Schedule: This course will take place on Zoom on Tuesdays for 10 weeks (9/9/2025 - 11/18/2025)  From 10:30 AM until Noon.  Note: There is no class on 9/23/2025).

Description:

The term “antisemitism” is carrying a lot of confusing political and cultural weight in the United States today. Many Americans have pressing questions about the evolving use of the term, finding it difficult to sort and articulate these questions. The Antisemitism Labyrinth will provide a learning community in which we will, through historical overview and guided inquiry, lift ourselves out of the confusing maze of the heated debates of 2025, to a clearer sense of who we are, Jews and non-Jews alike, and where we stand. Materials will range from in-depth journalism and commentary after October 7, 2023, to curated historical sources, to educational resources developed to address antisemitism at the college level.

Overview of classes

1. The Plot Against America/The Cassandra Conundrum
2. The Longest Hatred” and the Pain of Human Migration
3. The Rise of the West—Caught in Contradiction
4. A Fateful Century—Zionism and Holocaust/Fascism and Colonialism
5. Coming to America—Jews, Race, Identity and Assimilation
6. The Rise of Israel and Global Anti-Racism
7. The Rise of Israel and Global Anti-Racism
8. Backlash—Antisemitism and Racial Reckoning
9. Backlash—Antisemitism and Higher Education
10. The Antisemitism Labyrinth

Required Materials:

The course will be based on a series of articles, which the instructor will provide in pdf format. No preparation is required for the first class.

 Instructor Bio:

 Joshua Frank worked as an educator for twenty-eight years in public schools--sixteen as a teacher, and twelve as an administrator. He completed his undergraduate education at UMass/Amherst, and received Master’s degrees from UMass/Boston and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His areas of special interest include fostering positive, effective teacher-student relationships, and promoting cultural competence and equity in schools. Josh’s 2007 Education Digest article, “When White Educators Discipline Students of Color,” was republished as a “classic” in the August 2015 Connections: The Journal of the National School Reform Faculty

Schedule: This course will take place on Zoom on 5 Wednesdays (9/10/2025 - 10/8/2025) from 10:30AM until Noon.

Description: 

We show our faces on Zoom, but not much else. Who are we and what do we like in our environments? What kind of artwork do you have on your walls? Original Picassos? Your own paintings? Photos of your family? Musical instruments? Share with others the wall art that brings you joy. Bring us into your home and tell us the stories and histories of the items that you have put on your walls.

Students will take the class on a virtual tour of their homes, showing us a selection of the artwork on their walls. Each student will have about 15 minutes to show us 1-3 pieces of wall art and to tell us the history and significance of the piece. What does it mean to them? Where did it come from? The amount of time spent with each student will depend on the number of students taking the class. 

Students will answer these questions:

1. Pick a primary category for this piece: 
   a. Esthetics – I like it for how it looks
   b. Meaning – it represents something I’m interested      
   c. Connection – it connects me to someone in my life
2. Explain why you categorized it that way.

The class will have an opportunity to ask their own questions inspired by the art and the stories told about it. The course will have a shared class board where students will be able to upload a photo of the piece of artwork, categorize it, and say why. Other students will then be able to leave comments about the artwork.

Required Materials: 

Students will need to connect to Zoom on their smart phones or tablets so that they can walk around their home showing the wall art.

Prep for First Class:

Students should evaluate their wall art and identify which piece or pieces have the most interesting stories. At least 5-6 students should be prepared to present for the first class.

Instructor Bio: 

Thea Iberall is a writer and storyteller. Her ecofeminist novel, The Swallow and the Nightingale, is about a 4,000-year-old secret brought through time by the birds. Some of her wall art is related to her novel.

Schedule: This course will take place on Zoom on Wednesdays at 1:30 PM for 5 weeks (9/10/25 - 10/8/25)

Course Description:

Cat Brushing is a critically aclaimed collection of short sotires by the English author Jane Campbell.  She published it (her first!) when she was 80 years old.

The stories were beautifully written with wisdom and wit, illuminate the inner lives of older women as fullly formed, complex human beings, without the stereotyping that often presents us as carictures. 

Good Reads described it this way, "A rousing and original debut story collection that probes the erotic, emotional, and intellectual lives of older women."

There are 13 stories in the collection. We will read them all and will discuss a selectionof them in depth. Class discussions will be led by five Rainbow members.

This book is a treat! We are excited

1st week - Alison Morgan, focus on “Lamia”

2nd week - Bonnie Hallisey, focus on “Lockdown Fantasms”

3rd week - Margaret Kelner, focus on “Lacrimae Rerum”

4th week - Abbie Padgett, focus on “183 Minutes”

5th week - Leah Ziph, focus on “On Being Alone”

Reqired Materials:

 “Cat Brushing” by Jane Campbell.

The book is available through various library systems, in bookstores and from Amazon.

Prep for the First Class:

Read the book (or as much of it as possible) - at least including “Lamia.” All the discussions will refer to themes recurring throughout the collection,rather than just bhe specific story for that week.

Schedule: This course will be at the Arlington COA for 5 Tuesdays (10/21/2025 -11-18/2025) starting at 1:30 PM.

Directions and Parking: https://www.rainbowlliboston.org/location

Description: An improvisational painting workshop using the power of play,experimentation, and intuition to create unique paintings that will surprise and delight you. Absolutely no talent or previous experience is required—yet this process can be freeing for practicing artists, too.

We build our paintings by adding layers week by week.

Session 1: Start Where You Art. We start by scribbling on the canvases to loosen up and warm up. We paint words of intention on the surface. Then we make broad strokes of bold color, using big brushes. We start with a warm color palette on one canvas (red, orange, yellow, pink) and a cool palette on the other (green, blue, teal, violet). Then we add a bit of black and white to both paintings. 

Session 2: Happy Little Accidents Today is all about play. We will make random marks and lines. We will swoop, drip, swirl, sketch and stamp with fingers, objects, stencils, and smaller brushes. Each layer has a presence; we don’t obliterate layers but instead use the improvisational principle of “yes, and” to build our paintings.

Session 3: Mapping and Creating Zones Rather than boss our paintings around, today we look at and listen to our paintings. What areas do we especially love? Which areas can we quieten down? What might the painting want to be when it grows up? We experiment with taking away some of the noise, finding focal points, and creating zones of differentcolors. We go on scavenger hunts for shapes and marks inspired by the studio environment, online images, or walking around in nature. 

Session 4: Subject Matters This session is all about exploring composition. We may chalk outlines on our canvas, or we may create masking shapes or stencils out of paper to create designs that feel “on purpose.” The instructor has a stencil library for painters to use, as well as a projector that will allow artists to draw outlines of digital images if they wish.

Session 5: Wholeness and Completion Today we put the finishing touches on our paintings, including our artist signature. Some may wish to make small final marks with acrylic markers, which will be provided. We will do a gallery walk of each other’s work, and comment on what we love. We reflect on what the process has taught us and dream and scheme about possible next steps on our creative itinerary.

Required Material: 

Two square canvases or wood panels, approx 20" x 20"
Students may be asked to pay a small fee to cover the costs of shared paints and brushes.

Preparation for the First Class: 

Gather the above supplies, along with comfortable clothes that are ok for painting in, and/or an apron to protect clothing. Not necessary, but interested students might wish to read Brave Intuitive Painting by Flora Bowley.

 Instructor Bio: 

Liz Heichelbech is an author, artist, educator and creativity coach. She believes that art making is for everyone, and is passionate about encouraging and cultivating the joy, freedom, and wisdom of creative engagement. After retiring from a career as a middle school teacher and instructional coach, Liz attended the Martha Beck Wayfinder Life Coach School and is now growing her own creative coaching business, Creative Incites. She is working on her third book, paints on commission and for pleasure, and teaches a variety of creative courses in the Boston area.

Schedule: This course will take place on Zoom for 5 Wednesdaiys (10/22/2025 - 11/19/2025) from 1:30PM to 3:00PM.

Description: 
A stimulating and thought-provoking series about four women philosophers of the 20th century: Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), Simone Weil (1900- 1943), Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), and Edith Stein (1891-1942). Learn about the work of these influential women whose ideas have had an impact beyond philosophical circles and into everyday thinking.  The women included in this mini-series wrote and thought extensively about philosophical topics. These women have been selected because of the significance of their thought. Although their work is recognizably philosophical, they suffered from some ostracism and the importance of their thought may have been neglected, ignored, or forgotten. Male dominance has meant that women who pursued a scholarly life in philosophy were frequently regarded as unusual and their work may have been derogate. We will articulate what is different about the contributions of women to philosophical endeavors. And we will concentrate on women who were considered important philosophers in their time: Simone deBeauvoir, Edith Stein, Simone Weil, and Hannah Arendt. The goal of this short series is to bring out the indisputable contributions of these fourwomen to the philosophy of the 20th century.

Session 1: Introduction: Women and philosophy.  Introduction to the work of four influential women philosophers of the 20th century whose work has had an impact beyond philosophical circles and into everyday thinking. 

Session 2: Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), one of the best-known philosophers of the 20 th century is credited with originating the concept of “the other.” She is best known for “The Second Sex,” published in 1949, about the condition of women. 

Session 3: Simone Weil (1900-1943), daughter of a French Jewish family, lived her life at the edge of Christianity but never converted. Her preoccupation with justice moved her to work in factories and experience firsthand the hardships of workers. 

Session 4: Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), influential political philosopher, generated a wide-ranging debate on the nature of totalitarianism. Arendt left Germany in 1933 and came to the U.S. as a refugee. She taught at several major universities in this country. 

Session 5: Edith Stein (1891-1942) studied and wrote about empathy, individually and as a community building force. Born to a Jewish family, she converted to Catholicism and became a Carmelite nun. She was put to death in Auschwitz. An active feminist, she believed women had unique capacities and deserved equal rights. 

Summary and Conclusions.
There will not be any specific “homework” but participants will be encouraged to read more about these philosophers. A list of bibliographic resources will be provided after each session. The class itself will be about 70% lecture and 30% percent discussion, questions, and active participation throughout the lectures.

Required Materials:

Bibliographical resources will be provided for each session for those participants who may be interested in learning more about these women philosophers and their contributions to philosophical thought and everyday Life.

No prep is required for the first class.

Instructor Bio:

Oliva M. Espín is Professor Emerita of Women’s Studies at San Diego State University and the California School of Professional Psychology. She was a pioneer in the practice and theory of feminist therapy with women from different cultural backgrounds, particularly immigrants and refugees. A native of Cuba, she received her BA from the University of Costa Rica, her PhD from the University of Florida, and did post-doctoral work at Harvard University. She is the recipient of many awards, most recently the award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology from the American Psychological Association. Dr. Espín recently published Women, Sainthood, and Power: A Feminist Psychology of Cultural Constructions and My Native Land is Memory: Stories of a Cuban Childhood, winner of the 2021 San Diego Book Award.