JFGO and the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning bring Jewish Medical Ethics course to Orlando

Have you ever wondered how Jewish texts from hundreds of years ago can inform some of the big ethical questions of the 21st century? In January, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando will offer Jewish Medical Ethics, one of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning’s most popular courses. This 10-week Zoom course — which begins Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021 — will focus on such topics as cloning, prenatal interventions and termination of pregnancy, assisted suicide, and access to health care. While this course may be of special interest to those in the medical fields, it is open to and accessible to anyone with an interest in Judaism and/or the ethical dilemmas facing us today.

Jewish Medical Ethics will be taught by Yael Weinstein, a master teacher, who has taught students of all ages in a wide variety of formal and informal settings. She has been part of the Melton community since 2009, when she started as a faculty member in Colorado. Since then, she has held positions with Melton as a faculty member, school director, and is currently the director of Community and Online Learning with Melton International.

This is the third Melton course that has been offered by the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando since they partnered with the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning a little over a year ago. The Melton School is a world-renowned program based in Israel that provides interactive curricula and master teachers to their schools throughout the world. Keith Dvorchik, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Orlando, explained, “The Melton program is an incredible gem for our community. So many people want to engage in adult Jewish education and struggle with a feeling that they don’t know enough. Melton, while text based, is taught in an incredibly accessible manner. Challenging topics are addressed with meaningful discussion for those who have no Jewish education through those who are Jewish educators. I encourage everybody to sign up and try a course. You won’t be disappointed!”

Jewish Medical Ethics Zoom sessions begin on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, from 7– 8:30 p.m. and run through March 23. The cost of the 10-week course is $295, which includes the student reader. You can register for Jewish Medical Ethics at http://www.events.org/MeltonOrlando. For more information, contact Julia Berger at 321-710-6509 or jberger@jfgo.org.