Note: all classes are at Noon EDT.
- I’m pleased to announce “Funny Jews,” a five-week course every Monday in August. We’ll look at the sitcoms of Norman Lear, Mad Magazine, Mel Brooks 101, Funny Women, and humorists. Register: tinyurl.com/BenkofFunny
- Monday’s class covers my favorite work of literature ever: Philip Roth’s “The Conversion of the Jews.” Ozzie Freedman’s rabbi blows off his theological questions, so Ozzie figures out a way to convert him to Christianity. All in the space of 20 pages. What? Yeah. You can read the short story at tinyurl.com/PhilipRoth101A or listen to it read by Elliott Gould at tinyurl.com/PhilipRoth101C. Sign-ups: tinyurl.com/BenkofShortFiction.
- The rest of the July schedule is also posted above, with highlights including West Side Story; American Jewish History 101; American Jewish Literature 101; Debbie Friedman; and “If You Could See Cabaret Through My Eyes.”
- Monday original classes in September will be “The Novels of Philip Roth.” If you want to start reading Roth novels for the class (it’s not required), start with any of Portnoy’s Complaint, The Human Stain, and Nemesis.
- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here: tinyurl.com/BenkofChannel. You’ll find dozens of American Jewish culture videos, including a one-minute slideshow of great images by American Jewish women photographers and a 45-minute lecture on the three Jews of Philip Roth.
- I’m booking Zoom talks for individual organizations, and eventually in-person classes. Here’s a demonstration of my in-person teaching and this one-minute intro shows how Jewish Culture 101 works.
Useful links: (all classes Noon EDT):
• Thursday, July 9: Into the Woods
• Monday, July 13: “The Conversion of the Jews” by Philip Roth
• Thursday, July 16: West Side Story
• Monday, July 20: American Jewish History 101
• Thursday, July 23: Debbie Friedman 101
• Monday, July 27: American Jewish Literature 101
• Thursday, July 30: “If You Could See Cabaret Through My Eyes”
• Mondays in August: “Funny Jews”
(All classes are 100% free, but there’s a completely optional tuition of $6 per class, or $5 per class when you pay for a series.)