The Program in Jewish Culture and Society in the college of Liberal Arts & Sciences has organized a Jewish studies colloquium where students and faculty can exchange and discuss ideas about Judaism. At these meetings, a scholar will discuss a paper that is posted online for participants to read. The workshop meets from 4:30-6:30 in the English building, and provides faculty with insight for future research and publications. For dates, e-mail Matti Bunzl in 109 English building.

There is more to the Jewish Women’s Circle than just coffee cake and gossip, according to Goldie Teichtel. The wife of Chabad Jewish Center in Urbana Rabbi Dovid Teichtel, Goldie told CampusJ that the group she’s founded for intellectual women from the Champaign-Urbana area meets to discuss topics like the weekly Torah portion and women in Judaism.
These women come from different backgrounds and practice different levels of Jewish observance, but Teichtel wrote CampusJ in an e-mail that despite their differences, “The greatest part about the Women’s Circle is that it is an intimate environment.”
The program has a personal impact, Teichtel said, because she prepares stories, topics, and issues that the Circle can apply and find relevant to their own lives.
“People really get into it and go back and forth with great discussions,” Teichtel wrote, adding “My hope is that people walk away inspired and with something they can apply to their lives- whether it’s a change in attitude, resolutions for the upcoming week, or a thought to make them smile.”
The group will next meet at Chabad on campus at 2 p.m. on March 2nd.

Evan Handler, who played the role of Harry Goldenblatt in the HBO series, will be coming to the UIUC campus on February 27th. He will be lecturing based upon his new book, “It’s Only Temporary… the Good News and Bad News of Being Alive,” which will be published in the fall of 2007. In this lecture, Handler will discuss the success of his battle with acute myeloid leukemia that consumed his body nearly twenty years ago. Aside from Sex and the City, Handler has appeared on television shows such as Lost, The West Wing, Six Feet Under, and Friends. This event is sponsored by the Illini Hillel, the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation and various other student organizations. The lecture takes place from 7-9 p.m. at Foellinger Auditorium and is free.

Tomorrow at the Courtyard Cafe in the Union there will be an opportunity to eat lunch and discuss the music of the famous singer, Matisyahu. The reggae lyrics of this Chasidic singer will be analyzed for Jewish meanings and references. The lunch starts at 1:00 p.m. and ends at 1:45 p.m. You don’t want to miss this!

Hadag Nachash, Israel’s top hip-hop group, will be playing at the Canopy Club at 708 S. Goodwin St. in Urbana on February 14th at 8 p.m. The band is famous for blending Western pop music with ethnic music, and is known for their leftist political statements in their lyrics. Tickets are selling for $10.