AN EXPLORATION OF THE AMIDAH
Instructor: Rabbi David Abramson, Tuesday morning in person at Beth El
We know it by different names: “Sh’moneh Esreh,” “Amidah,” “Silent Devotion.” The Talmud calls it “Ha-t’filah [The Prayer].” It’s the central prayer in every Jewish service – Shabbat, weekday, holiday, morning, afternoon, evening. What is the Amidah all about? Why should it be important to us – and to our prayer lives? Join us as we explore:
- The history of the Amidah
- The themes of the Amidah
- The choreography of the Amidah
- The mystical K’dushah, added to public recitations of the Amidah
JUDAISM IS ABOUT LOVE
Instructor: Rabbi Lyle Fishman, Tuesday morning in person at Beth El
“Love the LORD your GOD”
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself”
“Love the stranger for you were strangers…”
Shai Held, a prominent rabbi, theologian, and President of the Hadar Institute, writes in his book Judaism is About Love that these three Biblical commandments demonstrate that love is foundational to Jewish faith, theology, and ethics. Judaism is not just a religion of law. God loves us and beckons us to love God back. Rabbi Held suggests that it is love that animates the singular Jewish perspective on injustice and protest, grace, family life, responsibilities to our neighbors and even our enemies. We will analyze this premise and many of the primary Jewish sources that Held cites that instruct that “Judaism is a religion of love and law, of action and emotion.”
Special Schedule Note: This one-hour class (11:00 am – 12:00 pm) begins on Tuesday March 17, and continues on March 24 and April 14, 21 and 28.
COPING WITH THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
Instructor: Dr. Steven J. Klein, Wednesday afternoon via Zoom
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has grown increasingly complex over the decades as the populations on both sides have grown and as each round of violence has triggered new groups to emerge with their own views about how to resolve or manage it. The parties to the conflict 60 years ago couldn’t have imagined who would be the main actors today. Moreover, the conflict has impacted Israel’s relations with its neighbors in ways its founding fathers couldn’t have conceived. The first half of this course will provide an overview of complexity theory (applied in social science). We will then examine how this perspective can expand our understanding of how the different aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the intricate relationships involved have interacted while evolving. This will include exploring the rise of the Palestinian national movement, the complexity of the system in the territories, and the complexity of the peace process. Course will be presented live on Zoom from Israel.
SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD: FROM TEMPLE JUDAISM TO RABBINIC JUDAISM
Instructor: Gideon Amir, Wednesday evening in person at Beth El
Today’s Judaism is far from Biblical Judaism or Temple Judaism and is really the product of the Bible as a basis and layers of rabbinic decisions on top of it. In this course we will cover how Judaism evolved from the generations of the Second Temple period to early Rabbinic Judaism.
The course will cover:
- The canonization and standardization of the Bible.
- Apocrypha books and the Dead Sea scrolls as reflecting developments in Jewish theology and practice.
- The conflict between the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and other sects.
- The onset of Jews observing the Torah.
- The evolution into Rabbinic Judaism.
GETTING CONNECTED: EXPLORING OUR PRAYER NARRATIVES
Instructor: Hazzan Asa Fradkin, Wednesday evening in person at Beth El
In this course we will examine how to feel more spiritually and Jewishly connected at services. Many Jews simply feel disconnected from their religious practice and often say that they “get nothing from it.”
This class will seek to open the Jewish prayer experience back up with a renewed look at the service through music, text study, and meditation. Each prayer has a story to tell and is placed in the service for a specific reason, and some have fantastic, even mythic stories behind them. Similarly, each Jew also comes to a service for a reason. We will discuss the narratives around the prayers and our ourselves and find a doorway back to prayer in our lives.
A PROMISED LAND: JEWISH PATRIOTS, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, AND THE BIRTH OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Instructor: Dr. Jerome Copulsky, Wednesday evening via Zoom/Zoom Watch Party
How did Jews participate in the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States as a new country? This course explores the crucial contributions of Jews to the American founding, using Adam Jortner’s A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom, as our guide. We will study the Jewish patriots who served as soldiers, officers, and political leaders during the war, and examine how American Jews helped shape the debates over citizenship and religious liberty. Finally, we will consider how Judaism in America itself was transformed as Jewish communities in the new states adapted to the democratic ethos of the new republic. Students will benefit from this class even if they do not read the book. This book is widely available on Amazon and other sites for $35 or less.
JEWISH CHARACTERS IN LITERATURE
Instructor: Dr. Naomi Daremblum, Wednesday evening via Zoom/Zoom Watch party
This class has been canceled.
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL: A MORAL VOICE FOR OUR TIME
Instructor: Rabbi Greg Harris, Wednesday evening in person at Beth El
Abraham Joshua Heschel was one of the most profound Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century – a theologian, a poet of prayer, and an important moral voice for his time. We will explore Heschel’s philosophy, spirituality, and enduring impact. Through close reading and discussion, participants will discover how Heschel challenges us not only to believe more deeply, but to live more courageously by bringing faith into the streets and holiness into the everyday moments of our lives.
LEAD ME ON THE PATH OF TRUTH: REBBE PINHAS OF KORETS’ ETHICAL PRACTICE
Instructor: Rabbi Jeff Amshalem, PhD, Wednesday evening via Zoom/Zoom Watch Party
This class has been canceled.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF SYNAGOGUES: SPACE, SYMBOL, AND JEWISH LIFE
Instructor: Lori Apfel Cardeli, Wednesday evening via Zoom/Zoom Watch Party
What makes a synagogue a synagogue? Beyond serving as a place of prayer, synagogues express Jewish identity, memory, and community through space, form, and symbolism. This course explores synagogue architecture across time and geography, examining how Jewish communities have shaped sacred spaces in response to culture, politics, ritual practice, and communal priorities.
Through global case studies, we will consider the essential elements of synagogue space, the relationship between interior and exterior expression, symbolism and ornamentation, and the ways design shapes religious experience. Using images, discussion, and guided reflection, participants will learn to “read” synagogue spaces more thoughtfully and reflect on how architecture both reflects and reinforces Jewish values. No architectural background is required.
MORE THAN JUST GOLDA: WOMEN IN ISRAELI POLITICS
Instructor: Amir Tibon, Wednesday evening via Zoom
Over the course of five meetings with Israeli journalist Amir Tibon, we will examine the history of women in Israel’s political system through the specific stories of trail-blazing leaders combined with a broader examination of the challenges and hurdles women still face in the political arena in 2026. Why did Israel have only one female Prime Minister, and why did no other woman reach the top in the last five decades? Is there a difference between right-wing and left-wing parties when it comes to women reaching leadership positions? And what can we expect in the future? Join for another fascinating class with Amir on the intersection of history, politics and social issues in Israel. Course will be presented live on Zoom from Israel.
Special Schedule Note: This one-hour class (9:00-10:00 pm) begins on Wednesday March 18, and continues on March 25, and April 15, 22 and 29..