Set in the Persian Empire, one of the greatest kingdoms the world has ever known, the stories contained in the book of Ezra-Nehemiah provide the most comprehensive scriptural account of the restored Judean community after the Babylonian exile. This class will focus on the return of the Judean people to their home from exile in Babylonia and the subsequent origin of the Jewish religion. Two remarkable personalities--with strikingly different approaches to the same objective--played dominant roles in this process. Ezra, the learned, pious, scribal priest, known among his contemporaries as 'the second Moses,' was the architect of spiritual reform. Nehemiah, the forceful, shrewd, resourceful administrator, was the master international politician. Price: $150; JCC Member Price: $120 Register/Information: Ilene Tatro, (858) 362-1154