Registration is now being accepted for “This Can Happen,” a new six-session course by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute that is taught locally by Rivkah Slonim of Chabad Center. The course will take place via Zoom and run for six consecutive Mondays, beginning April 26, with the first session at 7 pm and the second beginning 8:45 pm. Sign-in information will be offered to enrolled participants. The course fee is $79 and $150 per couple which includes the text book. To register for the course, visithttps://www.chabadofbinghamton.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/4725643/jewish/Virtual-JLI-Classes-Registration.htm or call Chabad at 797-0015 and ask for Ruth Shea. 

“Many people nurse the 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,” says Slonim, the local JLI Instructor. “Exploring the science of world history and looking at the actual facts paint an eye-opening picture, one that can provide real, practical hope. Those who enroll in this course will have the ubiquitous question answered: is the current situation going to get any better? In fact, participants should prepare to embark on a journey that will explore one of the most misunderstood and maligned topics in the Jewish canon – the future redemption.”

“This Can Happen” will present audiences with an opportunity to 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,” said course organizers.

The subtitle of “This Can Happen,” “A credible case for feeling good about the future,” is indicative of an approach to the topic. “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, NY, 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.