Adult Education Schedule

Adult Education programs at Beth Israel are designed for adults who wish to continue or begin Jewish learning.  Members and non-members are welcome to attend.  The Rabbis,  Adult Education Chairs, and members of the committee plan the year’s educational offerings and welcome requests and ideas to consider for future years. Here is the 2023-24 Adult Education poster.  Below are some upcoming offerings as well as this year's entire schedule of classes. Please also check out mekomtorah.org for other offerings.

Torah Treks - First Saturday Mornings

Torah Treks takes place on the first Saturday of each month at 12:30pm, following 9:45am Shabbat services and an 11:45am Kiddush and potluck lunch. Each program is independent. Come for all the sessions or attend selectively. There is no charge for lunch or the study sessions and RSVPs are not necessary. Whether you are able to attend services or not, whether or not you are able to contribute to the pot-luck, whether or not you’ve engaged the texts before, you are welcome to come for lunch & study. Streaming will be available. Teachers and topics to be announced.
 

Beit Midrash (Text Study) - Third Wednesday of Each Month

Once a month we’ll get together in the sanctuary for some old fashioned learning on contemporary issues. Our rabbinic intern, Nora Chernov, will be the main teacher but our Rabbis and members of our congregation will also teach. Following some introductory remarks, we’ll sit and study with a chevruta (study partner), exploring translations of fascinating and relevant texts. These text study sessions will be held from 7:30pm to 9:30pm on the third Wednesday of each month, from October to May. If there are topics or texts that you’d like to explore, please send ideas to R. Linda, Nora Chernov, or Marion Hamermesh.
 

Learning with Rabbi Richard Hirsh - March 7, 14, 21

The Book of Ruth is among the briefest books of the Bible. Its complex and nuanced story opens up many concepts with which contemporary Jewish spiritual life continues to engage:

the place of the voices of women; the diverse constructions of "family"; the cultivation of ethical qualities; boundary-crossing identities, ethnic and religious; the ways in which "the Other" is viewed; joining the Jewish people, and questions of conversion.

In this three-session study, we will read through the entire Book of Ruth together, exploring how the story unfolds and continues to speak to contemporary Jewish life. These sessions will take place on Thursday March 7, 14, and 21 on Zoom.