Lorraine Posner Arcus

Lorraine Posner Arcus was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in Valley Stream, New York. Her parents, Herb and Rebecca Posner, blended a traditional Jewish home with many cultural activities. Her mother, a Sunday school teacher in Elmont, New York, studied with Dvora Lapson, a renowned children’s Israeli dance instructor and choreographer. After mastering numerous Israeli folk dances, Lorraine’s mother became the local Israeli dance authority, and integrated dance into her weekly curriculum. It was through her mother’s dances that she, as a child, began to develop a deep connection with Israel, Jewish culture, and Jews around the world.

In 1968 during a North American Federation of Temple Youth seminar in Warwick, New York, dance instructor Fred Berk, of blessed memory, built upon the foundation that Lorraine’s mother provided, and opened Lorraine’s eyes to the thrill and spirit of Jewish dancing. Fred quickly recognized Lorraine’s energy and ability in dance, and invited her to pursue a more serious study of Israeli dance leadership and repertoire.

In 1970 Lorraine participated in an American Zionist Youth Foundation Israeli Dance Seminar, led by Fred Berk. It was during this experience that she met some of the pioneers of Israeli folk dance, among them Gurit Kadman, Rivka Sturman, Shalom Hermon, and Sara Levi-Tanai. They taught how steps and styles brought from their countries of origin (i.e., Germany, Yemen, or Turkey) were used to create the first Israeli folk dances. The variety of Israeli dances resonated with Lorraine and drew her closer to an understanding that this very young country of Israel had created a culture that could become part of every Jew around the world.

When she settled in Albany, New York, in 1973, it was her hope that as many children as possible would receive Israeli dance instruction and she found support for her goals at Temple Israel. Her dance programs there met with such success that she established an annual Israeli Dance Leadership Seminar. Sponsored by the Board of Jewish Education of the United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, the seminar’s goal is to train participants how to teach Israeli dance to Jewish youth. During its twenty-five years, this program has drawn participants from nearly every synagogue, youth group, day camp, and religious school in the Capital Region—as well as representatives from beyond the local area.

But even before she formed the dance leadership seminar, Lorraine felt there would be teenagers who might connect to Judaism through dance just as she had done as a teenager, and so she developed Tzamarot, Temple Israel’s high school performance group. Not only does the group learn Israeli dance repertoire, but they educate the community through annual performances. Tzamarot is the local Jewish community’s ambassador to the broader ethnic and interfaith North American Jewish community in the Albany area. In addition, her own three children continue the tradition of young people teaching dance to even younger ones. Each one teaches Israeli dance at their high school, college campus, or temple.

Lorraine’s academic background is extensive. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York in Albany, New York, and a master’s degree in special education from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. Her graduate studies also include course work at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.

Her direction of Temple Israel’s dance program represents only a portion of Lorraine’s commitment to Jewish education. She also teaches Judaic kindergarten at Bet Shraga Hebrew Academy in Albany, New York, where she coordinates and directs their annual Israeli dance festival. Additionally, she established a comprehensive Israeli dance program at Camp Ramah in New England and wrote Z’man Lirkod: A Manual For Teaching Israeli Dance.

Lorraine’s work in Jewish education has been and continues to be multi-faceted. She has taught students of all ages and abilities. Her endeavors have attempted to impart a love of Jewish culture, heritage, and history through the most creative and effective means available.