News and Updates

Julie Mathias Casual Conversation February 26th, 2023

Please join us on Sunday, February 26 at 3 pm Eastern Time (US), for a tour of Julie Mathias’s art studio in Chicago, led by, of course, Julie herself.  Julie is the third Mathias to be the guest of a Casual Conversation.  Her husband, classmate and former Class President John Mathias, spoke to us about his pro bono legal work on behalf of individuals who faced the possibility of the death penalty.  Their daughter Alice Mathias spent time with us discussing her career in the entertainment industry as producer and director.

Casual Conversation February 8, 2023 with Sue Leavitt and a piano

Something new for our virtual community: a music recital!  Sue Leavitt, wife of classmate John Leavitt, will give us a piano performance on Zoom on February 8 at Noon Eastern Time (US).  The timing will be a lunchtime recital for the East Coast, and a late breakfast for those on the West Coast.  If you live in between, listen to beautiful music to accompany your brunch.  Whatever time zone you are in, make sure that you join us to celebrate: champagne (or rare tea) would be appropriate.
 

Casual Conversation January 23, 2023 with Rabbi Greenstein

You are invited to join in a Casual Conversation sponsored by the Jewish Culture Group, and arranged by Group chair and classmate Bruce Alpert, with Rabbi Micah Greenstein, senior rabbi of Temple Israel in Memphis TN, to be held on Zoom on Monday, January 23, 2023, at 5 pm Eastern Time (US).
 
Our guest is Bruce’s Rabbi.  The topic chosen is:  “The Israel of today is NOT the Israel we knew."
 
The following column was written by Rabbi Greenstein and published in The Daily Memphian on Friday, December 23, 2022:

Come see "A Flea in Her Ear"

On this Sunday, December 18, at 1 pm Eastern (US) time, the Traveling Troupe, made up of classmates and others, will present a reading on Zoom of classmate Eric Forsythe’s translation and adaptation of A Flea in Her Ear, which is widely believed to be the greatest of all French farces by the greatest of all French farceurs, Georges Feydeau.
 

Important Update on the Harari-Sapiens Casual Conversation event

Due to a family conflict for Arthur (playing with grandkids), the discussion of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari has been moved from December 28 of this year to January 17 of next year and from 3 pm Eastern to 4:30 pm Eastern.
 
Thus far, the following have signed up:  Peter Elias, Daniel Cooperman, Peter Schaeffer, Steven Horwitz, and David Abbott.
 
The change of date allows more people to have the time to read the book and join us.  Please consider doing so.
 
Arthur
 

Casual Conversation about Alzheimers December 20, 2022 with Jennifer Rauch

On Tuesday, December 20 at 4:30 pm Eastern Time (US), Jennifer Rauch will join us for a Casual Conversation.  Ms. Rauch is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst.   Our Class President Jim Staros asked her to spend time with us, and she has generously agreed.  Here is Jim’s email to me from October 21 placing the importance of her work in a context we can all appreciate: