January Programs At Temple Beth El Of Huntington

Thursday, January 10

7:30-9:00PM

 

Alexander Hamilton:  The Jewish Founding Father

Thousands of miles from the Old World, on a sun-kissed island in the West Indies, a young boy named Alexander Hamilton began a most unlikely journey in the 1750’s. His meteoric rise from Caribbean obscurity to American founder has long captivated historians and, more recently, theater audiences. Yet one crucial aspect of Hamilton’s life has remained submerged for centuries: the weight of the evidence suggests that he was, in fact, Jewish. Drawing on untapped sources in the West Indies, Dr. Andrew Porwancher makes the case for Hamilton’s Jewish upbringing and explores his ongoing relationships with Jews throughout his lifetime.

 

Andrew Porwancher, Ph.D., is the Wick Cary Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma where he has appointments in Constitutional Studies and Judaic Studies. He has held fellowships at Oxford and Princeton, and is currently completing his third book, The Jewish Life of Alexander Hamilton, which is being published by Harvard University Press.

 

Free and open to all, light refreshments and coffee will be served.

Sponsored by the Adult Education Committee.

 

R.S.V.P. and questions to templeoffice@tbeli.org.

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Thursday, January 17

7:30-9:00PM

 

Rod Serling’s “The Comedian” w. Film Historian Philip Harwood

Special Book Signing by Nicolas Parisi

 

Join us for the concluding session of Rod Serling: The Early Years. Film Historian Philip Harwood will discuss and screen the 1957 Playhouse 90 broadcast of The Comedian. Adapted by Serling from a novella by Ernest Lehman, The Comedian was directed by John Frankenheimer, and starred Mickey Rooney, Edmond O’ Brien, Mel Torme, and Kim Hunter. Rooney portrays a lecherous, vicious television comedian, who tears down everyone around him, including his head writer (O’ Brien), and his verbally abused brother Lester (Torme, in a surprisingly strong dramatic role).

 

In addition to the screening and discussion, we will be joined by Long Island author Nicholas Parisi, author of the new biography Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination. Mr. Parisi will discuss Rod Serling’s career and will have copies of his book on hand to autograph.

 

Free and open to all, light refreshments and coffee will be served.

Sponsored by the Adult Education Committee.

 

R.S.V.P. and questions to templeoffice@tbeli.org.

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Thursday, January 31

7:30-9:00PM

 

Wit and Wisdom w. NPR Broadcaster and Author David Bouchier

 

Sharp, insightful and amusing defines David Bouchier’s documentation of the absurdities of modern life. Throughout his memoir, An Unexpected Life, Bouchier peppers short vignettes with wit and keen observation. He relays his journey from high school dropout to college professor, radio host, and writing teacher, from Britain to America, with many interludes in Europe, specifically France. Listeners relish his entertaining, enlightening, and sometimes exasperated commentaries on the routines that carry us through the year; the surreal rituals of politics, the unsettling experience of travel, and the comedies of everyday life.

 

Free and open to all, light refreshments and coffee will be served.

Sponsored by the Adult Education Committee.

 

R.S.V.P. and questions to templeoffice@tbeli.org.

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Temple Beth El of Huntington, 660 Park Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743, 631-421-5835, www.tbeli.org

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