Adults : Florence Melton Adult Mini-School

What We Study Questions & Answers Registration and Tuition Location and Class Schedule Director/Faculty Course Guide Scholar Series Special Events/What's New Our Students Say... Links Snow Schedule and School Closing ALL NEW Melton Parent Education Program (PEP) 
Alumni Association  New Bound Core Curriculum Books Available 
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The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School is proud to bring a BRAND NEW curriculum for your family...read more

No Tests. No Homework. No Grades. Know Judaism

If you're looking for a comprehensive introduction to the basics of Judaism, we urge you to enroll in the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. The St. Louis school opened in 1989 and is part of an international network of over 65 schools affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem giving you the principles and foundations of Judaism. The course will give you what you've been seeking: a clear, comprehensive overview of Jewish belief, Jewish practice, Jewish history, and Jewish ethics. Classes are lively, engaging, and relevant to today's world.

The two-year Melton course is designed specifically for adults. Classes meet once a week throughout the academic year. You may be asked to do a small amount of reading in preparation for each class, but you won't be burdened with homework or exams. The course will give you what you've been seeking: a clear, in-depth overview of Jewish belief, Jewish practice, Jewish history, and Jewish ethics. Classes are lively, engaging, and relevant to todays' world.  Best of all, you'll work with an amazing faculty – people who know and love their subject-matter and how to impart it.

As a Melton student, you'll find that divergent views are treated fairly, that vigorous give-and-take is encouraged, and that all questions – no matter how challenging – are welcome. You'll discover how easily attainable – and how deeply fulfilling – Jewish literacy is.  And, like Melton students before you, you may well acquire a lifelong desire to learn “more.” In Judaism, happily, there's always more to learn.

We've tried to make our courses descriptions clear but brief.  If you'd like more details, we urge you to give us a call.

Cyndee Levy, Director of Adult Education, (314) 442-3754.

What We Study

First Year Courses

Rhythms of Jewish Living - What’s meant by the phrase “living a Jewish life”?  What’s the point of living Jewishly?  What ideas, beliefs, and practices are involved?  What is kedusha – and why does it matter?  These are the questions asked and answered in Rhythms of Jewish Living – the course that explains how Judaism takes the ordinary “stuff” of daily life and transforms it into the extraordinary.

Purposes of Jewish Living - Why do Jews believe and behave as they do?  Why is the word “covenant” central to Jewish existence?  What is the Jewish contract with God, and how does it affect the way Jews think and act?  These are the questions you’ll grapple with in Purposes of Jewish iving – the course that explains what’s distinctively “Jewish” about Judaism.

FACULTY
Rabbi Stephanie Alexander • Cyndee Levy •
Ofira Melnick • Rabbi Chaim Possick
Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg • Rabbi Hyim Shafner • Rabbi Lane Steinger

Click here to find out more about our amazing faculty.

Second Year Courses

Dramas of Jewish Living - How do Jews “make use” of their long and frequently tumultuous history?  How can those of us now alive utilize thathistory to make sense of our existence – and of the times in which we live?  What are the lessons of Jewish history – from the earliest wanderings of Abraham to today’s turmoil in Israel?   These are the questions answered in Dramas of Jewish Living – the course that explains how the Jewish past gives meaning to the Jewish present.

Ethics of Jewish Living - What does Judaism have to say about the way we should live?   What do Jewish thinkers – from our ancient sages to today’s commentators – tell us about conducting ourselves in both private and public life?  Can Judaism shed light on our thorny contemporary problems?  You’ll consider all these questions in Ethics of Jewish Living – the course hat demonstrates the currency of a religion 4,000 years old.

FACULTY
Rabbi Ryan Dulkin • Rabbi Seth Gordon

Click here to find out more about our amazing faculty.

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Location and Class Schedule

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Registration and Tuition Information 2009-2010

Tuition for the Melton School $500 per year $50 book and materials fee

Discounts You may choose one of the discounts for which you are eligible.

Spousal Discounts (for couples enrolled in the same course) $25 per semester for one spouse

Teacher Discounts (Teacher must be on faculty roster of a Jewish school) TCP:             40% per school year Non-TCP:     30% per school year Teachers may be eligible for additional subsidies from their schools.

Jewish Federation Beneficiary Agency Employees      20% discount on tuition of qualifying courses for           employees of: Covenant HouseHillel Jewish Federation of St. Louis Jewish Center for the Aged Jewish Community Center Jewish Community Relations Council Jewish Family & Children's Services MERS-Goodwill St. Louis Holocaust Museum St. Louis Jewish Light Saul Brodsky Library

Financial Aid Confidential need-based scholarships are available.

Payment Information CREDIT CARD Credit card Payments can be made either as a one time payment or in installments.  Installment plans include a 2 or 4 payment option with initial installment due at registration. All payment plans must be arranged at the time of enrollment. CASH OR CHECK CASH or CHECK payment can be made in full at the time of registration or a payment plan can be arranged. Payment plan options include a 2 or 4 payment installment plan, or monthly installments. All payment plans must be arranged at the time of enrollment.

ATTENTION MELTON GRADS! If you are a Melton graduate you are invited back to repeat either year for only $100.

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Questions and Answers

What is the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School?

• A place where you and fellow adult can learn the basics of Judaism
  
• A place to get answers to the Jewish questions you've always puzzled over
  
• A place for free-wheeling, uninhibited conversation about topics that really matter
  
• A place where your views will always be respected, and accorded the dignity they deserve
  
• A place that believes – and proves – that it’s never too late to begin Jewish study

What does Melton do?

• Helps you understand what’s special, unique, distinctive about being Jewish
  
• Helps you fathom the boundless riches of the Judaic heritage
  
• Makes sense of what “being Jewish” is all about

Who is Melton for?

• Anyone who’s ever asked, “Can being Jewish make a difference in my life?”
  
• Anyone who’d like to join the world’s longest-running and most scintillating conversation
  
• Anyone who wants to feel more comfortable with the classic works of Jewish literature
  
• Anyone who enjoys mind-stretching and brain-building
  
• Anyone who craves the fellowship of other serious knowledge-seekers
  Anyone who’s tired of the glib platitudes that often pass for wisdom in today’s world, and yearns for more serious – and more satisfying fare

Where is Melton?

• Internationally, in over 65 cities
  
• Locally, at the Central Agency for Jewish Education, 12 Millstone Campus Drive

About Our Local Site

• Began in 1989
• A two-year curriculum, 30 weeks each year
  
• Two courses each year:
        1st year, Rhythms and Purposes
        2nd year, Dramas and Ethic
  
• All course materials provided
  
• Morning and evening classes available No homework, no tests
  
• All classes recorded for your convenience
• 700 graduates

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ALL NEW Melton Parent Education Program (PEP)

The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School is proud to bring a BRAND NEW curriculum for your family.

The Melton Parent Education Program (PEP) is the first step in your family’s journey of Jewish learning. Developed by the renowned Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, a project of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, this new curriculum for parents offers a serious encounter with the core values of Judaism that are reflected in the master stories from our tradition. With a focus on folktales from the Talmud and other sources, as well as Biblical texts, this course of study will provide a rich opportunity for you to bring the Jewish conversation home to share with your young child/children. At a time in your family’s life when your child is beginning his or her own Jewish education, you can find the learning, the language, and the confidence to be a teacher to your child/children through PEP.

Classes forming now!

Wednesdays - 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
24 weeks - First class October 21st
JCC Staenberg Family Complex
#2 Millstone Campus Drive
Instructor: Rabbi Brad Horwitz
TCP: Bible & Commentaries - 7.5 credits/Rabbinic Literature - 7.5 credits

Tuesdays - 4:15 - 5:30 p.m.
24 weeks - First class October 20th
Congregation Shaare Emeth
11645 Ladue Road
Instructors: Cyndee Levy & Michelle Rubin
TCP: Bible & Commentaries - 7.5 credits/Rabbinic Literature - 7.5 credits

Both site locations are open to all members of the community.

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Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Scholar Series

SHIV’IM PANIM: SEVENTY FACES
OF WISDOM

Focusing our attention on some of the world’s oldest and most profound stories, the Shiv’im Panim “70 Faces” series highlights 70 text selections from the Jewish Bible. Based on the tradition that the Torah has “70 faces” or ways of interpreting and understanding it, the curriculum features a multi-faceted approach to Torah study, which include:

• Modern and classical commentaries that represent a range of orientations
  
• Interpretations of the texts by rabbis, scholars, artists, and poets
  
• Opportunities to learn key Hebrew vocabulary in the context of the story
  
• Discussions on the real-life implications of the stories for us in our time

Bereshit I: From Adam to Abraham is the first unit in the Shiv’im Panim series. The stories take us from the universal tales of the creation of the world, the flood, and the Tower of Babel to the foundational tales of Abraham and Sarah, and the beginnings of the Jewish people. The themes of family and faith, honor and dishonor, passion and power
provide a rich exploration of our people and ourselves.

Shemot I: From Slavery to Sinai brings us the Egyptian narrative of our people from “Pharaoh's Paranoia” and “Moshe’s CV” to the
dramatic story of our rescue and survival in the wilderness during “Into the Sea” and “Manna from Heaven.” Leadership, bravery, faith, and doubt define some of the critical moments in these texts and offer us a rich backdrop for challenging our own assumptions.

THE HOLOCAUST AS
REFLECTED IN DIARIES AND MEMOIRS

• A literary journey into the world of Jewish individuals and
  communities as the events of the Holocaust unfold around them.
  
• A profound record of first-person accounts in diaries and
  memories uncovered in the years since the Holocaust.
  
• Remarkable insights into the struggle for life as both young and old writers describe day-to-day life coping in the ghettoes,
  imprisoned in the death camps, hiding on the run, and fighting for their lives. 
  
• Unforgettable images that help us understand the real events of
  the Holocaust and its legacy for us today.

ISRAELI LITERATURE AS A WINDOW
TO ISRAELI SOCIETY

• A Literary journey that offers a fresh and fascinating examination of Israeli society since the birth of the State in 1948.
  
• An encounter with Israeli society through the pens of Israel’s leading writers, where students will discover an Israeli society that is original, contemporary, honest and proud.
  
• Profound insights into the Israeli national psyche as
  reflections of the mythic Israel are matched by poetry and prose that is challenging and self-critical.

Scholar’s Courses designed for Melton Graduates. Students with high level text study skills are welcome to enroll.

Mondays
Shemot I: From Slavery to Sinai
Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh
10:15 - 11:30 a.m.
20 Sessions: Beginning Oct. 5                Tuition: $375
TCP: Bible & Commentaries - 12.5 credits

Ethics of Jewish Living     (View flyer)
Rabbi Moshe Shulman
Ehtical challenges for an ethically challenging time
Exploring topics such as: Jewish approaches to making ethical decisions, ransoming captives, equity and justice, for you or for me, end of life decisions, power of the spoken word, donating organs before and after death, Jews and Gentiles...and much more!

Young Israel Congregation, 8101 Delmar Blvd.
7:30-8:45 p.m.
Young Israel Congregaton Members        Tuition: $100 
Non-members                                           Tuition: $250

$36 Book and material fee
Partial Scholarship Available - Contact Cyndee Levy

Melton Graduates Special Price: $75 Tuition plus $36 for the new course book and materials.

COURSE PREVIEW:
Tuesday, Nov. 17 7-8 p.m.
at the home of Ken & Cyndee Levy
333 S. Mason Road
(dessert reception and course overview with sample lesson)

Wednesday, Nov. 18 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
at Traditional Congregation
12437 Ladue Road
(light lunch and course overview with sample lesson)
*****$5 suggested donation*****

RSVP for Course Preview call 442-3754 or 576-5230

Tuesdays
Israeli Literature As a Window to Israeli Society
Marcia Moskowitz
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
10 Sessions: Beginning Oct. 6                Tuition: $180
TCP: Judaic Elective - 5 credits

Shiv'im Panim: Seventy Faces of Wisdom
Rabbi Seth Gordon
Traditional Congregation
7-8:30 p.m.
20 Sessions:  Beginning Dec. 1
Traditional Congregaton Members        Tuition: $60  Book/Materials: $25
Non-members                                        Tuition: $300 Book/Materials: $25

COURSE PREVIEW:
Tuesday, Nov. 17 7-8 p.m.
at the home of Ken & Cyndee Levy
333 S. Mason Road
(dessert reception and course overview with sample lesson)

Wednesday, Nov. 18 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
at Traditional Congregation
12437 Ladue Road
(light lunch and course overview with sample lesson)
*****$5 suggested donation*****

RSVP for Course Preview call 442-3754 or 576-5230

Wednesdays
Bereshit I: From Adam to Abraham
Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh
7:15 - 8:30 p.m.
20 Sessions: Beginning Oct. 7                Tuition: $375
TCP: Bible & Commentaries - 12.5 credits

Israeli Literature As A Window to Israeli Society
Marcia Moskowitz
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
10 Sessions: Beginning Oct. 7                Tuition: $180
TCP: Judaic Elective - 5 credits

Thursdays
Shemot I: From Slavery to Sinai
Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh
10:15 - 11:30 a.m.
20 Sessions: Beginning Oct. 8                Tuition: $375
TCP: Bible & Commentaries - 12.5 credits

The Holocaust as Reflected in Diaries and Memoirs
Felicia Graber
10:00-11:30 a.m.
10 Sessions: Beginning Oct.15               Tuiton: $275
TCP: Jewish History - 7.5 credits

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New Student Readers: Bound Core Curriculum Books Now Available

Beginning this year, the FMAMS Core Curriculum Student Readers have been reformatted and bound into four beautiful books, as displayed below.  Several IAA members and graduates have asked to purchase the books to replace their binders and, as such, we are offering the set of four for purchase at a cost of $100 plus shipping and handling. 

Twenty percent of the purchase price will be shared with our local Mini-School site. 

If you would like to review the texts, please stop by Cyndee Levy's office.

If you are interested in purchasing sets of 2009/2010 Student Readers, please contact Irene Bennett at ibennett@fmams.org.il or 847-714-9843 x 300. 

Visit the Melton Website

There will always be someone to answer your questons.  Visit the International Melton website at www.fmams.org.il.

Rhythms rewritten in 2008
Ethics rewritten in 2006
Dramas rewritten in 2004
(We are now using the Heritage DVD-ROM in the classroom.)

• Purposes scheduled for rewrite in 2010

Melton Israel Seminar - This is an experience--and what an experience!  Open only to Melton students, graduates and their adult family members.  There are seminar opportunites throughout the year that enable you to tour Israel as well as study Jewish texts with accomplished scholars.  Moreover, you'll meet and mingle with Melton students and graduates from all over the United States--as dynamic and engergizing a bunch as you're ever likely to meet.  For more information, contact Haim Aronovitz at (877) 729-2805 or locally contact Cyndee Levy at (314) 442-3754.

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Our Students Say...

- "These two years of adult education have been among the most rewarding of my entire educational career."  

- "I now find myself thirsty for more information - wanting to study, challenge, analyze, discuss even further."

- "It has been a gift to study with teachers I respect."

- "I am a better person because of what I learned at Melton."

- "Melton has been a life-changing experience for me and my family."

- "It is incredible how much you can get out of a class."

- "Text based classes - a phenomenal way to study, discuss and interpret."

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Links

www.fmams.org.il  

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Snow Schedule and School Closing

OVERNIGHT SNOW FALL

When Parkway schools are closed due to snow or ice,
then morning Melton Mini-School is closed.

DAYTIME SNOW FALL

School closing will be decided by 4:00 p.m.

Cancellation announcements will be made on the following stations,
as well as, the CAJE School Closing phone line and on this website:
TV Channels: 2, 4, 5, 30
Radio Stations: KMOX 1120 AM

CAJE School Closing Phone Line: (314) 442-3775

Melton Mini-School closing will be referred to as the"CAJE Adult Education Evening Classes" and "CAJE Adult Education Morning Classes."

Efforts will be made to call program participants about school and class cancellations.

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Alunmi Association

MISSION

The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Alumni Association is committed to the growth of the Mini-School; supporting the growth of alumni programs, investing in facultydevelopment, enhancing the relationship between the Mini-School and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and between Israel and the Diaspora.

OUR PURPOSE

Our purpose is to provide specialized learning and programming for Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Alumni Assoicaton members, to support and promote our local site, to recruit for the undergraduate and graduate programs, and to enhance the relationship with the FMAMS International Alumni Association and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

What your alumni membership provides our community?

You tax deductible annual membership dues include a contribution to the FMAMS International Alumni Association to build bridges between our local Mini-School, the FMAMS International Association and the Hebrew University.

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS

$36 Bronze:
      Invitation to an annual alumni learning event.

$72 Silver:
      Free registration to an annual alumni learning event

$100 Gold:
      Free registration to an annual alumni learning event
      Opportunity to audit CORE Melton courses at no cost

$250 Platinum:
      Free registration to an annual alumni learning event
      Opportunity to audit CORE Melton courses at no cost
      A one-time tuition credit of $50 toward any Melton Series course

Print or view the Alumni Association Brochure

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