We are excited to announce that the Birmingham Jewish Foundation has awarded the Levite Jewish Community Center a $2,500 grant that will fund the creation of a new introduction to Judaism and Jewish culture class. The proposed eight-week course will include overviews of the different sects along with Jewish foods and celebrations, plus a Birmingham Jewish civil rights tour. Birmingham’s Jewish educators and religious leaders will be invited to teach lessons.
“Some 70 percent of our members here at The J are not Jewish,” states Executive Director Aimee Johnson. “‘To enhance Jewish identity’ is at the core of our mission, and we’re excited about how this class will help better tie the different parts of our community together.”
Program Director Mandy Deavers will help develop the curriculum alongside our community partners. “This is an opportunity to deepen cultural connections to Judaism, and for those who are not Jewish to get a taste of and learn more about Judaism,” she says. Community members who might have some helpful ideas are invited to reach out to her at mandyd@bhamjcc.org or 205-803-1511.
The class will launch in the fall or early winter, after Yom Kippur.
Pursuit of the grant was fueled in part by the eight-week series of Yiddish classes that were taught at The J earlier this year by Rabbi Yossi Friedman. The series’ success coincided with The J’s reopening and re-engagement with members, which together helped reignite a desire for more Jewish programming.