Never has a course on the Holocaust been taught like this. Together, students and teachers face head-on the deepest Jewish questions possible and explore them at a level of meaning that touches the soul. The Holocaust is the event of the last century that most marked the face of contemporary Jewish life. As a community we have continually affirmed "Never Again." Over the years, we have dedicated ourselves to documenting every detail, so that this act of horror will never be repeated. Now, 65 years later, the need has come to expand the discourse to a new level of study. We must formally confront our deepest beliefs about what it means to continue to live as a Jew.

The course will ponder our most difficult yet most relevant questions:

How can we develop the inner resources to deal with crisis?

What does Judaism say about faith and tragedy?

What does Judaism say about how we view our own suffering?

What does Judaism say about how we view someone else's suffering?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

What kind of people follow orders?

What kind of people resist orders?

The course will explore altruism, anti-Semitism, the existence of evil, and the search for meaning in the face of suffering. The class will be conducted through dynamic facilitated conversation. Participants will be encouraged to consider multiple perspectives about the subject matter and to articulate their personal responses. Students will explore how the Holocaust affects them psychologically, theologically and ethically. This will be a challenging class from many perspectives. For those who decide to embrace its power, their inner lives will never be the same.