Hebrew Theological College

Hebrew Theological College cordially invites all to a special event, “Mediating Modernity in a Traditional Community”, on Sunday, July 10, 10:00 AM, at the HTC Skokie campus. The program will celebrate the dual-book launch of Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff's “Who Rules the Synagogue” (Oxford) and “Modern Orthodox Judaism” (JPS) with a conversation on modernity & religious authority featuring Rabbis Reuven Brand, Zvi Engel & Leonard Matanky. Both books will be available for purchase at a generously discounted price.

On Monday, May 16th, Fasman Yeshiva High School junior and senior students enrolled in the Holocaust History and Jewish History courses toured the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. This inspirational and meaningful tour served as a culminating educational experience for our Jewish History and Holocaust History classes. Our students were accompanied by Mr. Marshall Meyers, tour guide; Rabbi Shmuel Shapiro, Holocaust History teacher; Rabbi Aharon Gaffen, Jewish History teacher; and Mr. Peter Gobel, FYHS Associate Principal for General Studies.

Throughout the year, the Holocaust History class, taught by Rabbi Shmuel Shapiro studied the Holocaust from the landmark textbook, Witness to History, by Michael Walsh. Students also viewed interviews of survivors and documentary videos. When the class studied the history of Lithuanian Jews in the Holocaust, students were privileged to hear from Mrs. Naomi Jacobson, a grandmother of one of our students, who shared her experiences growing up in the Kovno Ghetto. The course concluded with an assigned report, which included a personal interview of a Holocaust survivor, and the trip to the Illinois Holocaust Museum.

In the final quarter of the year, the Jewish History course, taught by Rabbi Aharon Gaffen, focused on the Holocaust with a specific focus on the proper response and reactions our students should have to the tragic events that occurred during the Nazi regime. Students were assigned selected readings with follow up class discussions to reinforce their knowledge of what transpired and create a feeling of the pain and suffering of other Jews during this time. The course concluded with a research paper on a Holocaust topic of his choice and a visit to the Illinois Holocaust Museum.