Rabbi Ted Stainman will be offering an adult ed class on American Jewish History.

The story of Jewish life in America is one of adaptation, assimilation, and retention and, of course, great achievement. From poor immigrant traders and peddlers Jews have risen to the highest levels of commerce, the arts, education, and government. It is a fascinating story of a human explosion of talent long held back by the restrictions of European social and political barriers.

In a series of six one and half hour classes we will cover the period from first settlement to the great Eastern European immigrations. In the next 6 classes we will cover the period from 1880 to the present.

Rabbi Stainman was born July 11, 1942, in New Brunswick, NJ and attending Rutgers University graduating with a degree in history in 1964. He then spent the next year as a foreign student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. While there he participated in an archeological excavation at Tel Gezer, a city mentioned in the biblical story of King Solomon

Upon return to the United States, he entered the Hebrew Union College, seminary of the Reform Movement, in New York and graduated and was ordained in 1970. After graduation Rabbi Stainman entered the United States Air Force as a military chaplain where he remained until 1993. During his military service he was assigned to Alaska, Colorado, Germany, Nebraska, Greece, Alabama, and finally Delaware. After retirement from the Air Force, he served small communities in Seattle, Washington and Fort Collins, Colorado.

In Colorado Rabbi Stainman was a hospice chaplain and taught adult education at the Academy for Continuing Education in Denver. In 2020 Rabbi Stainman relocated to Topsham, Maine. Rabbi Stainman is married to Barbara, originally from Bangor and they have two children and four grandchildren.

Currently Rabbi Stainman is a docent at the Joshua Chamberlain house in Brunswick, and volunteers at the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention food bank.