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.

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

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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).

Virtual Lectures

What Makes Sondheim Great, Act 2 with Gail Leondar-Wright

A Five-Week Course
Thursdays, 3:00 pm, Via Zoom
May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Free for virtual members, $10 each or $45 for 5-week course for non-virtual members

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.

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

Monday, May 13, 3:30 pm, Via Zoom
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, Via Zoom
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.

Richard Knox presents Magical Musical Memories

Mondays, 3:00 pm, Via Zoom
Free for virtual members, $10 for non-virtual members

May 20: Johnny Mathis
June 3: Origins of Some Early Rock & Roll Songs, Part 1
July 8: Origins of Some Early Rock & Roll Songs, Part 2
August 26: Memorable Female-Inspired Early Rock Songs

Richard Knox is a native son of Brooklyn, NY where he attended Brooklyn College and later earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Baruch College. After moving to Merrick, NY he began a long tenure as Director of Mathematics for the Copiague Public Schools. Following his retirement after 38 years as a school teacher and administrator, he began to develop a series of multimedia presentations based on his first love, the performing arts. His list of over 70 programs includes Broadway musicals, film, and opera, but Rich specializes in 20th century song writers and vocalists, and radio and television programs of the "Golden Age," for Hudak On Hollywood. Currently Rich is a resident of Omaha, Nebraska where he continues to present programs virtually via Zoom.

Brian Rose presents Film & TV History

Tuesdays, 3:00 pm, Via Zoom
Free for virtual members, $10 for non-virtual members

June 4: Dancing in the Dark: A History of Dance in the Movies
July 23: The Golden Age of Hollywood
August 20: The Films of Alfred Hitchcock
September 17: From The Jazz Singer to A Star Is Born: A History of the Movie Musical

Brian Rose is a professor emeritus at Fordham University, where he taught for 38 years in the Department of Communication and Media Studies. He has 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. His zoom lectures on film and television history have been presented at the Smithsonian, the 92nd St Y., and at JCCs and libraries throughout the country.

Charles Troy presents The History of Musical Theater

Wednesdays, 4:00 pm, Via Zoom
Free for virtual members, $10 for non-virtual members or $60 for the full summer of Charles Troy (7 sessions)

May 8: Gilbert & Sullivan and the H.M.S. Pinafore Phenomenon
June 5: Cohan!

Rodgers & Hart: The Boys from Manhattan (A 4 part series)
July 10: Part 1 - We’ll have Manhattan
July 17: Part 2 - Rodgers & Hart in Hollywood
July 24: Part 3 - Back in Manhattan
July 31: Part 4 - Pal Joey and The End of Rodgers & Hart

August 7: Hello Jerry!

Charles Troy is a retired graphic designer and former theatre lyricist who has developed more than fifty multimedia presentations on musical theatre subjects. During the pandemic, he has converted these presentations into videos, which he presents virtually. These videos combine his own original graphics with historic photos, edited audio tracks with the lyrics displayed onscreen, and illustrative video clips — all coordinated with a voiceover narrative, evolved from his extensive research, that weaves the pertinent events into a dramatic tale. Half of these videos are 80 to 90-minute programs on the stories behind many of the great musicals. Charles is based in the Chicago area.

Betsy Schwarm presents Classical Music Series

Tuesdays, 3:00 pm, Via Zoom
Free for virtual members, $10 for non-virtual members

May 7: Toreador, En Garde!
Getting to Know Carmen Bizet’s Carmen was groundbreaking in its realism, and it rapidly became one of the most popular operas of all time.
June 11: Jewish Flavors in Classical Music
Explore the classical sounds of Judaism in this moving and informative program.
July 9: The Magic of Mozart: A Little Night Music is Just a Start!
From Salzburg to Vienna, from symphonies and operas, to concertos and chamber music: Mozart could do it all, but what made Mozart and his music so special?

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. She gives pre-performance talks for Opera Colorado, has frequently spoken at the Colorado Symphony, and has written ten books on classical music as part of her Classical Music Insights series. The most recent of these is Classical Music Insights: Between the Wars (2021). More than 200 of her articles are available on Encyclopædia Britannica online. Additionally, she writes for classical performers and organizations throughout the US and abroad, and teaches for the University of Denver Enrichment program, as well as other organizations.

The Marlene and Herb Levin Adult University