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The art form of the short story offers a unique opportunity to explore how fiction can reflect or imitate life. Participants choose stories that stimulate discussion and thought.
Online course February 5–April 29 (except February 19 and April 22) 10–11:15 a.m. Instructors: Rotating Facilitators
This is your opportunity to tap into your creative side and explore your hidden talents, but most of all to have fun! This class has an end-of-term performance.
Online course February 5–April 29 (except February 19 and April 22) 12:30–2:30 p.m. The actors performance will be held on May 6, at the same time and with the same link as for the class. Instructors: Julie Kirshner, a professional actress, graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in theater and a master’s degree in English. Sunny Brandler is a retired CUNY professor who holds a B.A., M.S.W., and M.A. in English literature and a doctorate from Adelphi University. Judith Reiss, stage manager, is an accomplished singer, actor, and dancer.
This class will focus on oral communications and practical use of the language. Students will learn about culture and useful expressions, basic grammar, vocabulary, and phrases aimed to interact and survive in a Spanish-speaking context.
Online course February 26–April 22 2:45–4 p.m. Instructor: Nilita Leon is a certificated teacher with an exceptional knowledge of Spanish-speaking countries.
The class will cover four responses that state agencies made in New York City following Superstorm Sandy in coastal regions and the implications of those choices.
March 4 1–2:15 p.m. Instructor: Tammy Lewis is a sociology professor at Brooklyn College. She is a founding member of the college’s Urban Sustainability Program. She is currently researching post-Sandy recovery in Rockaway.
Genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the United States. If you want to start to research your family or have already amassed material, this course will show you how to gather and organize the material and how to share it with other family members. The emphasis will be on resources that are in the New York area or are available on the internet.
April 1 1–2:15 p.m. Instructor: Michael Levine is a retired software engineer in the telecommunications industry. He has been researching his family history for more than 40 years. He has done in-person research in Warsaw and Salt Lake City. Mike was the technology chair at the 26th International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies’ annual conference. He was the membership vice president of the Jewish Genealogy Society (NY) and is currently an at-large member of the JGS Executive Council.
Over our four class meetings, we will write, read, and evaluate poems with attention to their craft, music, meaning and expression. We will focus on poems that participants have drafted and, also discuss poems published by living writers that students bring in to share.
March 18 and 25; April 8 and 15 1–2:15 p.m. Instructor: Anita Bernstein received poetry training in New York, Chicago, Indiana, and Atlanta workshops. She has published about a dozen poems.
We will discuss The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, by Oscar Hijuelos, on February 6; Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead, on March 5; Kaddish.com, by Nathan Englander, on April 2; The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, by David Grann, on May 7; and My Father’s House (The Rome Escape Line Trilogy Book 1), by Joseph O’Connor, on June 4.
Hybrid online and in-person course February 6, March 5, April 2, May 7, and June 4 (The February and March sessions are on Zoom; the April, May, and June sessions are in person.) 10:30–11:45 a.m. Instructors: Rotating Facilitators
The Classic Book group will discuss Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the first two sessions. It is commonly named among the great American novels. The work is among the first in major American literature to be written throughout in vernacular English, characterized by local color regionalism. We will discuss Buddenbrooks, by Thomas Mann, in the remaining three sessions. It is a saga chronicling the decline of a wealthy north German merchant family over the course of four generations.
Hybrid online and in-person course February 27, March 26, April 9, May 28, and June 25 (The February and March sessions are on Zoom; the April, May and June sessions are in person.) 10:30–11:45 a.m. Instructor: Richard Redmond is retired from the IT department of a major investment bank. Prior to that he worked as a librarian for many years.
We will discuss Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose in March. When a string of strange deaths plagues a wealthy Italian abbey, Brother William of Baskerville is called to unravel the mystery in this 14th-century thriller. In April, we will discuss Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, a true story about the Clutter family murders in November of 1959. This true-crime novel tells not only the story of the victims, but the story of the murderers, their trial, sentencing, and execution. In May, we will discuss Ken Follett’s Eye of the Needle, a historical thriller about the fate of World War II resting in the hands of a master spy, his opponent, and one woman. In the weeks leading up to D-Day, the Allies are disguising their invasion plans with elaborate ships and planes. And in June, we will discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. It is one of the most famous stories ever written and was the third Sherlock Holmes novel written by Conan Doyle. It is considered by some to be the best of them.
Hybrid online and in-person course March 19, April 16, May 21, and June 11 (The March session is on Zoom; the April, May and June sessions are in person.) 10:30–11:45 a.m. Instructor: Richard Redmond is retired from the IT department of a major investment bank. Prior to that he worked as a librarian for many years.
The Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, is essential to both Jewish and Christian traditions, although it is interpreted by them very differently. We will watch and discuss segments of a course presented at Harvard University. The first two classes will give an overview of how these scriptures are interpreted by each of the religions, and the remaining classes will take us up to the holidays of Passover and Easter.
February 20–March 26 12:45–2 p.m. Instructor: Rona Goldwitz is a member of the board of directors. She enjoys finding fascinating topics to present to fellow BLL-ers and hopes these subjects delight them as much as they do her.
We will jointly decide on the topics to be discussed in each session, but they will each have a focus, such as naming body parts or familial relationships. We will learn some easy and light Yiddish conversation in a fun atmosphere.
Online course April 2–16 1–2 p.m. Instructor: Pearl Berkowsky was born after the Holocaust and arrived in Brooklyn at two years old. Yiddish was her first language. She did not speak English until she was five. Pearl’s lifelong work has been to keep Yiddishkeit alive, and she belongs to many Jewish organizations. She loves everything Yiddish!
This class will cover the basics of negotiation with Medicare, government, insurance companies, and others. We will have practice sessions and analysis to improve your skills.
Online course March 12, 19, and 26; April 2, 9, 16, and 30 2:15–3:30 p.m. Instructor: Professor Richard Aronin has many years of experience negotiating at all levels of business. He enjoys teaching and is/was an adjunct professor at CUNY, NYU, and Touro. He is currently on the board of directors at the Institute for Supply Management New York, a progressive, nonprofit association.
Great things are happening in the world of science today. Read and bring the Tuesday New York Times Science section to class for our informative discussions about the latest breakthroughs.
Online course February 7–May 1 (except April 24) 10:30–11:30 a.m. Instructor: Leslie Jacobson, a longtime professor in Health and Nutrition Sciences and a “founding mother” of IRPE/BLL, has been a major supporter of our organization since its beginning.
This group features discussions of local, national, and international news. Come tell us what you think.
Online course February 7–May 1 (except April 24) 12:30–2 p.m. Facilitator: Robert Mishaan is a member of the BLL board and has taught a number of classes on varied subjects that he believes would be of interest to fellow members.
Folk dancing is not only great exercise and lots of fun, it also involves the memory and increases cognitive agility. We will hear lots of wonderful music, learn interesting rhythms, and master unusual dance patterns. Join us on our trip around the world to Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Ukraine, Croatia, Israel, and even a stop in South Africa and the United States, too. Dances will be in a circle or a line, so you don’t need a partner!
February 7–May 1 (except February 14 and April 24) 2–4 p.m. Instructor: Elaine Sohn has been leading folk dance groups in Brooklyn Heights for more than 20 years. In fact, she started one at BLL before the pandemic, returned to the classroom last fall for six weeks, and is excited to return again this spring to teach folk dances from around the world. She especially looks forward to introducing international folk dance to newcomers!
We explore aspects of contemporary culture through their representation in documentary films and discuss them. Where are we and how did we get here? This course ranges widely, looking at everything from the arts to life in other countries, war, politics, and medical crises.
Online course February 8, 15, and 29; March 7, 14, and 28 10:30 a.m.–noon Instructor: David Krupp attended SUNY Buffalo as a psychology major and taught in the New York City public school system for 45 years.
This book is about the shaping of Brooklyn’s extraordinary urban landscape. Its focus is not the celebrated sites and landmarks of the tourist map, though many of those appear, but rather the Brooklyn unknown, overlooked, and underrated.
February 22, March 21, April 18, and May 23 10:30 a.m.–noon Instructor: Richard Redmond is retired from the IT department of a major investment bank. Prior to that he worked as a librarian for many years.
We will review the history of U.S. immigration policy, including the legal controversies that were encountered from the founding of the United States through today.
February 29; March 7, 14, and 21 12:45–2 p.m. Instructors: Robert Mishaan is a member of the BLL board and has taught a number of classes on varied subjects that he believes would be of interest to fellow members. Carole Mehlman is an Immigration attorney currently helping people seeking asylum. She is known at BLL for knitting in class and facilitating short story discussions.
Identity theft is the fastest-growing financial crime in the United States. Learn how to protect yourself and your assets and to access the resources available to help you.
April 4 12:45–2 p.m. Instructor: Marianne Gennari has 38 years of experience in the legal/compliance area with an expertise in money laundering and fraud investigation in the field of banking.
The subcontinent of India is a fascinating place, with thousands of years of glorious (and turbulent) history. Ignored and misreported by the American media, and thus often misunderstood, India, the largest democracy in the world, puts forth an enormous amount of diversity, intelligence, creativity, resilience, and balance between time-tested values and modernity. We explore some of it here.
April 11 and 18; May 2 and 9 12:45–2 p.m. Instructor: Partha Banerjee grew up in Kolkata, India, in a humble background. He has been a well-known human rights and media activist, author, and scientist-turned-critical-thinking educator in the United States for nearly four decades. Partha has authored 12 books in English and Bengali, and penned numerous print and online articles in America and India.
Steven Spielberg is one of America’s most revered film directors. We will watch, in their entirety, some of his most popular full-length films. Film selections include Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Minority Report, etc.
February 9–May 3 (except March 29 and April 26) 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Instructor: Sol Makon has a longstanding interest in film. This course allows him to share his love of it with members.
Mah Jongg is a game of skill, strategy, and luck that was developed in China. If you are already a player or would like to learn, your opportunity has arrived.
Note: If you have not attended the class previously, contact the BLL office, preferably by e-mail, or else call (718.951.5647) and leave a message. The instructor finds it very helpful to know the level/knowledge of new participants.
February 16–May 3 (except March 29 and April 26) 10–11 a.m. (beginners only) and 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m. (players with experience only) Instructor: Irene Nachinoff is a retired New York City school teacher who now devotes her skill to the teaching of the popular game of Mah Jongg.
We all know that world climate is changing, radically and dangerously. But why is it changing—what is the mechanism? And for how long has it been known and predicted? We will examine the nature and background of this pernicious trend that is affecting all of us.
Online course April 19 2:30–3:45 p.m. Instructor: Fred Friedland teaches mathematics at Baruch College. He has given lectures at BLL/IRPE since 1990.
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