Jewish Academy opens fall semester

The Conejo Jewish Academy will start its fall semester this month with dozens of learning opportunities offered to the community, including courses, study groups, lectures, work- shops, special events and reli- gious activities.

Academy headquarters are at 30345 Canwood St., Agoura Hills. The Academy also has five satel- lite locations in Calabasas, Oak Park, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley.

To have a complete catalogue of available courses mailed to a home or to register, call (818) 991- 0991. The schedule is also online at www.jewishacademy.com.

Following are some of the classes:

"Beginners Hebrew" will have participants reading the Hebrew alphabet in six weeks. The course will be Tuesdays, 8 p.m., starting Oct. 31 at the Academy in Agoura Hills. The instructor is Rochel Bryski and the fee is $18.

"Joys of Yiddish" is a six- week course that will teach con- versational Yiddish and its history from its development until its modern day rebirth. The course will be Thursdays, 8 p.m., start- ing Thurs., Oct. 19, at the Acad- emy. The instructor is Rabbi Dov Muchnik and the course fee is $25. The first lesson is a free in- troductory session for partici- pants to decide if they want to continue the course.

"Windows of the Soul" is a seven-week course on Kabbalistic teachings, a rich tradition that has been part of Judaism since antiq- uity. The course begins Tues., Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. at the Academy. The instructor is Rabbi Yisroel Levine and the class fee is $25.

"You Be The Judge" is a six- week course that will examine real cases that have been pre- sented to a Beit Din, the court of Jewish law. Students will be pro- vided with primary source texts from the Talmud and then ques- tion, discuss and argue. The course will be on Wednesdays, starting Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. at the Academy. The instructor is Rabbi Moshe Bryski and the class fee is $65. This course offers CLE credits for attorneys and BJE credits for educators.

"The Essentials-A Guide to Jewish Life and Living" is an eight- week course on the foundations of Jewish life. This basic Judaism beginner's course is offered free to the community. The instructor is Rabbi Shlomo Bistritzky. Classes will meet Thursdays, beginning Oct. 26 at 8 p.m., at the Academy in Agoura Hills. Registration is nec- essary.

"Mystical Teachings" is a three-part course on the study of Jewish mysticism. The course will cover the basics such as "What is the Kabbalah?", "The DNA of Creation," "What is a Soul?" and "Divine Interven- tion." Course instructor is Rabbi Yisroel Levine. The course will meet Thursdays at 12:30 p.m., be- ginning Nov. 2 at the Academy in Agoura Hills. Sessions will in- clude lunch. The class fee is $10.

"The Talmud" will provide a glimpse into the unparalleled work that has influenced and shaped Jewish life for 2,000 years. The six-week course will be on Thursdays at 8 p.m., start- ing Nov. 2 at the Academy. The instructor is Rabbi Yitzchak Sapochkinsky and the course fee is $25.

Lectures for fall include speak- ers Dan Alon, one of the Israeli ath- lete survivors of the 1972 Olym- pics, and Laurie Zimmet, who just returned from her second tour of duty in the Iraq war.

Special programs will include "Kosher Week," "Sushi with the Rabbis," a "Kosher Pickle Making Workshop," a Jewish women's circle, documentary films and weekly study groups.