Music of the Bible

Instructor: Hazzan Asa Fradkin, Monday evening in person

You’ve probably heard of Chichester Psalms and the Messiah, but there are many other gems of the Hebrew Bible text set to soaring masterworks. In this class we will explore the works of Brahms, Mendelssohn, Bloch and yes, Bernstein to uncover how they came to write such moving works based in Jewish texts. The class will feature videos and a few live performances of this exceptional music by the Hazzan. The course will conclude with a special parlor concert on Sunday afternoon, May 12 at a private home featuring some of these incredible works performed live. 

SPECIAL SCHEDULE NOTE: This class will meet 7:00-7:50 pm at Beth El on five Monday evenings March 25; April 1, 8, and 15; and May 6, and conclude with the May 12 parlor concert.

Jewish Biomedical Ethics

Instructor: Rabbi Steve Glazer, Wednesday evening via Zoom

Advances in science and medicine occur at lightning speed. New challenges have arisen in recent years, including gene-edited babies, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, xenotransplantation, 3D-printed organs, new definitions of death, Medical Aid in Dying and Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking. Covid has affected all of the above and more, including the ethics of refusing immunization, and brings up ethical dilemmas e.g., Your hospital has one respirator and two patients who need it. Which one should be given priority? Not only do each of these pose ethical concerns, but each presents fascinating issues vis-a-vis Jewish law. In this course, we will examine these challenges, as well as other issues in Jewish bioethics. 

Midrashim Across the Millennia

Instructor: Rabbi Avis Miller, Tuesday morning in person and Wednesday evening via Zoom

Midrash, the creative interpretation of Biblical texts, begins in ancient times and continues until today. In this class, we will explore midrashim from different perspectives and eras in Jewish history. We will read and discuss texts from legends of the early rabbis confronting Roman occupation, to medieval writers reflecting on Crusades and Jewish martyrdom, to contemporary poems dealing with potentially divisive issues such as Israel and gender and sexual identity. We will bring Biblical characters to new life by viewing them through the experience of writers over the generations.

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Dueling Narratives

Instructor: Dr. Steven J. Klein, Wednesday afternoon via Zoom

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back a century or more, depending on where you start the story. And those dueling narratives form the basis of the course. Narratives often simplify reality when we try to tell a story, which changes over time. Over the duration of this course, we will be looking at how the competing narratives evolved: what Jews and Arabs of Palestine thought about themselves as national movement and the “other” at different points in the history of the conflict. We will start with the building blocks of national identity, then follow the conflict through the British Mandate period, the era of Arab-Israeli wars, the localization of the conflict through the two intifadas and the disengagement from Gaza, and finally the frequent eruptions of violence over the past two decades.

Menachem Begin

Instructor: Rabbi Greg Harris, Wednesday evening via Zoom

Israel’s sixth Prime Minister (1977-1981), Menachem Begin shaped Israel’s political and geographic landscapes for decades. Begin’s terrorist activities against the British prior to independence and his fiery presence during the early decades after achieving statehood, demanded the attention of the world as Israel fought for its survival. Later in life, he was co-recipient with Anwar Sadat of Egypt, of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978, for achieving the first peace accord between Israel and an Arab country. Begin, with a life shaped by the Holocaust, is an important figure in our ongoing series of Zionist thinkers and leaders.

Jews Against Statehood

Instructor: Dr. Jerome Copulsky, Wednesday evening via Zoom

This course is a modest attempt to shed some light on the question of anti-Zionism by studying the range of Jewish thinking on the meaning and desirability of a Jewish nation state. We will begin with a sketch of early Zionist ideologies, as developed by Moses Hess, Leo Pinsker, and Theodor Herzl. We will then turn to consider a variety of critiques of the movement for a Jewish state in the Land of Israel: Orthodox, Liberal, and other religious perspectives; Cultural or Spiritual Zionists, who advocated for a national renaissance but not political sovereignty; and territorialism, who imagined Jewish autonomy in Europe or elsewhere. We will conclude with a look at contemporary Jewish thinkers who put forward alternatives to the centrality of Zionism and the State of Israel in contemporary Judaism and Jewish life.

“In These Difficult Days, Pray and Study Torah!” 

Instructor: Rabbi David Abramson, Wednesday evening via Zoom

Since October 7, we continue to ask ourselves: how do we cope with it all? Some people will advise you: “Daven [pray]! Study Torah!” But you might feel that such advice reflects a simplistic orthodoxy that doesn’t speak to many of us. How can we derive strength, courage, and hope in these terrible times? What guidance can Judaism give us in our struggles? Are there familiar prayers that particularly speak to us? Our numerous daily prayers for shalom? Or the jarring “v’lamalshinim” b’rakhah in the Amidah, which asks God to uproot and crush our enemies? Is our study of sacred texts helpful to us in these painful days? Midrashim that speak of Jewish martyrdom and suffering? Or tales of peacemaking and reconciliation? “Daven! Study Torah!” Is there something to this simple advice, after all?

Jewish and Christian Interpretation of Prophets’ Texts

Instructor: Gideon Amir, Wednesday evening via Zoom

There are many passages from the Hebrew Bible that were subsequently incorporated into the New Testament, where they reflect Christian interpretation of these verses. Most of the excerpts that we will study are from the Prophets. Jewish interpretation and understanding of the words of the Prophets are quite different from the Christian understanding of the same words. Nevertheless, in most cases, both interpretations are valid based on the associated theology underlying that interpretation. Join us to explore several of these texts and discover the similarities and differences between the interpretations and their theological significance. 

Tikkun Olam: Jewish Poets Repairing the World

Instructor: Dr. Yerra Sugarman, Wednesday evening via Zoom

This poetry course focuses on the belief that many Jewish poets write in the tradition of Tikkun Olam, the Jewish custom of repairing the world in the hope that poetry can turn the world into a more just place. We will begin by exploring the sonnet on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty: “The New Colossus,” by the Jewish poet Emma Lazarus. The poem’s lines, “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” gave the Statue its purpose as a welcoming mother, and a symbol of optimism for the downtrodden of the world. We will explore twentieth-century poets such as Muriel Rukeyser and Gerald Stern, and contemporary Jewish poets such as Ilya Kaminsky. By considering Tikkun Olam, we will find aesthetic and moral support during this time of rising antisemitism.