Instructor: Leah Orent, Ph.D.
Language of Instruction: Hebrew

On Tisha b'Av, the day of collective mourning for Jewish national disasters both ancient and modern, it has become customary to read Holocaust literature. Greenberg's Rehovot ha-Nahar is an epic Holocaust lamentation, published in 1951. Reading a representative selection from the text, we will reflect on the differences between traditional liturgical kinot and modern poetry. We will examine how the poet's private voice merges with that of his persona as spokesperson for the Jewish people, addressing a silent God in heaven and confronting the murderers on earth. We will consider the speaker's struggle to balance the guilt of a survivor with his sense of prophetic vocation. Ultimately, the collection articulates a vision of Jewish history flowing like an eternal river from Abraham to Sinai through the horrors of the Holocaust towards the revival of the kingdom of Israel and messianic redemption.

Tuesdays, 8:00 - 9:15 PM
4 Sessions: July 6, 13, 27; August 3
Location: Congregation Shaarei Tefillah
Tuition: $65
Women only