Course in Orlando bucks trend of bleak predictions

At the end of April, Chabad centers throughout metro Orlando will offer "This Can Happen," a new six-session course, running from April 27-June 1, by the acclaimed Rohr Jewish Learning Institute that will address a pressing question on many minds: Is the current situation going to get any better?

"Many people nurse this idea that matters are getting progressively worse, and, fostered by much hysterical media and general dialogue, an environment of fear and despair is all too rampant," Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad North Orlando, one of the local JLI Instructors, told the Heritage. "Exploring the science of world history and looking at the actual facts paint an eye-opening picture, one that can provide real, practical hope." 

Students who enroll in this course will embark on a journey that will explore one of the most misunderstood and maligned topics in the Jewish canon - the future redemption.

This course will be offered both in person and online. For those choosing to join online, the student textbook will be mailed directly to their homes and the zoom meeting details will be provided before each class 

"This Can Happen" presents audiences with an opportunity to finally appreciate what Judaism really means when it talks about a "Messiah." Considering that for many in the modern world, utopian visions of world peace and endless bounty sound like the stuff of fairy tales, this course summons the sources and the data to dispel such primitive notions and educate audiences that the Messianic era is a deep, broad climax to the entire story of the universe.

The subtitle of "This Can Happen," "A credible case for feeling good about the future," is indicative of an approach to the topic that is particularly timely. 

"Recent events have put so many on the edge, and the longer matters drag on, the louder the voice of helplessness becomes," explained Rabbi Naftali Silberberg of JLI's Brooklyn, New York, headquarters. "If we can make - as stated in our title - a 'credible case' to be optimistic about times ahead, that is remarkably edifying."

As with all of JLI's programs, "This Can Happen" is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a synagogue, temple, or other house of worship.

People interested in participating may visit www.myJLI.com for the closest location to them or for registration and other course-related information.

Chabad of North Orlando will hold the class at Nate's Shul, 1701 Markham Woods Rd., Longwood, 407-636-5994. The course is from 7:30 p.m.- 9 p.m. and the cost is $99 ($10 off before April 21).

JLI, the adult education branch of Chabad-Lubavitch, offers programs in more than 1,600 international locations in the U.S., Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Panama, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela. More than 400,000 students have attended JLI classes since we were founded in 1998.