Tapestry of Jewish Learning Festival and New UT Schusterman Center Previewed

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Festival invites study of Jewish life, issues By Eileen E. Flynn | AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Promising topics as provocative as sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll in the Bible, Austin's Jewish leaders are hoping their newly revamped annual learning festival will entice more participation this year, particularly among young people, and help pave the way for Central Texas to become a more vibrant center of Jewish intellectual and cultural activity. Now in its sixth year, the Tapestry of Jewish Learning, an event that features a variety of Judaism-related classes in Northwest Austin, will take place in a single evening — Saturday — instead of over the course of a week as it has in past years. Organizers with the Jewish Community Association of Austin will use the event to introduce Robert Abzug, the recently named director of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Texas, another resource leaders hope will stimulate learning community in Austin. Jay Rubin, CEO of the Jewish Community Association, envisions the city's growing Jewish population tapping into a worldwide phenomenon of limmud, Hebrew for "learning." Limmud conferences offering courses on Jewish topics have caught on in other countries and draw a range of people, including Orthodox rabbis and gay couples. Some hope these events will stir an international movement of study. One way of generating a buzz locally, Rubin said, was to condense the learning festival into one night to create "a certain kind of communal energy." He said he expects a few hundred people to participate this year but hopes to see 1,000 register in the future. This year's courses include Muslim-Jewish relations in Europe, women's roles in Orthodox Judaism and Jewish views on death. Teachers are clergy members, UT professors and people from the community. Organizers will also welcome Abzug and encourage the community to take advantage of the Schusterman Center, which was founded in 2006 to expand Jewish studies at UT. Forging a partnership with UT is critical, according to Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. He said a Jewish learning program in nearby Boston was successful because it offered the community high-level courses taught by established scholars from local universities. "We today have a very highly educated Jewish community that is often hungry for high-level programs on American Jewish life," Sarna said. As Austin's Jewish community grows, Rubin said, one challenge the association faces is engaging younger members of the community who might not be members of a congregation or the Jewish Community Center. That's where leaders like Sarah Miller come in. Miller, director of Judaic Studies at Austin Jewish Academy, is 32 and recognizes that people in their 20s and 30s sometimes disengage from the Jewish community. That's part of the reason she chose a provocative title for the class she's teaching Saturday — "Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll in the Bible" — which will include music from singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan that she hopes will help young people connect to an ancient text. "I think this community really does have a desire to explore and learn," she said. "People are willing to say on a Saturday night, 'Well, I'm going to a class.'" eflynn@statesman.com; 445-3812 [Sidebar] Tapestry of Jewish Learning When: 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday Where: Dell Jewish Community Center campus, 7300 Hart Lane Tickets: $18 in advance, $25 at the door; seniors and students: $10 in advance, $15 at the door Information: www.shalomaustin.org/tapestry or 735-8030