Adult Education at Twinsburg Chabad is dedicated by the Flexer Family,
in memory of Dave & Libby Steinberg

Spring 2025 course: colorful profiles

Short Stories of Extraordinary Lives from Jewish History

Join this four-week journey to encounter twelve stories of Jewish history's most fascinating men and women. Discover the incredible Jewish lives of converts, captives, royal advisors, philosophers, philanthropists, and more. You'll be fascinated by their sacrifices, adventures, and achievements and get a vivid look at our people's rich heritage and history.

Four Wednesday Evenings
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Beginning May 7th

Dinner served each evening

Price: $79 per person
20% Early Bird Discount
10% Family Discount

First night is free and open to the public (Please click below to RSVP)

Lesson Outline

Lesson One
Courageous Converts
What is the Jewish perspective on conversion?
A Roman prince outwits his uncle to study Torah, an Italian priest studies his way to a new life, and a Polish noble meets an old Jew studying Talmud on a Paris park bench; see their journey to Judaism and what came next.

Lesson Two
Influential Jews
What does it mean to be a "light unto the nations"?
Spain’s top Torah scholar leads a Muslim Army, an Amsterdam rabbi with a printshop talks England into readmitting Jews, and a rabbi teaches a Catholic scholar and saves Central Europe’s Jewish book; how did they integrate Judaism into their influence?

Lesson Three
Unsung Heroines
What unique roles have Jewish women played throughout history?
A businesswoman saves thousands from the Inquisition and rebuilds Jewish life across the Mediterranean, and a female Torah scholar shapes Halachic discourse while raising a family, feeding students, and caring for the sick; see the secret ways women shaped Jewish history.

Lesson Four
Heroes and Hostages
How does Jewish tradition guide us in responding to hostage situations?
Four rabbis are captured by 10th-century pirates, Germany’s foremost Jewish leader is held for ransom, and thousands of East European Jews languish in Ottoman slave markets; how did Jewish communities respond?

The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute

JLI's mission is to make Jewish learning accessible and personally meaningful to every person, regardless of background or affiliation. JLI's insightful curricula utilizes cutting-edge pedagogic techniques, embracing the multiple intelligence model and utilizing multimedia and an array of approaches to engage, educate, and inspire all kinds of minds in a dynamic Jewish learning experience.

Serving learning centers in over 1000 communities and on the internet, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) is the world's preeminent provider of Jewish learning. The Twinsburg affiliate of JLI opened in 2022.

This course is made possible in part by the Fund for the Jewish Future of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.