Community Blog Genetics, Israeli Dance, and Parent Learning: Another Prozdor Sunday

Jewish Genes

Renowned geneticist and pathologist Dr. Harry Ostrer stopped by Prozdor on Sunday to present on the origins and genetic linkages between Jews and their neighbors. He visited our class, “A Chosen People,” which explores the origins of “chosen-ness,” the consequences of that perception, and a look at what modern science can tell us about the subject. Dr. Ostrer, author of Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People and professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, explored not only the history of the efforts to study Jewish genes, but also some of the insight that genetics has provided about the histories of contemporary Jewish people. Interested in engaging in this type of dialogue? You should check out Daniel Parmer’s courses at our Lexington branch on Wednesday nights.

Dance Dance Revolution

The Nilhav Dance Troupe has been working hard on choreography for Boston’s 39^th Annual Israel Folkdance Festival at MIT. Under the tutelage of our dance instructors Sara Danitz and Gabrielle Avery-Peck, the team has been collaborating on updating traditional Israeli dances, practicing modern movement exercises, and even choreographing their own original pieces to the tunes of “Chalomot Shel Acherim” by The Idan Raichel Project, and “Babali Oto” by Kobi Peretz. In addition to practicing for this exciting performance, the group is regularly learning popular and classic Israeli dances. The group’s energy and dedication is really starting to pay off.  Please mark your calendars to see them perform on March 15, 2015 at 3:00 PM at MIT!

A Family Journey: Reflecting with Emilia and Anita Diamant

Yesterday, we welcomed author Anita Diamant to join her daughter (and our assistant director) Emilia Diamant for the second of two parent learning sessions on Sunday mornings. Anita and Emilia engaged a large group of Prozdor parents in a conversation about parenting a Jewish adolescent, tackling topics such as the value of independence, personal identity vs. family history, and the utility of parental expectations. We are always enthused to see that the Prozdor community exists beyond our classroom walls. Be on the lookout for more parent events in the months to come.