Lifelong Learning (Adult Education)

Lifelong Learning Upcoming Adult Education Opportunities

Great Jewish Thinkers, Great Jewish Ideas
Sunday mornings from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm.
We will study the intellectual contributions of individuals whose thoughts created a series of spiritual revolutions through the ages
February 6 – Dr. Martin Buber
March 27 – Rabbi Dr. Rachel Adler

Special Programs
Our Guest Speaker Series

Updates in COVID-19 treatment, vaccines, and long-COVID
Dr. Rachel Bender Ignacio
January 16, 2022 - 10:30 am
An update about Covid-19, focusing on the new treatments and vaccinations, including updates on the research and new discoveries, and the difference between the treatment of children and adults from the epidemiology point of view.

Shmita - Can We Keep These Mitzvoth in Our Contemporary Jewish Life?
Prof. Ruchama Weiss
Sunday, January 30, 2022 - 10:30 am
The Torah mentions two types of Shemita: Shemita of lands and Financial Shemita. Each type of Shemita is a community and a personal challenge, a very difficult task to accomplish. Just a brief look at the Mitzvoth helps us to understand that the mission is almost impossible. The mitzvoth of Shemita are perhaps the most demanding mitzvoth in the Torah. Throughout the ages the sages have been required to find ways to bridge these commandments, while seeing the needs and possibilities of the community. In the lecture, we will look at the methods created by the sages to deal with the mitzvoth and ask ourselves about the ability of these methods, in order to offer a way and a solution to the tensions in contemporary Jewish life.

Separate Histories, Common Challenges
February 27, 2022 - 10:30 am
In this panel discussion we will try to find the intersection between racism and antisemitism, particularly in the current era of resurgent white supremacy in the U.S. The panel will consist of representatives from local communities of color as well as Jewish community members. This wide-ranging discussion will encompass the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents across the nation in the last half-decade, and look at how local activists and allies are working to counter hate in all its forms.

The Shmita of Shmitas - we have arrived; Tales of a Climate Zealot aka Jewish Gadfly
Dr. Barak Gale
Sunday, March 6, 2022 -10:30 am
“This is not just a routine Shmita year, no nothing like it. This Shmita of Shmitas has a dreadful warning like Code Red for Humanity. The Retreating Reactor trait in me is happy to escape to a fantasy world like Dune. But, lo and behold, the heat and desertification are there too! Word has it that understanding the science of Climate Upheaval will not extract us from this debacle - too bad, I love talking thermodynamics. Come and enjoy this presentation about art, poetry, ritual, stories, successes, and maybe a tiny bit of science.” Dr. Barak Gale

Diarna: Documenting Jewish Sites in North Africa and the Middle East
Dr. Frances Malino and Jason Guberman-Pfeffer
April 10, 2022 - 10:30 am
Diarna, the flagship project of the nonprofit group Digital Heritage Mapping, runs over 60 field expeditions. Diarna, Judeo- Arabic for “our homes,” uses traditional and high-tech photography, satellite imaging, digital mapping, 3-D modeling, archival materials and oral histories. In 2008, Diarna has successfully documented more than 3000 sites. A number of these sites, often lost to history, will be highlighted in a virtual tour.

Where is the Israel-Diaspora Relationship Headed?
Dr. Elana Stein Hain
Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 10:30 am
The majority of American and Israeli Jewry differ markedly in their attitudes about both religion and politics. What does this mean for the future of the relationship between these two Jewish populations? Additionally, we are witnessing a shift in attitudes among many American Jews regarding Israel. How might we respond to this shift in ways that maintain our relationship with Israel and with other American Jews?