The Real Story of Chanukah - Maccabee or Hellenist? (Online Only)

Three Wednesday Mornings
9:30 - 10:45 AM
New Dates! November 15, 29; December 6

Most basic Jewish education programs (at least for kids) don’t include the Books of Maccabees in their lesson plans; we teach about Chanukah from secondary sources, but mostly ignore the foundational text for the holiday.  In this mini-course we’ll study selections from the Book of Maccabees and get to the root of the (troubling) Chanukah story.

Instructor: Steve Kerbel
Location: Zoom Webinar

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Steve Kerbel is the principal of Steven Kerbel Educational Consulting in Rockville, Maryland. In this capacity, Steve trains teachers and writes curricula for congregations, day schools, and Federations throughout the US. Before this, he served as Director of Education for Congregation B’nai Tzedek and Ohr Kodesh Congregation for a combined 14 years. Prior to that, Steve was the inaugural Retreat Director of Capital Camps & Retreat Center. Steve has also been a full-time faculty member at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville and an educational consultant to the Seaboard Region of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

In what seems like a different lifetime, Steve earned a law degree and was in the private practice of law for eight years. Steve is an alum of the University of Maryland, College Park, where he met his wife, Judy, and they have two daughters. Among Steve’s consulting activities, he facilitates wine tastings featuring Israeli wines and teaches about the geography of diversity of Israel through its wines and wine makers.