Fall 2020 @ OASIS Abq

 Great Courses of Jewish Interest
Abq Jew is pleased to inform you that
OASIS Albuquerque has just announced
their Fall 2020 line-up of classes!
Registration opens on
Wednesday September 2
but you can Wish List your selections now.

OASIS Albuquerque Executive Director Kathleen Raskob and her staff continue (as always) to bring you new and interesting class offerings, and continues to make sure there are plenty of courses of Jewish interest.

Because of the uncertainty of our current circumstances, please note that class dates, 
locations, and other details are subject to change. Please visit the Oasis website
or call the Oasis office (505) 884-4529 for up-to-date information.

This fall, OASIS Albuquerque will continue to offer classes three ways - livestream (via Zoom) only; in-person only; and their hybrid model - livestream & in-person at the same time. 

This session's courses and instructors include, but are by no means limited to:

Memoir Writing Workshop:
How to Tell Your Story

Thursdays 24 Sep 2020 - #94

Instructor:  Norma Libman

What It Is: Everyone has a story to tell, and now is the time to tell yours. In this memoir writing workshop, Norma Libman shows you how to retrieve memories you thought were forgotten, how to get them written down, and how to organize them into your own life story. Bring paper and pen for writing exercises and you will have written a start to your memoir when the workshop is over. Please bring a hard surface to write on (notebook or clipboard). Limited enrollment.

How to Criticize Properly:
A Jewish Perspective
Wednesday 4 Nov 2020 - #100

Instructor: Dov Gartenberg

What It Is: Have you ever felt the need to criticize a loved one, friend, or associate? Has it gone well or has it bombed? The rabbis, the sages of Jewish tradition, grappled with the issue of proper criticism based on their reading of Leviticus 19:17. We take a journey through Jewish literature and beyond on the ethics of personal criticism.

Elijah: Jewish Prophet,
Christian Saint, Muslim Guide

Thursday 5 Nov 2020 - #101

Instructor: Christopher Zugger

What It Is: Elijah is the greatest of the Jewish prophets and one of the leading figures in overcoming idolatry and restoring the worship of God. He is also the spiritual founder of the Carmelite Order of the Catholic Church, a mystical guide for Muslims, a popular saint for Arab Christians, and the announcer to Eastern Christians of the coming of Jesus on Christmas Eve. How did Elijah evolve into so many figures? And how can such different people of faith find a place of unity in this man of the desert?

Rudolfo Anaya &
the Bless Me, Ultima Landscape Park

Thursday 12 Nov 2020 - #126

Instructor: Dianne Layden

What It Is: The city of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, dedicated the Rudolfo Anaya Bless Me, Ultima Landscape Park in March 2008 to honor the internationally acclaimed author, a native son, and his classic 1972 coming-of-age novel, which takes place in Santa Rosa. This remarkable public monument features bronze works by sculptor Reynaldo "Sonny" Rivera. Anaya's life and works are discussed, and a 2015 film (25 min) about Anaya by local filmmaker David Ellis is shown.

The Middle East &
American Policy: Creeping Disengagement

Monday 23 Nov 2020 - #21

Instructor:  Emile Nakhleh

What It Is: Examine the diminishing significance of the Middle East in American global strategic planning and the creeping disengagement from that region. The pluses and pitfalls of disengagement are examined in the context of regional war, entrenched autocracy, terrorism, COVID-19, plummeting oil prices, and possible Israeli annexation of West Bank areas.

Georg Cantor:
The Mathematics of Infinity
& the Rules of Mathematics

Wednesday 25 Nov 2020 - #114

Instructor: David Metzler

What It Is: In 1869, Georg Cantor found that answering an unsolved problem about oscillating functions forced him to develop a huge hierarchy of infinite sets of different sizes. When he published these and other results on infinite sets, he set off a revolution in mathematics that reworked the subject from its foundations and caused considerable controversy. Learn where Cantor's ideas originated and why they were so disturbing, yet so fruitful.

The History of Crypto-Jews
in New Spain & New Mexico

Tuesday 1 Dec - #129

Instructor: Stefanie Beninato

What It Is: Learn about a lesser-known aspect of Southwestern history by exploring the settlement of New Spain by Sephardic Jews, many of whom practiced Judaism secretly (Crypto-Jews). Learn how and why many Hispanics in New Mexico did not know of this ancestry or, if they did, how they hid it from the agents of the Inquisition. Understand how these ethnic roots affect cultural identity and contemporary issues in New Mexico today. Presented in partnership with the Historical Society of New Mexico.

Regular OASIS Albuquerque instructor (and award-winning composer and recording artist) Jane Ellen also continues (as always) to bring you new and interesting class offerings, and continues to make sure there are plenty of courses of musical and Jewish interest.

Jane's courses this session include, but are by no means limited to:

Tom & Jerry:
Discovering Simon & Garfunkel

Wednesday 23 Sep 2020 - #78

What It Is: As kids they appeared in a production of Alice in Wonderland together; in high school they performed as Tom & Jerry, reaching #49 on the national music charts. But it wasn't until the 1960s, after a lot of false starts, that this duo began to find their niche together in the vanguard of the Greenwich Village music scene. Paul Simon (1941- ) and Art Garfunkel (1941- ) touched the hearts of a generation and continue to do so, both together and individually.

The Hysterically Funny
Stan Freberg

Friday 11 Dec 2020 - #89

What It Is: Whether rewriting American history, spoofing the monotone of Joe Friday in Dragnet, satirizing Harry Belafonte's "Day-O" ("I don't dig spiders, man!"), or ridiculing The Platters' hit "The Great Pretender," Stan Freberg (1926-2015) has achieved legendary status in American pop culture. His works were often controversial, and sometimes his label refused to release certain songs, but in a career spanning seven decades, he remained active as a voice actor, comedian, radio personality, author, and recording artist.