2012: Micol Zimmerman Burkeman
Pop Torah:
Exploring Torah through Pop Culture and Pop Culture Through Torah
Micol Zimmerman Burkeman received her B.A. in Communication at the University of Southern California and her Masters in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. She was the recipient of the David and Shirley Toomim Foundation Scholarship and The Rabbi Mordecai and Eve Soloff Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. She has spent the last ten years furthering Jewish education at URJ summer camp, numerous synagogues from Los Angeles all the way to London, and currently at The Jewish Education Project in New York, where she works to elevate the field of Jewish teen engagement. She has also presented at a number of conferences, including Limmud UK and the URJ Biennial.
Micol has a deep love for pop culture, and tries to incorporate it as much as possible into her classes, as well as into most conversations. Micol is a firm believer that you can find the sacred even in the most seemingly mundane. Come join her sessions and find out why television can be good for the soul.
Micol lives in Port Washington, NY with her husband Rabbi Danny Burkeman.
Join us for these fun and stimulating scholar sessions:
Occupy Eden: Fall from Paradise or Civil Disobedience?
When Adam and Eve took a bite of that fruit, was it a moment of weakness or an act of defiance? Was the Garden of Eden intended as an eternal paradise or just a temporary fueling station? What constitutes paradise, and is it an attainable goal or a quixotic illusion? Through interactive study of both ancient and modern text and an in-depth look at the film “Pleasantville,” we will explore this iconic story as you never have before.
And God spoke to…Ricky Gervais?
Were the ten commandments the top ten or merely the first ten? How did 613 laws become 10? What could the film “The Invention of Lying” have to do with the Revelation at Sinai? These questions answered, and many more asked, at a session where you will learn as much from Ricky Gervais as you will from Moses.
I Don’t Roll on Shabbos!
What does “Shomer Shabbos” really mean? How did resting on the seventh day of creation transform into a long list of don’ts? Do “The Big Lebowski,” “The Simpsons,” and YouTube really have anything to teach us about the day of rest? In this session, we will explore the meaning of Shabbat through text, film, television, and some good ole’ conversation, and perhaps even re-evaluate our own Shabbat observance.
Scripture, The Simpsons, and Southpark on Suffering
What do Job, Ned Flanders, and Kyle from Southpark, have in common? Is it possible to laugh while exploring the human response to suffering? Can you answer a question with another question? Come find out and get ready to laugh.
Pop Torah
How can popular culture enrich our study of Torah? How can Torah enhance our consumption of popular culture? We look to the Rabbis for ancient wisdom, but can we look to “The Simpsons” as well? Through an entertaining variety of film, television and YouTube clips, we will explore how we can turn our everyday encounter with popular culture into an opportunity to encounter Torah, and how we can uncover the sacred in the seemingly mundane.
