American Sephardi Federation’s Institute of Jewish Experience announces its second online course. “The Greek Experience” will open in parallel to the ASF Sephardi Film Festival’s Greek Night on February 24. This self-monitored, self-paced course presents Jewish Greek history and culture from the Classical Period until the beginning of the 20th century. A follow-up course for the 20th century is set to open in April.
Yitzchak Kerem provides an overview of the unique languages, liturgical nuances and communal life of Jews across Greece. Kerem spent a significant time living in Greece and researching Greek and Sephardic history.
In the course, participants will look at major influential points in Greek Jewish history. They will explore the Golden Age of Salonika, a time when the Greece’s northern city was a hub of Jewish scholarship. Kerem introduces the tension brought to the Greek Jewish community by Shabtai Tzvi and the Sabbateanism movement that brought with it false messianism and conversion to Islam, at least outwardly.
These stories are part of the greater Jewish heritage and history that is often overlooked. IJE’s online courses will bring to life all parts of the greater Jewish experience. Open for registration now at https://courses.InstituteofJewishExperience.org.
