Boston area alumni returned to the classroom this winter to study the works of authors S. Y. Agnon and Aharon Appelfeld with a leading expert in modern Hebrew literature, Dr. Gila Ramras-Rauch. The Lewis H. and Selma Weinstein Professor of Jewish Literature and author of
Aharon Appelfeld: The Holocaust and Beyond (Indiana University Press, 1994), Ramras-Rauch presented the four-session course
Love and Loss: Agnon and Appelfeld, using both Hebrew and English texts to focus students on the art of literary interpretation. What was most important, she says, was making these Israeli writers accessible. That's something Laura Kaufman
P'72, BJEd'79, one of the 14 participating students, also wanted from the class: "I had read Agnon, but I would never have read Appelfeld on my own. Not without this kind of introduction."
The experience was gratifying for Ramras-Rauch, who strongly feels that encouraging alumni to continue their education is part of the College's mission. "Continuity and involvement are the key words," she says, adding that these adult learners were among her most enthusiastic. "When your students ask you 'When will the next course be?,' this is a great compliment."
For information about future alumni course offerings, contact Ariela Lipton at 617-559-8724,
alipton@hebrewcollege.edu.
Photograph by Paula Lerner © 2003
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