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Classes to explore Israel, past and present

The Weintraub Israel Center and Temple Emanu-El will present “Israel: Past and Present,” a five-week adult education series beginning Feb. 4. Classes will meet at Temple Emanu-El on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. The topics are:

Feb. 4: “Israel’s Cultures, Past and Present” with Ken Miller, University of Arizona staff archaeologist and numismatic specialist;

Feb. 11: “Ancient Israel and the Israelite Period,” a walk through the archaeological references to ancient Israel and the birth of the Jewish/Hebrew people with J. Edward Wright, Ph.D., director of the UA Arizona Center for Judaic Studies;

Feb. 18: “Zionism — Is It a Bad Word?” with David Graizbord, Ph.D., associate professor of Judaic Studies at the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies;

Feb. 25: “The Prayer of the Secular,” with Guy Gelbart, Weintraub Israel Center director and community shaliach (emissary), who was a project manager in the high-tech industry in Israel before coming to Tucson;

March 4: “Building Alternative Bridges for Peace Under Fire” with Roni Keidar, an Israeli from Nativ Haasara, in Tucson’s Partnership 2Gether region. While living under constant rocket fire from Gaza, Keidar helps Palestinians from Gaza get emergency health care in Israel.

The cost of the series is $45. To register, call Temple Emanu-El at 327-4501.