This class will feature passionate descriptions (and clips!) of video games followed by chavruta study utilizing a variety of Jewish texts and sources. The main characters and comparisons in this class are Kratos from God of War vs Avraham the Destroyer of Idols, the Traveler from Journey vs Moshe the Leader, and surprise appearances from B.J. Blazkowicz (Wolfenstein) and Ellie (The Last of Us) on the themes of vengeance and justice.

Everyone is welcome! The class is appropriate for all ages, all levels of familiarity with Jewish texts, and any or no amount of video game experience.
Participants will leave the class with an appreciation for the stories we find in video games, and with deep thoughts about Jewish texts.

Dr. Ira Kirschner usually works in higher education student affairs, but lately plays too many video games and reads too much scifi and fantasy, and justifies that by occasionally connecting it all to life and Torah.

Ira was raised in Israel, where he served in the IDF for five years as an infantry soldier and officer, and later volunteered for organizations educating for tolerance and acceptance of LGBTQ people in Orthodox communities.
Since relocating to the US in 2019, Ira completed his doctorate at the University of Kansas, where he researched the identity and experiences of LGBTQ Jewish students. Ira now lives in Boston and volunteers for the Boston Community Hevra Kadisha (Jewish burial society). Ira spends his free time cultivating his beard, saving the world on his PS5, and hosting Shabbat dinners with his husband, Sam, and their dachshund, Rummikub.