August 2021
TRIBE Oneg
TRIBE is for adults in their 20’s-40’s who Jew together. Meet, mingle, and celebrate Shabbat with your fellow TRIBESTERS! Join us for a Virtual Oneg on Friday, August 27, 2021, at 7:30 pm. We will meet on campus in the courtyard, or you can join us virtually on Zoom. Register in advance for this Oneg. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Oneg. We are always looking for new ideas! Do you have a hot topic…
Find out more »September 2021
DayTimers Movie Mavens: Leona
Leona (2018): A young Jewish woman from Mexico City finds herself torn between her family and her forbidden love with a non-Jewish man. He allows her to discover the world outside the bubble of her community, leading to an important transition in her adult life. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8446886/) For a list of places to rent the film, visit: https://www.menemshafilms.com/leona The film is available to rent on Amazon for $4.99: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B099D5BJ5Q/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r This spirited cinema discussion group is led by film guru Linda Levine.…
Find out more »October 2021
Introduction to Judaism: Fundamentals of Belief and Practice
Thursdays, October 7, 2021 – April 7, 2022 (no class Oct. 21, Nov. 25, Dec. 16, Dec. 23, Dec. 30, 2021 / Feb. 24, March 17, 2022) 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., except as noted. (Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, Learners Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m. Friday, April 29, 2022, Graduation Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m.) Instructors: Beth Israel Rabbis Fee: Beth Israel members $225 per individual, $250 per couple*; Nonmembers $275 per individual, $300 per couple*. The fee includes books and…
Find out more »Adult B’nai Mitzvah
Thursdays, October 14, 2021 – April 7, 2022 (no class Oct. 21, Nov. 25, Dec. 23, Dec. 30, 2021 / Feb. 24, March 17, 2022) 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., except as noted. Friday, May 6, 2022, Adult B'nai Mitzvah Shabbat at 6:15 p.m.) YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS…. Did you: Miss out on becoming a Bar or Bat mitzvah as a child? Recently convert to Judaism and are looking for your next learning opportunity? Interested in learning Hebrew and learning Judaism’s basic tenets to participate in…
Find out more »March 2022
Scholar-In-Residence Weekend with Rabbi Carole Balin
Rabbi Carole B. Balin is Professor Emerita of Jewish History at HUC-JIR/New York, where she trained and mentored over 500 beloved rabbinical, cantorial and education students. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wellesley College, Balin earned a Ph.D. at Columbia University and honed her spiritual practice in the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's program for clergy. Balin co-curated the national traveling exhibit, "Bat Mitzvah Comes of Age," co-sponsored by the National Museum of American Jewish History and the teen engagement organization…
Find out more »April 2022
Introduction to Judaism: Fundamentals of Belief and Practice
Thursdays, October 7, 2021 – April 7, 2022 (no class Oct. 21, Nov. 25, Dec. 16, Dec. 23, Dec. 30, 2021 / Feb. 24, March 17, 2022) 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., except as noted. (Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, Learners Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m. Friday, April 29, 2022, Graduation Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m.) Instructors: Beth Israel Rabbis Fee: Beth Israel members $225 per individual, $250 per couple*; Nonmembers $275 per individual, $300 per couple*. The fee includes books and…
Find out more »May 2022
Adult B’nai Mitzvah
Thursdays, October 14, 2021 – April 7, 2022 (no class Oct. 21, Nov. 25, Dec. 23, Dec. 30, 2021 / Feb. 24, March 17, 2022) 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., except as noted. Friday, May 6, 2022, Adult B'nai Mitzvah Shabbat at 6:15 p.m.) YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS…. Did you: Miss out on becoming a Bar or Bat mitzvah as a child? Recently convert to Judaism and are looking for your next learning opportunity? Interested in learning Hebrew and learning Judaism’s basic tenets to participate in…
Find out more »Author Lecture and Book Signing: “The Choice: A Novel of Love, Faith and the Talmud” with author Maggie Anton
A powerful love story with a purpose: to challenge Jewish customs concerning women, marriage, and equality. The award-winning author of Rashi's Daughters, Maggie Anton, has written a wholly transformative novel that takes characters inspired by Chaim Potok and ages them into young adults in Brooklyn in the 1950s, a time of Elvis and Marilyn, communist scares and polio vaccines, Jewish migration and American integration. When Hannah Eisin, a successful journalist, interviews Rabbi Nathan Mandel, a controversial Talmud professor, she persuades him…
Find out more »June 2022
“American Jewish Literature” led by Rabbi Philip Graubart
Thursdays, June 2, 9, 16, 2022, 10:00 am-11:30 am Series Fee: $30; Beth Israel Member Series Fee $25 What does it mean to be an American Jew? Dozens of talented, engaging writers and poets, from Philip Roth, Cynthia Ozick, Art Spiegelman to Allegra Goodman have grappled with these questions, along with filmmakers, screenwriters, bloggers, and stand-up comics. Is Jewish identity a religion? An ethnicity? A set of moral ideas? An accident of birth? How do American Jews think of their…
Find out more »From Buffalo to San Diego: Understanding Antisemitism as a Corrosive Phenomenon and Threat to All Our Communities
Antisemitism has surged to historically high levels in North America and around the world, animating mass violence from Pittsburgh to Poway, Christchurch to Buffalo. Despite this fact, antisemitism remains a poorly understood phenomenon. Join us for a special session with ADL’s Vlad Khaykin, National Director of Programs on Antisemitism, for a discussion of how this age-old phenomenon manifests in North America today and the threat it poses not only to the Jewish community, but to all communities and to democracy…
Find out more »When Our Neighbors Don’t Love Us Back: The Ultimate Test of Jewish [Dis]Loyalty
Antisemitism is an ancient phenomenon that remains a threat to our communities today. What can the Torah teach us about this age-old form of oppression? Join Rabbi Jason Nevarez and ADL’s National Director of Programs on Antisemitism, Vlad Khaykin, for our annual Tikkun Leil Shavuot text study as we uncover powerful Torah and rabbinic texts that will offer insights into the ancient roots of antisemitism and its contemporary manifestations. 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm: A traditional dairy-style oneg will be available 7:30 pm:…
Find out more »“American Jewish Literature” led by Rabbi Philip Graubart
Thursdays, June 2, 9, 16, 2022, 10:00 am-11:30 am Series Fee: $30; Beth Israel Member Series Fee $25 What does it mean to be an American Jew? Dozens of talented, engaging writers and poets, from Philip Roth, Cynthia Ozick, Art Spiegelman to Allegra Goodman have grappled with these questions, along with filmmakers, screenwriters, bloggers, and stand-up comics. Is Jewish identity a religion? An ethnicity? A set of moral ideas? An accident of birth? How do American Jews think of their…
Find out more »“American Jewish Literature” led by Rabbi Philip Graubart
Thursdays, June 2, 9, 16, 2022, 10:00 am-11:30 am Series Fee: $30; Beth Israel Member Series Fee $25 What does it mean to be an American Jew? Dozens of talented, engaging writers and poets, from Philip Roth, Cynthia Ozick, Art Spiegelman to Allegra Goodman have grappled with these questions, along with filmmakers, screenwriters, bloggers, and stand-up comics. Is Jewish identity a religion? An ethnicity? A set of moral ideas? An accident of birth? How do American Jews think of their…
Find out more »August 2022
Facing God Before–and During–the High Holidays
Judaism, and all religions, are about ultimate truths. The High Holydays call us to re-examine and possibly recast our relationships with God and the universe. As we prepare to enter the Jewish New Year, eternal questions face us once again. How do we live a life of meaning in a turbulent and often violent world? What makes sense as we live through life's absurdities, losses, and tragedies? What does the Torah teach us about comforting one another as we journey…
Find out more »September 2022
Facing God Before–and During–the High Holidays
Judaism, and all religions, are about ultimate truths. The High Holydays call us to re-examine and possibly recast our relationships with God and the universe. As we prepare to enter the Jewish New Year, eternal questions face us once again. How do we live a life of meaning in a turbulent and often violent world? What makes sense as we live through life's absurdities, losses, and tragedies? What does the Torah teach us about comforting one another as we journey…
Find out more »Facing God Before–and During–the High Holidays
Judaism, and all religions, are about ultimate truths. The High Holydays call us to re-examine and possibly recast our relationships with God and the universe. As we prepare to enter the Jewish New Year, eternal questions face us once again. How do we live a life of meaning in a turbulent and often violent world? What makes sense as we live through life's absurdities, losses, and tragedies? What does the Torah teach us about comforting one another as we journey…
Find out more »October 2022
“The Biblical Book of Proverbs: Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?” with Rabbi Stein
The Book of Proverbs is a singular compilation of wisdom and understanding. The book contains a myriad of teachable observations and insights into the human mind and soul. This 3-part series will explore background, authorship, historicity, structure, and context. We will study the most well-known couplets and themes of the text and survey various ways that the verses and ideas are arranged. The final session will be "Proverbs Greatest Hits.” Rabbi Jonathan A. Stein, a native of Pennsylvania, was ordained…
Find out more »November 2022
“The Biblical Book of Proverbs: Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?” with Rabbi Stein
The Book of Proverbs is a singular compilation of wisdom and understanding. The book contains a myriad of teachable observations and insights into the human mind and soul. This 3-part series will explore background, authorship, historicity, structure, and context. We will study the most well-known couplets and themes of the text and survey various ways that the verses and ideas are arranged. The final session will be "Proverbs Greatest Hits.” Rabbi Jonathan A. Stein, a native of Pennsylvania, was ordained…
Find out more »“The Biblical Book of Proverbs: Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?” with Rabbi Stein
The Book of Proverbs is a singular compilation of wisdom and understanding. The book contains a myriad of teachable observations and insights into the human mind and soul. This 3-part series will explore background, authorship, historicity, structure, and context. We will study the most well-known couplets and themes of the text and survey various ways that the verses and ideas are arranged. The final session will be "Proverbs Greatest Hits.” Rabbi Jonathan A. Stein, a native of Pennsylvania, was ordained…
Find out more »December 2022
The Nuts, Bolts, and Spirituality of Prayer with Rabbi Gimbel
Join Rabbi Gimbel for a class that will cover both the depth and breadth of our Shabbat prayers. Together, we will uncover how we pray, why we pray each prayer, and what we are meant to get out of the t’filah (prayer) experience. We also will discover various musical and textual interpretations of our prayers, some you likely have never heard! This class is not just for beginners! All learners are welcome! Rabbi Gimbel's bio can be found here: https://cbisd.org/about/clergy/…
Find out more »The Nuts, Bolts, and Spirituality of Prayer with Rabbi Gimbel
Join Rabbi Gimbel for a class that will cover both the depth and breadth of our Shabbat prayers. Together, we will uncover how we pray, why we pray each prayer, and what we are meant to get out of the t’filah (prayer) experience. We also will discover various musical and textual interpretations of our prayers, some you likely have never heard! This class is not just for beginners! All learners are welcome! Rabbi Gimbel's bio can be found here: https://cbisd.org/about/clergy/…
Find out more »The Nuts, Bolts, and Spirituality of Prayer with Rabbi Gimbel
Join Rabbi Gimbel for a class that will cover both the depth and breadth of our Shabbat prayers. Together, we will uncover how we pray, why we pray each prayer, and what we are meant to get out of the t’filah (prayer) experience. We also will discover various musical and textual interpretations of our prayers, some you likely have never heard! This class is not just for beginners! All learners are welcome! Rabbi Gimbel's bio can be found here: https://cbisd.org/about/clergy/…
Find out more »January 2023
Using the Jonah Narrative to Shape a Jewish Guide to Healing and Wholeness with Rabbi Nevarez
In our 3-session series, we will explore how the Book of Jonah powerfully illustrates a spiritual journey, not only as general guide and model for healing, but how it specifically serves as a primary Biblical model for individual wrestling, struggle, teshuvah, and recovery. *This series will be heavily informed by Rabbi Nevarez’s Rabbinic Thesis on the Book of Jonah. Session 1: Jonah and Self-Deception Session 2: God’s Mercy and Grace Session 3: Teshuvah (Repentance) and Recovery Rabbi Jason Nevarez, Senior Rabbi @ Beth Israel,…
Find out more »Using the Jonah Narrative to Shape a Jewish Guide to Healing and Wholeness with Rabbi Nevarez
In our 3-session series, we will explore how the Book of Jonah powerfully illustrates a spiritual journey, not only as general guide and model for healing, but how it specifically serves as a primary Biblical model for individual wrestling, struggle, teshuvah, and recovery. *This series will be heavily informed by Rabbi Nevarez’s Rabbinic Thesis on the Book of Jonah. Session 1: Jonah and Self-Deception Session 2: God’s Mercy and Grace Session 3: Teshuvah (Repentance) and Recovery Rabbi Jason Nevarez, Senior Rabbi @ Beth Israel,…
Find out more »Using the Jonah Narrative to Shape a Jewish Guide to Healing and Wholeness with Rabbi Nevarez
In our 3-session series, we will explore how the Book of Jonah powerfully illustrates a spiritual journey, not only as general guide and model for healing, but how it specifically serves as a primary Biblical model for individual wrestling, struggle, teshuvah, and recovery. *This series will be heavily informed by Rabbi Nevarez’s Rabbinic Thesis on the Book of Jonah. Session 1: Jonah and Self-Deception Session 2: God’s Mercy and Grace Session 3: Teshuvah (Repentance) and Recovery Rabbi Jason Nevarez, Senior Rabbi @ Beth Israel,…
Find out more »February 2023
Does the Bible Take the Bible Literally? Biblical Criticism of Religion with Rabbi Emeritus Michael Berk
We tend to think of religion as how we relate to God; how we serve and think of God. In other words, religion is about rituals, rites, and praise of God. The Bible criticizes this understanding of religion. In this class, we will examine how the bible criticizes the temple rites and rituals and how we think of God. Session I: Do Rituals Protect Us? The Problem of Taking Religion Too Seriously Session 2: Does God Want our Praise? Session…
Find out more »Does the Bible Take the Bible Literally? Biblical Criticism of Religion with Rabbi Emeritus Michael Berk
We tend to think of religion as how we relate to God; how we serve and think of God. In other words, religion is about rituals, rites, and praise of God. The Bible criticizes this understanding of religion. In this class, we will examine how the bible criticizes the temple rites and rituals and how we think of God. Session I: Do Rituals Protect Us? The Problem of Taking Religion Too Seriously Session 2: Does God Want our Praise? Session…
Find out more »Does the Bible Take the Bible Literally? Biblical Criticism of Religion with Rabbi Emeritus Michael Berk
We tend to think of religion as how we relate to God; how we serve and think of God. In other words, religion is about rituals, rites, and praise of God. The Bible criticizes this understanding of religion. In this class, we will examine how the bible criticizes the temple rites and rituals and how we think of God. Session I: Do Rituals Protect Us? The Problem of Taking Religion Too Seriously Session 2: Does God Want our Praise? Session…
Find out more »June 2023
The Life of Marc and Bella Chagall
From the moment they fell for each other in 1909, Marc Chagall and his wife, Bella, seemed to share a particular way of seeing the world. Bella was a talented writer and Marc was already famous as a painter. Yale Strom's lecture will examine through paintings, poetry and writing the interwined lives of Bella and Marc Chagall. The lecture will cover their years growing up in Czarist Russia to the Bolshevik revolution to their harrowing escape from Nazi occupied France to…
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