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July 8, 2011
Bittersweet graduation
Economy forces Melton school to close its doors.
VIOLETA MOUTAL
On June 21, the local Florence Melton Adult Mini School (FMAMS) marked its fifth and “last but not least” graduation ceremony. With the 13-student cohort that just celebrated completion of the two-year program, the total number of Vancouver graduates comes to approximately 120.
Founded in 1986 by Florence Zacks Melton, the international program is based out of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with a North American office in Northbrook, Ill. The FMAMS program is taught in more than 60 mini schools in cities throughout the United States, Canada, England and Australia, and there are as many as 5,500 students of all ages, backgrounds and denominations, according to the FMAMS website.
The mini school came to Vancouver in 2005, under the leadership of Betty Nitkin, who was succeeded by Nicole Nozick, who then was followed by the current director, Lissa Weinberger, wife of Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Jonathan Infeld.
“Unfortunately, at this time, we are unable to continue the program,” said Weinberger. “Yet we feel proud that we have enriched the lives of over 120 students and faculty members, sharing the experience of teaching and learning together. While the Melton school is closing its doors for now, the Jewish Community Centre [of Greater Vancouver] is not closing the doors to Jewish education, as we will continue to offer classes on a range of Judaic topics taught by local experts and we hope that many will join.”
The first such learning opportunity started on July 5, the four-week Melton course called Dancing on our Enemies Graves: The Ethics of Jewish Warfare, taught by Rabbi Lindsey Bat Joseph. Information about future courses will be found at the JCCGV or on its website, jccgv.com.
In his address on June 21, FMAMS graduate Lionel Fishman offered a glance at the program’s pluralistic curriculum, which was designed by Jewish educators and scholars in the field of Jewish education. The program is divided into four units of study: Rhythms of Jewish Living and Purposes of Jewish Living in Year 1 and Ethics of Jewish Living and Dramas of Jewish Living Throughout the Ages in Year 2. Fishman said that the material covered offered him the opportunity to learn about his identity and establish meaningful connections with his peers. “In spite of age difference and cultural diversity of the class, we have become a close-knit group,” he shared. “We arrived as individuals and we leave as a community.”
Fishman emphasized that, without knowledge, it is almost impossible to be a Jew, especially in this rapidly changing and controversial world. “Born Jewish, I felt proud to call myself a Jew and took it for granted, even though I did not have a clue of what I was proud of,” he explained. “After the experience of studying and learning together, I can honestly say that I am truly proud of being a Jew – ‘Am Yisrael chai.’”
Guest speaker Rabbi Robert Daum, associate professor of rabbinic literature and Jewish thought at the University of British Columbia and director of Iona Pacific Inter-religious Centre at Vancouver School of Theology, gave a d’var Torah (Torah talk) of sorts. In his presentation, titled Black Fire on White Fire, he explained the importance of looking at ancient texts with wonder, inquisitiveness and curiosity. He spoke about how the printed letters (black fire) are as relevant as the blanks (white fire), as is the fact that the Oral Law preceded the Written Law and that the scribe(s), whether G-d or people, inscribed more than can meet the eye. He also discussed some of the intergenerational tensions surrounding the reading and interpretation of Torah, including the confusion between the Code (Written Law) and the Talmud/Mishnah (commentary), the misconception that our ancestors knew more than us, and that Torah is a perfectly complete and accurate document.
“On the contrary,” Daum said. “The Torah is a live document that warrants indefinite continuous study, questioning and interpretation, all of which lead us to uncover who we are as Jews and how we are to live our lives. We not only do the Torah, we make it. It is precisely those interventions that help us to keep the Torah alive for thousands of years, a cherished document, a body of learning, that brings to life the voices of those before us, our contemporary voices and, G-d willing, the voices of those after us.”
Violeta Moutal is a Vancouver freelance writer and an alumna of the Florence Melton Adult Mini School.
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