The Marlene and Herb Levin
Adult University

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Our 2023-2024 Season will include both virtual and in person programs. All programs are in person unless noted. Virtual programs will be streamed via Zoom and in person programs will be presented at the Levis JCC Sandler Center (unless otherwise noted).

Authors, educators, and experts in their field on a wide variety of topics from politics, current events, and historical figures to health and wellness, and entertainment; numerous lectures will be offered.

Please note all times listed are Eastern time; register for all programs using the link below unless otherwise noted in the program description. All programs subject to change. All opinions and ideas expressed by the authors, lecturers, performers or instructors are solely their own and do not represent the Levis JCC, its leadership, staff, sponsoring organizations or individuals.

Individual Lectures: $18, Gold & Gold Plus Members: $12, Platinum Members: Free
Pick 6 Adult University Subscription: $90, Gold & Gold Plus Members: $60, Platinum Members: Free
Virtual programs are free for all virtual members, $10 for non-virtual members (unless noted).

If you need assistance purchasing tickets or membership, call the Box Office at 561-558-2520.

LEVIS JCC SANDLER CENTER | 21050 95th Avenue S., Boca Raton, FL | 561-558-2520

*Important: please note that when arriving to our campus for evening and Sunday events, you must use the 95th Avenue S. entrance
(off of Glades Road between Lyons Road and 441).


Robert Watson, Ph.D.

Each lecture: $25, Gold & Gold Plus Members: $20, Platinum Members: Free
$18 for programs held at B’nai Torah Congregation. No member discounts.

The Nazi Titanic; The Incredible Untold Story of a Doomed Ship in World War II with screening of the documentary film

Thursday, October 26, 7:30 pm

The Manhattan Project: Oppenheimer, Truman, and the Bomb

Tuesday, November 21, 3:00 pm

The Art, Music & Poetry of the Holocaust

Thursday, March 14, 7:30 pm

Book Talk: America’s First Plague; The Deadly 1793 Epidemic that Crippled a Young Nation and When Washington Burned; The British Invasion of the Capital and a Nation's Rise from the Ashes

Thursday, April 4, 3:00 pm
at B'nai Torah Congregation
6261 SW 18th St, Boca Raton, FL 33433

Robert P. Watson is an award-winning author who has published over 45 books and 200 scholarly articles and essays on topics in political and military history, as well as two multi-edition, multi-volume encyclopedia sets on the presidents and first ladies.

Co-sponsored with B'nai Torah Congregation


Rabbi Charles Klein

Choosing Civility in an Uncivil World: A Jewish Approach for Avoiding and Resolving Conflict

Tuesday, December 5, 3:00 pm

Confronting the Epidemic of Loneliness: Alone and Together

Thursday February 1, 3:00 pm

Finding Faith in Difficult, Painful and Complicated Times: From Rabbi Harold Kushner to Paul Simon

Thursday March 21, 3:00 pm

Charles Klein
is Rabbi Emeritus of the Merrick Jewish Center where he served as chief clergy for more than four decades. Rabbi Klein invites us to consider some of the most important and timeless questions of our existence with a contemporary perspective on the age old wisdom of Judaism. Rabbi Klein is a nationally acclaimed presenter and was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show when his book How to Forgive When we Can't Forget was first launched. Now, years later and with the perspective of a newly retired Rabbi, is eager to share his wisdom, and the insights of a lifetime in the Rabbinate.


Joyce Saltman

The Essence of Jewish Humor: A 3 Part Series

Mondays, 10:00 am
February 26, March 4, March 11
 
$10, Gold & Gold Plus Members: $8, Platinum Members: Free

Joyce Saltman, PhD is Professor Emeritus of Special Education at Southern Connecticut State University. She holds four graduate degrees in the fields of special education and counseling and chose to receive her doctoral degree at Columbia: Humor in Adult Learning.


Lectures

Eighteen Days in October: The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East with Uri Kaufman

Tuesday, October 24, 3:00 pm
October 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, a conflict that shaped the modern Middle East. The War was a trauma for Israel and following the oil embargo, a pivotal reordering of the global economic order. The Jewish State came shockingly close to defeat. After the war, Prime Minister Golda Meir resigned in disgrace. But, argues Uri Kaufman, from the perspective of a half century, the War can be seen as a pivotal victory for Israel. In the War’s aftermath, both sides had to accept unwelcome truths: Israel could no longer take military superiority for granted — but the Arabs could no longer hope to wipe Israel off the map. A straight line leads from the battle-fields of 1973 to the Camp David Accords of 1978 and all the treaties since.

A graduate of New York University School of Law, Uri Kaufman is an award-winning real estate developer, specializing in adaptively restoring historic buildings. He has worked on this book for over twenty years, visiting the battlefields, speaking to participants and reviewing literally thousands of pages of material.

Israel Update: The October 7th Hamas Attack on Israel with Adi Levy, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic University

Wednesday, November 29, 7:30 pm
FREE and open to the public, but registration is required.
Join us for an important discussion on the current internal political situation in Israel with Adi Levy, Ph.D.

Adi Levy is an Israel Institute post-doctoral fellow currently based in Florida, where he teaches in the Department of Political Science at Florida Atlantic University. He teaches courses about World Politics and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Israeli Civil Society, and Israeli Politics. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Haifa and specializes in topics of moral philosophy, applied ethics in international relations, human rights, and international law. His research focuses on civil struggles, nonviolent resistance, and social and political activism.

Israel 201: Your Next-Level Guide to the Magic, Mystery, and Chaos of Life in the Holy Land with co-author and comedian Benji Lovitt

In times of trouble, it is more important than ever for us to be together. We stand together as a Jewish community in support of Israel and the Jewish people everywhere. We look forward to being with you for this event with Benji Lovitt, which was scheduled before the current crisis. Benji, who is Israeli, will adapt his presentation to be relevant and sensitive to the current events, and yes, we will even laugh. To quote Benji, “people NEED to laugh, otherwise they couldn’t get out of bed in the morning.”

Thursday, November 30, 2:00 pm
at B'nai Torah Congregation
6261 SW 18th St, Boca Raton, FL 33433
How did Jerusalem’s cat problem spur religious debate? Why are Israelis so blunt, even when the truth hurts? From shomer Shabbos car insurance policies and ancient marriage laws to Arab Israeli stand-up comedy, Druze high schools, and LGBTQ activism in the IDF, Israel 201 goes beyond the typical introductory “101” course to show readers the real Israel, behind the headlines. Israel 201 is a behind-the-scenes look at the magic, mystery, and, yes, the chaos of one of the most fascinating and least understood countries on earth.

Since immigrating to Israel in 2006, Texas-native Benji Lovitt has delivered stand-up comedy and cultural presentations for audiences around the world. His perspectives on Israeli society and cultural differences have been featured on Israeli television and radio and in media outlets such as USA Today, BBC Radio, Time Magazine, The Atlantic, and The Times of Israel.
Co-sponsored with B'nai Torah Congregation

Florida Book Wars with Margery Marcus, Ed.D.

Thursday, December 7, 3:00 pm
Dr. Marcus Takes an in-depth look at Florida’s book wars. This lecture looks at the history of book censorship in America with a focus on Florida, ranked second in the country in challenges to books. Parents’ groups in counties as dissimilar as Brevard and Broward now demand that local school boards remove books dealing with LGBTQ issues, social justice and any subject matter deemed “inappropriate.” Florida law bans the teaching of Critical Race Theory and any topics considered WOKE. Influential political groups exert influence in Tallahassee, driving these culture wars.

Margery Marcus, Ed.D., is an award-winning English teacher, retired from Broward County Public Schools after a long and successful career, both as a district-level administrator and as a teacher. Now her focus is on adult audiences. Her career has been guided by a deep love of learning and a passion for literature. Her enthusiasm for sharing great stories told by great writers motivates her to bring literature to life for her audiences.

Southern Jews in the Plays of Alfred Uhry with Rachel Gordan, Ph.D.

Friday, December 8, 1:00 pm
Join Professor Gordan for a discussion (Talk Back) after the Saturday night performance of Last Dance at Ballyhoo on Saturday, December 9, 7:30 pm

As a playwright (Driving Miss Daisy, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Broadway’s recent megahit Parade), Alfred Uhry drew on his upbringing in southern Jewish society and his understanding of its divisions: divisions between German and Eastern European Jews, between blacks and white Jews, and between Jews and Episcopalian they often wished they were. As a young man growing up in the 1940’s and 50’s, Uhry was a Jew who might have preferred to be a Christian. It wasn’t until a 1992 visit to Israel that he learned to wear his Jewishness more proudly. How did a Jewish writer with such an uneasy feeling about his own Jewishness manage to write a trio of important plays about Southern Jews?

Rachel Gordan received her PhD from Harvard University, in North American Religions; her BA from Yale in American Studies, and her MAR from Yale Divinity school. After receiving her PhD, she held postdoctoral fellowships at Northwestern University and at the University of Toronto, before teaching at Boston University and Brandeis in 2016-2017. As a scholar of American religion, she researches Judaism and Jewish culture from the early 20th century to the present, with a particular focus on the immediate Post-WWII era, middlebrow culture, and American Jewish literary history.

Three Divas: Cher, Diana Ross, Celine Dion with Rose Feinberg Ed.D

Thursday, December 21, 3:00 pm
Learn about their lives, marriages, struggles before stardom and the price of fame.

Dr. Rose Feinberg is a popular presenter in South Florida. Rose earned her Doctor of Education degree from Boston University. She was a school principal in Massachusetts and an Adjunct Professor at Florida Atlantic University. Her prior careers in education, as well as her theater training, have enabled her to research and create wonderfully informative and entertaining programs.

Marjorie Morningstar and More: Books of the 1950s with Margery Marcus, Ed.D.

Thursday, January 18, 3:00 pm
Dr. Margery Marcus examines the literary hits of the Fifties from The Catcher in the Rye whose troubled character captured the hypocrisy of the time to Exodus, a hymn to the founding of Israel. Her lecture includes a discussion of the popularity of A Stone for Danny Fisher, Peyton Place, Marjorie Morningstar and Exodus, all novels which were anthems of the age. Marcus looks at the appeal and staying power (or lack of) of these novels which many readers remember fondly for their power to stir us.

The Creation of 'Kiss Me, Kate'" with Charles Troy

Monday, January 22, 3:00 pm
Cole Porter’s triumphant show came along at a most propitious time — when he’d been given up as passé by Broadway audiences, and when the show’s Shakespearean subject matter was particularly pertinent. It was after WWII, when the women who had been aiding the war effort in the workplace had to be “tamed” back into the kitchen by the then-current culture. James Shapiro’s book, “Shakespeare in a Divided America”, lays out this revelatory idea, and Charles Troy’s multimedia presentation dramatizes and expands upon Shapiro’s brilliant concept.

Charles Troy, popular speaker and presenter, is an acclaimed musical theatre historian and graphic designer. He has created over 50 multi-media presentations and had presented his work to countless local and national audiences. His work has also been published in The Sondheim Review.

Holocaust by Bullets: The Genocide of Jews in Ukraine with Irving Berkowitz, Ph.D.

Thursday, February 8, 3:00 pm
The systematic slaughter of Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators in other countries, was not initially or exclusively about concentration camps, deportations, gas chambers or crematoria. In this lecture Dr. Berkowitz will examine the beginning stages of this least known chapter of Holocaust history commonly referred to by scholars as the “Holocaust by Bullets,” the epicenter of which was Ukraine. It was the precursor to the more efficient, industrial scale extermination camps and the first stage of “the final solution to the Jewish Question.”

Dr. Irving Berkowitz is the Emeritus Dean of Academic Affairs at Palm Beach State College. He is the son of Holocaust survivors. Dr. Berkowitz is a widely respected scholar and public speaker on the Holocaust and Contemporary Antisemitism.

1924: The Gershwins' Magical Year with Charles Troy

Monday, February 12, 3:00pm
A Centennial Celebration of "Rhapsody in Blue" with Pianist Aaron Orin performing "Rhapsody in Blue"
From the immortal "Rhapsody in Blue", composed in January, to their first Broadway show together, "Lady Be Good!", a huge hit when it premiered in December, 1924 was the year a century ago that catapulted brothers George and Ira to the top. We'll recreate this exciting period and listen to many of the songs the Gershwins wrote in that fateful year.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Looking at Art through the Eyes of an Artist with Deborah Bigeleisen

Monday, February 26, 2:00 pm
With the visual aid of a PowerPoint presentation, you will be taken on a virtual tour of modern and contemporary art in museums, galleries, and international art fairs. The presentation also covers the excitement of modern architecture from museums to metro stations to bridges. The emphasis is on looking at art and the world around you “through the mind and vision of an artist”.

Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments with Joe Posnanski

Tuesday, March 5, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Why We Love Baseball is a love letter to baseball, a fresh and heartfelt look at the game’s greatest moments and how they continue to grab at our hearts. The connection between Jews and baseball is particularly powerful and enduring.

Joe Posnanski is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of six books, including The Baseball 100, Paterno, and The Secret of Golf, and has been named National Sportswriter of the Year by five different organizations. He writes at JoePosnanski.com and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his family.

Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disrupter with Rachel Shteir

Thursday, March 7, 2:00 pm
at B’nai Torah Congregation
Feminist writer and activist Betty Friedan (1921 – 2006), and path breaking author of The Feminine Mystique, was powerful and polarizing. In this biography, the first in more than twenty years, Rachel Shteir draws on Friedan’s papers and on interviews with family, colleagues, friends, and rivals to create a nuanced portrait. Friedan, born Bettye Naomi Goldstein, chafed at society’s restrictions from a young age. As a jour-nalist she covered racism, sexism, labor, class inequality, and antisemitism. As a wife and mother, she struggled to balance her work and homemaking. Her malaise as a housewife and her research into the feelings of other women resulted in The Feminine Mystique (1963), which made her a celebrity. Using her influence, Friedan cofounded the National Organization for Women and many other women-centered organizations. She fought for the Equal Rights Amendment, universal childcare, and workplace protections for mothers, but she disagreed with the women’s liberation movement over “sexual politics.” Her volatility and public conflicts fractured key relationships. Shteir considers how Friedan’s Judaism was essential to her feminism, and tells why she left so much undone. This is a new Friedan for a new era of women.

Rachel Shteir is the author of three previous books. She has written for many magazines and newspapers including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She teaches at DePaul University in Chicago.

Co-sponsored with B'nai Torah Congregation

Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew with Jeremy Dauber

Monday, March 18, 3:00 pm
A spirited dive into the life and career of a performer, writer, and director who dominated twentieth-century American comedy. Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn in 1926, is one of the great comic voices of the twentieth century. Having won almost every entertainment award there is, Brooks has straddled the line between outsider and insider, obedient and rebellious, throughout his career, making out-of-bounds comedy the American mainstream. Jeremy Dauber argues that throughout Brooks’ extensive body of work, the comedian has seen the most success when he found a balance between his unflagging, subversive, manic energy and the constraints imposed by comedic partners, the Hollywood system, and American cultural mores. Dauber also explores how Brooks’ American Jewish humor went from being solely for niche audiences to an essential part of the American mainstream, paving the way for generations of Jewish (and other) comedians to come.

Jeremy Dauber is a professor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University. His books include Jewish Comedy and The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem, both finalists for the National Jewish Book Award, and, most recently, American Comics: A History. He lives in New York City.

Defending Israel: An Evening with Colonel Or of the Yatar Israel Tactical Vehicle Unit

Tuesday, March 19, 7:30 pm
Colonel Or's story is one of courage, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication to the defense of Israel. In addition to his personal story, he will speak about his connection to Yatar Israel - the Tactical Vehicle Unit, and the crucial role Yatar plays in the defense of Israel. We are honored to have him share his experiences with our community. Please join us for this meaningful and enlightening event in support of Israel. Visit https://yatarisrael.org/ for more information.

This event is free and open to the public, however registration is required.
Please call 561-558-2520 or Register Here

Virtual Art History Lecture

Miriam Schapiro with Carol Salus, PhD, Professor Emerita, Kent State University

Friday, September 8, 1:00 pm

Carol Salus, Ph.D
is Professor Emerita at Kent State University where she taught courses in twentieth-century American and European art history. She received her Ph.D. from the Ohio State University.


Virtual Lectures

The Skin Care Hoax: How You’re Being Tricked Into Buy¬ing Lotions, Potions & Wrinkle Cream with author Fayne Frey

Tuesday, December 19, 3:30 pm
The Skincare Hoax is an exposé on the marketing tactics used that get us all to buy over-the-counter skincare. It will make you rethink everything you know about skincare. You’ll learn about the well-kept secrets of the skincare industry, how media ads influence our buying decisions and get recommendations for effective products and simple skincare regimens that are easy and affordable.

Dr. Fayne Frey is a New York based, Ivy League trained, board-certified dermatologist, a skincare consultant, and a nationally recognized expert in the effectiveness and formulation of over-the-counter skincare products. She is founder of FryFace.com an educational skincare information and product selection service website that clarifies and simplifies the overwhelming choice of effective, safe, and affordable products encountered in the skincare aisles. She is a contributor to and on the editorial board of 50PlusToday, a top-rated online senior lifestyle magazine and is a frequent speaker in many venues where she captivates audiences with her wry observations regarding the skincare industry. Frey has consulted for numerous media outlets, including NBC, USA Today, and the Huffington Post, and has also shared her expertise on both cable and major TV outlets.

Honest Aging: An Insider’s Guide to the Sec¬ond Half of Life with author Rosanne Leipzig

Monday, January 29, 3:30 pm
From Dr. Rosanne M. Leipzig, a top doctor with more than 35 years of experience car-ing for older people, Honest Aging is an indispensable guide to the second half of life, describing what to expect physically, psychologically, functionally, and emotionally as you age. Leipzig, an expert in evidence-based geriatrics, highlights how 80-year-olds differ from 60-year-olds and why knowing this is important for your health. With candor, humor, and empathy, she provides you with the knowledge and practical advice to optimize aging. Honest Aging gives you the tools to take control of your health and well-being as you age.

Rosanne M. Leipzig, MD, PhD is the Gerald and May Ellen Ritter Professor and Vice Chair Emeritus for the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is the editor-in-chief of the monthly newsletter Focus on Healthy Aging and coeditor of the fourth edition of Geriatric Medicine.

The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an Amer¬i¬can Inheritance with author Rebecca Clarren

Monday, February 5, 3:30 pm
Rebecca Clarren only knew the major plot points of her immigrant family’s origins. Her great-great-grandparents, the Sinykins, and their six children fled antisemitism in Russia and arrived in the United States at the turn of the 20th century, ultimately settling on a 160-acre homestead in South Dakota. Over the next few decades, despite tough years on a merciless prairie and multiple setbacks, the Sinykins became an American immigrant success story. What none of Clarren’s ancestors ever mentioned was that their land, the foundation for much of their wealth, had been cruelly taken from the Lakota by the United States government. America had broken hundreds of treaties with hundreds of Indigenous nations across the continent, and the land that had once been reserved for the seven bands of the Lakota had been diminished, splintered, and handed for free, or practically free, to white settlers. In The Cost of Free Land, Clarren melds investigative reporting with personal family history to reveal the intertwined stories of her family and the Lakota, and the devastating cycle of loss of Indigenous land, culture, and resources that continues today.

Award-winning journalist Rebecca Clarren has been writing about the American West for more than twenty years. Her magazine pieces, for which she has won the Hillman Prize, appear in High Country News, The Nation, and Indian Country Today. Her debut novel Kickdown was shortlisted for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. An American Inheritance, her work of creative non-fiction, was awarded a Whiting Nonfiction Award. Her work is regularly supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two kids.

Leonard Cohen: Untold Stories: That’s How the Light Gets In with author Michael Posner

Tuesday, March 19, 3:30 pm
The extraordinary life of one of the world’s greatest music and literary icons, in the words of those who knew him best. Poet, novelist, singer-songwriter, artist, prophet, icon—there has never been a figure like Leonard Cohen. He was a true giant in contemporary western culture, entertaining and inspiring people everywhere with his work. His death in 2016 was felt around the world by the many fans and followers who would miss his warmth, humor, intellect, and piercing insights. Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories (3 Volumes) chronicles the full breadth of his extraordinary life.

Michael Posner is an award-winning writer, playwright, journalist, and the author of seven books. These include the Mordecai Richler biography, The Last Honest Man, and the Anne Murray biography, All of Me, both of which were national bestsellers.

Sinkable: Obsession, the Deep Sea, and the Ship¬wreck of the Titanic with author Daniel Stone

Monday, April 1, 3:30 pm
It’s one of the most beloved stories of all time, and it has the most gut-wrenching human themes: tragedy, trauma, and survival. But what came next? Sinkable is a sequel to the widely known Titanic story — not of a ship, but of a wreck, complete with a century’s worth of scientific, economic, and biological oddities. It’s a character-driven story about shipwrecks and the strange underworld of obsessive people who devote their lives to sunken ships. And it includes tons of fun stories about big ships, our mysterious oceans, and some wild CIA operations you’ve never heard of. National Geographic editor and Jewish author Daniel Stone takes audiences on an exciting deep-sea journey of mystery, discovery, and triumph with tales of ocean battles and eye-popping buried treasure. Geared toward a general audience, Stone answers the age-old question, what else on earth is still waiting to be discovered?

Daniel Stone is a writer on science, history, and the environment, as well as the author of the national bestselling The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trot-ting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats. He’s a former staff writer for National Geographic and a former White House correspondent for Newsweek. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and two sons, one of whom is a dog.

Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right with author Matthew Dallek

Tuesday, April 16, 3:30 pm
At the height of the John Birch Society’s activity in the 1960s, critics dismissed its members as a paranoid fringe. After all, “Birchers” believed that a vast communist conspiracy existed in America and posed an existential threat to Christianity, capitalism, and freedom. But as historian Matthew Dallek reveals, the Birch Society’s extremism remade American conservatism. Most Birchers were white professionals who were radicalized as growing calls for racial and gender equality appeared to upend American life. Conservative leaders recognized that these affluent voters were needed to win elections, and for decades the GOP courted Birchers and their extremist successors. The far right steadily gained power, finally toppling the Republican establishment. Birchers is a deeply researched and indispensable new account of the rise of extremism in the United States.

Matthew Dallek is a historian and professor of political management at George Wash-ington University. The author of The Right Moment and Defenseless Under the Night, his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Politico, and other publications. He lives in Washington, DC.

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World with author Jonathan Freedland

Monday, May 13, 3:30 pm
The gripping and heroic story of Rudolf Vrba, who escaped the death camp in order to tell the world about its horrors.

Jonathan Freedland is a columnist for The Guardian in London. He presents BBC Radio 4’s contemporary history series, The Long View, as well as two podcasts, Politics Weekly America for The Guardian and Unholy, alongside the Israeli journalist Yonit Levi. He is a past winner of an Orwell Prize for journalism and has written 12 books including nine thrillers, mostly as Sam Bourne. The Escape Artist is a 2023 National Jewish Book Award Winner for Biography and Holocaust.

Jews Across the Americas: A Sourcebook, 1492 – Present with authors Adriana Brodsky & Laura Arnold Leibman

Tuesday, May 28, 3:30 pm
Jews Across the Americas is a groundbreaking sourcebook capturing the historical diversity and cultural breadth of American Jews across Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States. Featuring primary documents as well as scholarly interpretations, Jews Across the Americas builds upon new developments in Jewish Studies, engaging with transnationalism, race, sexuality, and gender, and highlighting the lived experiences of those often left out of Jewish history.

Adriana M. Brodsky is professor of Latin American and Jewish History at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She is the author of Sephardi, Jewish, Argentine, and co-editor of The New Jewish Argentina. She is currently the co-President of the Latin American Jewish Studies Association.

Laura Arnold Leibman is professor of English and Humanities at Reed College. Her numerous books have won four National Jewish Book Awards and a Jordan Schnitzer Book Award. She is the academic director of the multimedia television series American Passages, which won a Hugo Award.


Barbara S. Klau, M.S. presents

Memory Matters: Memory Retention and Brain Fitness (A four part series)
Mondays, 10:00 am
January 22, 29, February 5, 12


Charles Troy Virtual

The Creation of "The Wizard of Oz"
Wednesday, September 27, 3:00 pm

The Creation of "Wicked"
Wednesday, October 25, 3:00 pm

The Creation of "Hair"
Wednesday, November 29, 3:00 pm

The Creation of "She Loves Me"
Wednesday, December 20, 3:00 pm

Charles Troy, popular speaker and presenter, is an acclaimed musical theatre historian and graphic designer. He has created over 50 multi-media presentations and had presented his work to countless local and national audiences. His work has also been published in The Sondheim Review.


Richard Knox Virtual

Linda Eder
Wednesday, September 13, 3:00 pm

Signature Songs of Outstanding Vocalists
Monday, December 11, 3:00 pm

The Day the Music Died
Monday, January 8, 2024, 3:00 pm

Memorable Television Musical Moments
Monday, April 15, 2024, 3:00 pm

Johnny Mathis
Monday, May 20, 2024, 3:00 pm

Origins of Some Early Rock & Roll Songs
Monday, June 3, 2024, 3:00 pm


Richard Knox
, a retired math teacher and school administrator, now follows his other passion, the arts, and makes frequent multi-media presentations about film, music and theater at local libraries and virtually, across the country.


Brian Rose Virtual

“One More for My Baby”: The Hollywood Songbook of Frank Sinatra
Wednesday, September 20, 3:00 pm

Elvis in Hollywood
Wednesday, October 18, 3:00 pm

From Stage to Screen: The Broadway Musical Goes to Hollywood
Monday, December 18, 3:00 pm
For nearly a century, Hollywood has been captivated by the allure of the Broadway musical. From the beginning of talkies up through today, most of the Great White Way’s biggest hits have made the transfer to the movie theater, though sometimes the journey has yielded damaged goods. For every triumph like My Fair Lady or Cabaret there have been colossal flops like Camelot or A Chorus Line. This talk will look at the colorful history of the Broadway-to-movie musical, and trace its development from truncated adaptations, in which most of the songs were abandoned, to glorious reinterpretations like Milos Forman’s Hair or Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story from 2021.

Brian Rose is a professor emeritus at Fordham University, where he taught for 38 years in the Department of Communication and Media Studies. He’s written several books on television history and cultural programming, and conducted more than a hundred Q&A’s with leading directors, actors, and writers for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Directors Guild of America.


Dan Hudak Virtual

Greatest Quotes in Film History
Thursday, September 14, 3:00 pm

Dan Hudak
, owner of Hudak on Hollywood, Inc., is lifelong film lover who has worked extensively as a film critic in print, radio and television.


Betsy Schwarm Virtual

Beyond the Ballets: Investigating Tchaikovsky
Thursday, September 21, 3:00 pm

The Beauty of Baroque: Brandenburgs and More

Tuesday, January 23, 3:00 pm 

Classical Hearts and Flowers: Music of Romance
Tuesday, February 6, 3:00 pm 

Keyboard Classics: Moonlight Sonata and Beyond
Tuesday, March 26, 3:00 pm 

The Magic of Mozart: A Little Night Music is Just a Start!
Tuesday, April 2, 3:00 pm 

Toreador, En Garde! Getting to Know Carmen
Tuesday, May 7, 3:00 pm 

Music historian Betsy Schwarm spent a dozen years on the air at the vintage KVOD radio, "The Classical Voice of Denver." She has also taught university-level music appreciation, but is especially known for her user-friendly approach to talking about classical music.


Alyssa Rudinsky Virtual

Mondays, 10:00 am
Travel Talk and Travel Insights: A 3 Part Series

November 27: How to Travel Without Being a Tourist
December 18: Maximizing Your Travel Experience
March 18: European Highlights - Spain & Portugal

Alyssa Rudinsky, of Oh So Fabulous Vacations - serves as the career services and adult education librarian at the Mandel Public Library in West Palm Beach, an adjunct professor at Palm Beach State College, and an independent affiliate of KHM Travel Group


Gail Leondar-Wright Virtual

What Makes Sondheim Great? Act II
Thursdays, 3:00 pm

Free for virtual members, $45 for 5-week course

May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Join other musical lovers for this fast-paced course, full of things to look at, watch, listen to, and think about. The late Stephen Sondheim is commonly thought to be the most important musical theater composer and lyricist of the past fifty years, and the single most influential force in bringing the Broadway musical into the modern era. This lively and interactive course will explore how Sondheim has elevated the genre, ushering in the musical’s modern era.

We’ll focus on West Side Story, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Merrily We Roll Along, and Into the Woods.

Virtual members and ticket buyers will have access to recordings of What Makes Sondheim Great? Act 1.

Gail Leondar-Wright spends her time studying and teaching about the works of Stephen Sondheim. She facilitates a national “Sondheim Study Group,” and gives periodic webinars comparing the works of Sondheim to that of other composers and lyricists. She hold a Masters in Performance Studies from NYU and a BA in Drama from UC Berkeley.

Cultural Council Discover The Palm Beaches