From Sectarianism to Consensus: The Rise of Rabbinic Judaism | Lawrence Schiffman

The late Second Temple period (second century BCE onward) was an era of spiritual and religious ferment that manifested itself in a variety of Jewish groups such as the Sadducees, Essenes, Pharisees, Zealots, Nazarenes, and Boethusians. Each sect had their own approach to Jewish Law, religious and national identity, and social constructs.

The competition between these groups eventually helped to bring about the Great Revolt against Rome (66-73 CE) and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. In the aftermath of the destruction, a consensus eventually emerged around rabbinic Judaism that would sustain the Jewish people for two millennia.

Based on both textual sources and archaeological discoveries, this presentation reconstructs the nature and trajectory of this process and its testimony to the vitality of the Jewish tradition.

Lawrence Schiffman is the Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Director of the Global Institute for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies.

Fees per lecture are
free – high school students;
$5 – Residents of CES Life Communities, college students, and co-sponsors;
$8 – BASONOVA & Bender JCC members, a
$10 – the general public.
Pay at the door – cash or check only

To subscribe to the entire 8 session lecture series for $48, or for more information, please contact BAF.JCCGW@gmail.com.

The Battle of Kadesh | Betsy Bryan

The Battle of Kadesh, sometimes called the first world war, featured one of the largest-ever chariot battles. It was fought in 1275 B.C.E. in present-day Syria between the Egyptians under Pharaoh Ramses II, and the Hittites under King Muwatalli II who were supported by eighteen of their allies and vassal states.

The invasion by Ramses II sought to wrest Syria from the Hittites and recapture the Hittite-held city of Kadesh. Ramses II led his forces into an ambush by 2,500 Hittite chariots, lured by Hittite spies who gave false information to their Egyptian captors.

The battle may be the earliest military action recorded in detail, mostly from Egyptian sources which proclaimed the siege a great victory for Ramses II. Some historians disagree and proclaim the encounter a Hittite victory as Ramses failed to achieve his military objective. A draw?

This illustrated lecture will lay the predicate for the Battle, follow the contours of the military engagement and discuss its aftermath.

Betsy Bryan is the Alexander Badawy Chair in Egyptian Art and Archaeology at Johns Hopkins University

Fees per lecture are
free – high school students;
$5 – Residents of CES Life Communities, college students, and co-sponsors;
$8 – BASONOVA & Bender JCC members, a
$10 – the general public.
Pay at the door – cash or check only

To subscribe to the entire 8 session lecture series for $48, or for more information, please contact BAF.JCCGW@gmail.com.

Archaeology in Israel: Where the Past Meets the Present | Eric Meyers and Carol Meyers

Archaeology is commonly understood as the study of past human life undertaken by analyzing material remains. What is not usually recognized is that the archaeological quest for the past is inevitably shaped by the excavators’ present environment. Moreover, archaeology can serve a variety of purposes, in addition to the recovery of ancient cultures.

This presentation will analyze findings at several ancient key sites in Israel to illustrate the intersection between the discoveries there and the pressures of the modern world. Highlighted excavation sites include Masada, Hazor, Beth Alpha (on the northern slopes of the Gilboa mountains near Beit She’an), Jerusalem, and Sepphoris (located in the Galilee). The excavation of these well-known sites – all national parks in Israel – exemplify the ways excavators respond to contemporary issues and problems.

Eric Meyers is an emeritus professor in Judaic Studies at Duke University

Carol Meyers is an emeritus professor of Religious Studies at Duke University

Fees per lecture are
free – high school students;
$5 – Residents of CES Life Communities, college students, and co-sponsors;
$8 – BASONOVA & Bender JCC members, a
$10 – the general public.
Pay at the door – cash or check only

To subscribe to the entire 8 session lecture series for $48, or for more information, please contact BAF.JCCGW@gmail.com.

Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon | Eric Cline

Kathe Schwartzberg Memorial Lecture

In 1925 archaeologists from the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute began a fourteen-year excavation of the ancient site of Megiddo (biblical Armageddon), one of the most important cities in biblical times. A consequential 15th century BCE battle was fought there by Pharaoh Thutmose III against a Canaanite coalition. Another famous battle was waged there in 609 BCE between Egypt and the Kingdom of Judah, in which King Josiah fell.

Unfortunately, official publications from the Oriental Institute provide scant details behind their amazing discoveries, which include “Solomon’s Stables” uncovered among twenty-six layers of ruins.

Some of the more compelling episodes in Chicago’s search for Solomon’s city at Megiddo will be presented in this illustrated lecture, drawn from a treasure trove of more than three decades worth of letters, cablegrams, cards, notes, and diaries. These materials shed substantial, often surprising light on the internal workings of the excavations and its discoveries, situated against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the growing troubles of the British Mandate between the two world wars.

Eric Cline is a professor of ancient history and archaeology at George Washington University. His new book, Digging Up Armageddon, will be available for purchase and signing.

Fees per lecture are
free – high school students;
$5 – Residents of CES Life Communities, college students, and co-sponsors;
$8 – BASONOVA & Bender JCC members, a
$10 – the general public.
Pay at the door – cash or check only

To subscribe to the entire 8 session lecture series for $48, or for more information, please contact BAF.JCCGW@gmail.com.