Denver Graduation 2006

44 ADULTS GRADUATE FROM CAJE’S FLORENCE MELTON ADULT MINI-SCHOOL in COLORADO

Springtime is graduation season – and we often picture excited teenagers heading off into the world of independence.  Yet, CAJE’s dedication to lifelong Jewish learning means that our annual graduation procession also includes a group of learned adults  marching up to receive their certificates marking the completion of two years of serious study through the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School.

This year’s commencement ceremony was particularly significant.  The 2005-06 year marked the seventh year of Melton in Colorado.  CAJE’s Melton school is part of the international Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, a program of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with campuses all over the world.  Thanks to the vision of CAJE Executive Director Daniel W. Bennett and then CAJE Board President Ellen Beller, and with the cooperation of synagogues and community agencies, CAJE’s Melton school was founded in 1999 with 55 students and 4 classes meeting in Denver, Fort Collins, and Evergreen.  It has since grown to include a new satellite in Colorado Springs, multiple days of classes, an unparalleled array of advanced studies courses for graduates, and has served hundreds of adults.        

To mark the significance of this seventh year, Dr. Betsy Dolgin Katz, the North American Director of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, spoke at the graduation ceremony held at Congregation Emanuel.  She reflected on the significance of the number seven in Judaism by noting that “Shabbat [the seventh day] and holidays are times set aside for spiritual pursuits.  They are times for celebrating the gifts God has given us – whether it be the six days of creation, our history, or the agricultural gifts of the seasons.  When we count in sevens, we are making room for holiness in our lives, holiness in the time we have to spend in this world … Seven years of learning and teaching, seven years of growing as a center of adult learning, seven years of conferences in Israel and North America for your director and faculty, seven years of Seminars in Israel for students. Seven years of creating a community that not only shares conversations on the big questions in life but also supports one another in happiness and tragedy.”            

With friends and family there to participate, 44 adults received Melton graduation certificates this year, and it was indeed an evening to celebrate the holiness of their achievements and commitment to learning. For Melton, graduation does not mean an ending.  In fact, Colorado’s Florence Melton Adult Mini-School boasts one of the most comprehensive “Advanced Studies” course offerings for graduates of any Melton program worldwide.  As Sue Parker Gerson, CAJE’s Melton Director likes to say, “They just keep coming back!”   In this spirit, Gerson unveiled the new and expanded Advanced Studies for Melton Graduates course catalog at the commencement ceremony, handing copies to the new graduates along with their graduation certificates.  Already, classes are filling. 

Melton Honors the Memory of one Beloved Student This past spring, CAJE’s Florence Melton Adult Mini-School community mourned the loss of fellow student Ken Stern.  Ken was a second year Melton student, a member of Congregation Rodef Shalom, and an active, young member of our Jewish community.  His tragic and untimely death saddened the community and, yet, also inspired it.  His fellow classmates and teachers have created a scholarship fund to provide scholarships in perpetuity in his memory.  This scholarship will be an endowed fund which will help make a Melton education available to others in our community who are not able to otherwise participate.

“Ken was a wonderful student and a good friend,” reflects CAJE’s Melton Director Sue Parker Gerson. “It is a fitting tribute that his classmates have chosen to honor his memory in this way – by  creating opportunities for others to learn.”

Graduation Speech

Denver Mini-School

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