WEDNESDAYS | October 26, 2022 – December 7, 2022 |Six Weeks
(Oct 26, Nov 2, Nov 9, Nov 16, Nov 30, Dec 7)
9:30am – 10:30am 60 minutes

Instructor: Beri Kaplan Schwitzer
Location: Aaron Family Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Rd, Dallas, TX 75230

About the Course:
Through the works of Edward Kritzler and other modern sources, we will tell the tale of an unlikely group of swashbuckling Jews who ransacked the high seas in the aftermath of the Spanish Inquisition. In ships bearing names such as Prophet Samuel, Queen Esther, and King Solomon, they attacked and plundered the Spanish fleet while forming alliances with other European powers to ensure the safety of Jews in hiding.

About the Instructor:
A native Las Vegan who didn’t have the aspirations to be a showgirl, Beri Kaplan Schwitzer put her time, energy, and enthusiasm into education. Upon graduating the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in Journalism, she began a career that has provided her with extensive experience in Jewish education, non-profit management, and corporate human resources/training.

Beri is a nationally recognized Jewish educator honored by Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA) and by the National Association of Temple Educators (NATE). She currently serves as the the Chair of the Greater Dallas Jewish Federation’s Education Directors Council and is on the national editorial board for The Jewish Educator: NewCAJE’s Journal of Jewish Education. Beri recently received her Certificate in Jewish Leadership and Jewish Education from Spertus and Northwestern University. She was named by the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation as one of the community’s Unsung Heroes in 2020.

She believes in creating a welcoming environment where students can grow in a Jewish playground allowing learners of all ages to romp and wrestle with their spirituality, history, and rich heritage. Beri and husband Joel are proud parents to twins, Miriam and Hannah. She is a marathoner, an amateur genealogist, and veracious reader of Jewish fiction.