Mysticism, holocaust class at Jewish Academy

The Conejo Jewish Academy will host a lecture, “The Translucent Wall” at 8 p.m. Mon., Jan. 30 at 30345 Canwood St., Agoura Hills. The lecture will explore communication beyond death, life beyond death, the inner meaning of Kaddish and Yahrtzeit, and “Leadership Never Ends: How Giants of the Spirit Continue to Serve.”

“This lecture will discuss the Jewish perspective on what is the nature of an existence that has none of the frames of reference that we so take for granted as a defining reality,” said Rabbi Moshe Bryski of the Academy. The guest speaker is Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, founder and director of the Institute for Jewish Literacy in Hartford, Conn. He is noted for his ability to make “the complex and abstruse world of Jewish mysticism accessible and useful in daily life.”

Tickets are $10 with advance paid reservations or $13 at the door. To reserve or for more information, call (818) 991-0991.

The Academy will also offer a six-week course, “The Holocaust: A View from the Soul” at 8 p.m. Wednesdays starting Feb 1.

The course will not concentrate on the historical aspects of the Holocaust, according to Bryski, the course instructor. Instead, it will focus on how the Holocaust “forces us to grapple with the existence of evil and suffering; how it challenges us to find faith and optimism in the face of devastation and despair; what we can learn from heroes of the spirit who fought for truth and decency in the darkest times; and the dreams and hopes for a better tomorrow for all of mankind.”

The fee is $65 per person for registration and material. This course will be taught at the Academy.

To reserve a place, call (818) 991-0991 or register online at www.jewishacademy.com.