This two-lecture series will discuss Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. It will cover both armed and unarmed resistance with a focus on education and the role of women.

January 17 & 19, 2022

Erica Nadelhaft is the Education Coordinator at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. Erica Nadelhaft was born in Madison, Wisconsin, but grew up in Maine and Scotland (United Kingdom). She is an adjunct professor of World and European history at the University of Maine at Fort Kent and received a BA in History from Brandeis University and a MA in Contemporary Jewish Studies with a specialization in the Holocaust from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her article, “Resistance through Education: Jewish Youth Movements in Warsaw”, was published in POLIN: Studies in Polish Jewry (Oxford University Press). She has also worked as a book group facilitator and program evaluator for the Maine Humanities Council and as a Polish and Hebrew translator for POLIN. She is a regular lecturer for the Fort Kent Senior College. She has three grown daughters and lives in Fort Kent, Maine, with her husband.

This is a three-session lecture on the Cuban Revolution that began in July of 1953. This wasn't the first revolution in Cuba. The presenter will discuss how and why it succeeded, as well as the Cuban and U.S. personalities involved.

January 18 & 25 and February 1, 2022

Diane Parker is retired from teaching. Her last 20 years were teaching Spanish. When writing an assignment for a class towards a BA in Spanish, she became intrigued with Cuba. After doing her research she is still intrigued by that country.

This course will examine the criminal justice system in Maine. We will review how the current system functions and how race, gender, poverty, and other factors affect the outcome of cases. We will also look at current criminal justice issues as well as learn about the historical evolution of the modern criminal justice system.

Mr. Robinson is the current District Attorney of Franklin and Androscoggin Counties.

This trip to HHRC is in concert with “Jewish Resistance during the Holocaust” class being presented by Erica Nadelhaft. As the Education Director at HHRC, Erica will conclude her zoom sessions with an in-person walk-through and presentation at the Michael Klahr Center located on the campus of University of Maine Augusta.

In polling current GLI members, it has become clear that even though past terms have offered this very rewarding trip, many current members have never experienced the wealth of the displays and videos at the Center. Together with Erica Nadelhaft’s lectures, these two offerings provide very different insights regarding this history which we are advised to “Never Forget.”

Due to possible Covid-19 restrictions, the dates of this trip may need to be adjusted. Participants are asked to consider bringing a donation for the Center. Those wishing to stay in Augusta for lunch at a local restaurant will need funds for the meal.

Snow date January 27

Eileen has led numerous trips for Gold LEAF Institute (GLI) in the past.. She is currently wrapping up her last year of service on the GLI Board of Directors.

Erica Nadelhaft is the Education Coordinator at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. Erica Nadelhaft was born in Madison, Wisconsin, but grew up in Maine and Scotland (United Kingdom). She is an adjunct professor of World and European history at the University of Maine at Fort Kent and received a BA in History from Brandeis University and a MA in Contemporary Jewish Studies with a specialization in the Holocaust from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her article, “Resistance through Education: Jewish Youth Movements in Warsaw”, was published in POLIN: Studies in Polish Jewry (Oxford University Press). She has also worked as a book group facilitator and program evaluator for the Maine Humanities Council and as a Polish and Hebrew translator for POLIN. She is a regular lecturer for the Fort Kent Senior College. She has three grown daughters and lives in Fort Kent, Maine, with her husband.

During his tenure at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the Moosehead Lake Region, Paul captured the diversity of plant and animal life in photographs. In this presentation Paul will share some of the highlights of common and not so common wildflowers found in Maine. This presentation should be a great way to segue from winter into spring.

In the event of snow the presentation will be moved to February 3rd.

Prior to retiring in 2005 Paul worked as a biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the Moosehead Lake region.

This course will introduce some of the basics of building science as it relates to health and energy efficiency. It will include a history of the efforts to make buildings more energy efficient, and the pitfalls encountered along the way. The focus will be on the specific issues that need to be addressed in the New England climate to create a healthy, comfortable, and very energy efficient home.

Tom has worked in construction/contracting for over 30 years. He has also earned a degree in biology and taught science for eight years. Over time he came to realize that homes have a huge impact on the environment as well as the health of those who live in them. During his quest to learn how to build the ideal house for both occupant health and energy efficiency he earned certification as a PHIUS certified builder as well as the ICC, and has spent many hours researching building science.

This course will provide a summary of the history and current theories on the origin of life. The focus will be on modern black smoker vents on the seafloor, where very hot (up to 400 degrees C) metal- and sulfur-rich fluids escape upward from fractures in lava into the ocean. This process forms small to very large mineral deposits containing iron, copper, zinc, and in places lead, silver, and gold. Surrounding these hot fluid vents are myriad life forms, first discovered in 1978, that unlike all other life on Earth do not rely on photosynthesis (directly or indirectly), but instead on chemical compounds within the hot vent fluids. Ancient examples of these black smoker deposits are known in rocks up to 3.8 billion years old, suggesting that these strange ecosystems represent the locus of life's origin on our planet.

John F. Slack (Ph.D., Stanford University), worked as a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey from 1976 to 2016. An Emeritus Scientist with USGS, he is adjunct professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland. His field work has involved studies throughout the US (chiefly New England, the Rocky Mountains, and Alaska) and Canada as well as in much of Europe (mainly Norway), and in Australia, China, Japan, and southern Africa. He resides in Farmington with his wife, Peggy Yocom.

Mahjong is a popular Chinese tile game played at leisure by four people or fewer. It is a relaxed and fun game so players can socialize with their friends while playing. Playing mahjong keeps the mind sharp and active because it involves skills and strategies.

Classes are Fridays, February 11 & 25.

Co-Presenter: Eddie Yuen. 

Carole Lee is an associate professor at UMF. Eddie Yuen is a retired math teacher.