THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BROADWAY’S GREATEST JEWISH VOICES
Instructor: Hazzan Asa Fradkin, Monday evening in person at Beth El
Join Hazzan Fradkin as he explores some of the great composers of Broadway music history. What inspired them? Where did they grow up? And how did their Jewishness influence their greatest hit songs? Featuring Rogers, Hammerstein, Sondheim, Bernstein, Schwartz and more!
APPRECIATING THE LAYERS OF INTERPRETATION IN THE HAGGADAH
Instructor: Rabbi Lyle Fishman, Tuesday morning via Zoom
The most printed Jewish book, the Passover Haggadah was compiled by rabbis working over hundreds of years. The beloved text is an amalgam of sources, including biblical verses, rabbinic commentaries, medieval songs, and interpretations of the Exodus story from various periods in Jewish history. Join Rabbi Fishman for a course that will look carefully at these sources, revealing the rich layers of interpretation and meaning in the Haggadah. This course is certain to deepen your understanding of the Haggadah and enliven your Seder with fresh insights into the history and meaning of the Passover story. Copies of sources to be studied will be provided in advance and shared on screen during class.
ENTERING JEWISH PRAYER
Instructor: Rabbi Avis Miller, Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening via Zoom
Jewish prayer requires work, which is why prayer in Hebrew is called avodah, literally work/service. Among the challenges we’ll discuss in this class are tensions between liturgy (fixed prayer) and kavanah (spiritual direction); communal prayer and personal prayer; and dealing with prayers that don’t reflect our belief, or that we might even find objectionable. As we explore both public and private prayers, we will study how Jewish tradition has confronted these challenges, and how personal prayers, especially in our own time, have encouraged spiritual creativity. Personal prayers include prayers for special life cycle occasions like births and birthdays; heartfelt personal prayers and meditations for health and healing; and creative prayers in the face of contemporary challenges like political upheaval.
Peace Movements in Israel
Instructor: Dr. Steven J. Klein, Wednesday afternoon via Zoom
Embracing peace (“shalom”) has long been a value within Judaism that is rooted in its religious texts, from the biblical commandment to “love thy neighbor as thyself” through Rabbi Hillel’s injunction to engage in “loving peace and pursuing peace.” But the practical question of how to pursue peace as a nation in modern times only arose with the emerging conflict in Palestine and later Israel. This course surveys the various peace movements that have arisen in Israel from the 1920s through the 21st century. Some of them were only fleeting, but others have made their mark on Israeli society and continue to drive the country’s peace camp. Through primary sources, students will learn about the main movements, their goals and their impact, particularly since the 1980s. They will take from this a deeper understanding of the struggles these peace movements have faced in trying to realize their visions and become more familiar with the current state of peace movements in Israel. Copies of sources to be studied will be provided in advance and shared on screen during class.
Jewish Americans and the Separation of Church and State
Instructor: Dr. Jerome Copulsky, Wednesday evening via Zoom
In 1790, Moses Seixas, a leader of the Touro Synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island, presented a letter to President George Washington praising the new government and the regime of religious liberty that it guaranteed. The President famously replied, “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.” This course will consider the United States’ distinctive constitutional church-state compromise and initial settlement and the role of Jewish Americans in defending and contesting it. We will focus on the letter to President Washington, Jewish opposition to the Christian Amendment Movement, the role of Jewish American organizations in shaping the mid-twentieth century jurisprudence on the separation of church and state, as well as contemporary challenges.
History of the Jews in Mexico
Instructor: Dr. Naomi Daremblum, Wednesday evening via Zoom
This course explores the history of the Jewish presence in Mexico, including what is now New Mexico, tracing its roots to the arrival of Sephardic conversos in the 16th century. These crypto-Jews, fleeing persecution under the Spanish Inquisition, lived in secrecy and gradually assimilated into the broader Catholic-dominated society, leaving no continuous community today. In contrast, Mexico’s modern Jewish population descends from later waves of immigration – Sephardic Jews from the Ottoman Empire and North Africa, and Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern and Central Europe – who arrived primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This course will explore the distinct histories, cultural contributions, and communal developments of these groups within Mexico’s broader national context.
Gender-Based Laws in the Bible
Instructor: Gideon Amir, Wednesday evening via Zoom
In this course we will look at a special group of Torah laws that are evidently gender based. It is clear that the Bible has a general bias towards men. Most of the laws we will discuss relate to what a man can or cannot do. We will look at family laws: marriage, levirate marriage, divorce, inheritance, and polygamy. We will also look at laws dealing with whom a man may or may not have sexual relations (and marry). Although the main aspect of the class is to review these Biblical laws, as time will allow, we will also talk about later rabbinic efforts to make Judaism more egalitarian.
Jewish Ethics of Beauty and Medical Enhancement - CANCELLED
Instructor: Rabbi Deborah Megdal
Tradition and Change
Instructor: Rabbi David Abramson, Wednesday evening via Zoom
“Tradition and Change” has long been a motto of Conservative Judaism. Most Conservative Jews have a vague notion that Jewish tradition – and halakhah, Jewish law, in particular – have evolved throughout our history. But how does Jewish law change? What changes have been accepted and what changes were not? Let’s explore change in Jewish law – from Biblical times, through Talmudic times, and in the contemporary world as well. Our primary focus will be on Conservative Judaism in the 21st century. Our exploration may include: (1) the daughters of Tz’lofchad (Num. 27): assertive women challenge traditional law; (2) the Prozbul: the Rabbis confront Biblical prohibitions and complex economies; (3) the continuing evolving role of women in Jewish ritual; and (4) Judaism and LGBTQ issues.
American Presidents and Israel
Instructor: Amir Tibon, Wednesday evening via Zoom
Amir Tibon’s survey of American presidents and Israel resumes this spring with five meetings devoted to the U.S. administrations of President George H.W. Bush through President Joe Biden and their handling of Israel policy. Tibon will cover how U.S. policy in the Middle East has evolved over this period (1989-2024), and how personal beliefs and circumstances affected the historical twists and turns of the “special” relationship. In addition to the historical events of the past, Tibon will also update the class each week on the history being written these days in Israel and the dramatic battle for the country’s future. Participants need not have attended the previous course to benefit from this class. Special Schedule Note: This one-hour class (9:00-10:00 pm) begins on Wednesday April 2 and continues for five consecutive Wednesdays through April 30, including the week of Passover.