexity. This course will examine some of the issues pertinent to today’s bioethical dialogue from a Jewish point of view, including issues such as organ transplant, death and dying, reproductive issues and genetic screening. How does the Jewish way of looking at these issues compare and contrast with the general societal discussion? What are the governing principles of bioethical argument in each of these? How are ancient Jewish sources reconciled with modern technology in guiding thinking about these issues?

11:00 am - 12:15 PM  |  4 sessions  |  Instructor: Rabbi Jill Hackell

About Our Instructors

Rabbi Daniel Pernick  is a graduate of the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati Campus. He has been the Rabbi of Beth Am Temple in Pearl River since July, 1985. Rabbi Pernick is very involved in community outreach and Adult Education. He has taught at Federation’s Night of Jewish Learning, and Midreshet Rockland for several years.

Rabbi Dr. Jill Hackell  received her M.D. degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and practiced pediatrics for several years. She worked for over 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, where she did clinical research on new vaccines for children. She was recently ordained at the Academy for Jewish Religion, a pluralistic rabbinical school. Her paper on “Non-Heart Beating Donor (NHBD) Organ Transplantation: A Jewish Bioethical Analysis” was presented at the Academic Coalition for Jewish Bioethics Conference in 2008. Rabbi Hackell is the Rabbi at the West Clarkstown Jewish Center.