PIRKEI AVOT
Instructor: Rabbi Lyle Fishman, Tuesday morning in person at Beth El
The early Rabbis created Judaism by creating norms of interpersonal conduct, approaches to God and attitudes toward prayer and study. They saw themselves as the inheritors of the tradition that began with Moses at Sinai. The mishnaic tractate Avot (aka Pirkei Avot) contains these teachings. How did these rabbis innovate? Is the Judaism they created a continuation of earlier generations? How are we the inheritors of their Judaism? Using any English text of Avot, we will explore their teachings and the Judaism they created.
EXTREMISM IN THE WEST BANK
Instructor: Dr. Steven J. Klein, Wednesday afternoon via Zoom
For centuries, Jewish tradition nurtured the hope of a return to the ancestral homeland. After the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured the West Bank and began authorizing Jewish settlement there, framing the territory in biblical terms as Judea and Samaria. Since then, the settlement enterprise has expanded from a small movement in the 1970s to more than 700,000 residents today. This course explores the rise of the settlement movement, the role of messianic and nationalist ideologies in shaping its discourse, and the ways in which settlement has affected Palestinians and Israeli society. Lately settler violence against the Palestinians has surged. We will examine how religious and political extremism has influenced life in the West Bank and contributed to enduring conflict.
JOY IN JEWISH THOUGHT
Discussion Leader: Judry Subar, Wednesday evening in person at Beth El
In partnership with the Hadar Institute. The Hadar Institute is a center of Jewish life, learning, and practice that builds vibrant egalitarian communities in North America and Israel. Its vision for Jewish life is rooted in rigorous and nuanced Torah study, gender equality, meaningful Jewish practice, and the values of kindness and compassion.
Who doesn’t love a simcha – a full-on, high energy Jewish celebration? But while the word “simcha” can certainly be translated to mean joy, is a raucous party what Jewish thinkers have in mind when they explain the nature of happiness as a Jewish concept? And is happiness the same as joy, in any event? At a moment in Jewish life when Jewish joy on a peoplehood level might seem elusive, this course will hopefully help us understand different approaches that have been offered to these questions over the ages. Using a discussion format, we’ll explore these questions and more, looking at the work of thinkers from different eras across the arc of Jewish intellectual history, from the Bible to the post-moderns. [Special Schedule Note: This class will meet for eight sessions. The first session will be on October 29. Additional sessions will be scheduled at the mutual convenience of the Discussion Leader and the students.]
JUBUS, HINJUS, AND THE SEARCH FOR JEWISH MEANING
Instructor: Hazzan Asa Fradkin, Wednesday evening in person at Beth El
Did you know that roughly 30 percent of the American Buddhist community are thought to be Jewish? That’s not even counting the Jewish practitioners of Kirtan (traditional Hindu chant) or Bhakti Yoga. This phenomenon led to the monikers JUBU (Jewish Buddhist) and HINJU (Jewish Hindu) to refer to Jews who left the Jewish spiritual path but not their identity as Jews. Come learn about some of the most famous Jewish practitioners of Buddhism and Hinduism such as Ram Das, Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg, Sylvia Boorstein, and more and find out why they went so far East to find spiritual meaning in their lives. Is it something lacking in Judaism or just the ancient power meditation and chant, two of the world’s oldest human rituals have on our soul?
Biblical leaders and their challenges
Instructor: Dr. David Jacobson, Wednesday evening via Zoom/Zoom Watch Party
In partnership with the Hebrew College of Greater Boston (Newton, MA). The Hebrew College’s mission is reimagining Jewish learning and leadership for an interconnected world, through a pluralistic lens. Our Beth El learners will be joining Hebrew College participants from across the country.
The Bible is replete with fascinating stories about the leaders of Ancient Israel. These leaders often had to cope with the hostility of Israel’s enemies, with Israelites who opposed them, and sometimes with difficult relations with members of their own families. In this course we will focus on biblical narratives about three Israelite leaders: the prophet Samuel, King Saul, and King David. As we study these narratives, we will explore a variety of situations in which biblical leaders were challenged and how the leaders responded to each of their challenges. In the course of this exploration, we will attempt to discern what one can learn from these stories about the psychological dimensions of leadership and how and why, in general, leaders succeed or fail. All Biblical texts will be studied in English translation.
IS ANTI-ZIONISM ANTISEMITISM?
Instructor: Dr. Jerome Copulsky, Wednesday evening via Zoom/Zoom Watch Party
This question has long vexed Jewish supporters and critics of the State of Israel and has become even more pressing in the context of the Israel-Gaza War. In this course, we will shed some light on and disentangle the issues involved in this debate. We will begin by examining the term “antisemitism,” its invention in the late 19th century to denote a specific kind of opposition to Jewry and its expansion to cover all forms of Jew-hatred. We will then describe how Zionism emerged around the same time as a response to the rise of nationalist politics and the associated anti-Jewish sentiment and activities. Finally, we will discuss the various forms of anti-Zionism that emerged and the ideologies that shaped them and how they inform current attitudes towards the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
AI AND JEWISH ETHICS
Instructor: Rabbi David Abramson, Wednesday evening in person at Beth El
We are on the verge of an expanded presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our lives. What might Judaism have to say about AI? What are the ethical implications of AI? For example, if I prepare a report using AI, is the report really my work? If I build a robotic device that uses AI, am I responsible for the device’s actions? What are the ritual implications of AI? For example, may I legitimately benefit from AI to perform tasks that would otherwise be considered forbidden on Shabbat? What are the spiritual implications of AI? Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote: “Dazzled by the brilliant achievements of the intellect in science and technique, we have been deluded into believing that we are the masters of the earth…” How might AI enhance – or diminish –our spiritual lives?
DIFFICULT BIBLICAL TEXTS
Instructor: Gideon Amir, Wednesday evening in person at Beth El
Many texts in the Bible are difficult especially for 21st century people to accept and relate to from an ethical, moral point of view. Stories like Jephthah sacrificing his daughter, God killing Nadav and Avihu, and many other such stories that we ask ourselves “Why did the writer[s] of the Bible include them?” We will examine some of these stories and try to understand what was behind them and make an effort to mitigate the difficulty of accepting these stories as part of our heritage.
A TASTE OF JEWISH HISTORY: GLOBAL JEWISH FOODWAYS
Instructor: Dr. Naomi Daremblum, Wednesday evening via Zoom/Zoom Watch Party
More than just “bagels and lox,” Jewish cuisine spans the world over and has a rich history. From Uzbeki Osh Savo to Moroccan couscous with stuffed meatballs, join a journey tracing the development of both Ashkenazi and Sephardi cuisine from communities around the globe and over the centuries. We will explore how kashrut shaped the character of Jewish food and how local Jewish food traditions evolved in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. We will learn how migration added another layer to this rich flavor tapestry. Varied recipes from Jewish communities from Egypt to Buenos Aires will be the backbone of this course.
THE 700 DAYS WAR: ISRAEL’S FIGHT IN GAZA
Instructor: Amir Tibon, Wednesday evening via Zoom
Over the course of five meetings, Israeli journalist Amir Tibon will walk us through the ongoing war in Gaza, which broke out as a result of Hamas’s attack on October 7, and has since become the longest war in Israel’s history. What caused the massive failures of the war’s first days? How did Israel’s government handle the question of the hostages? And why did the swift victory in Iran and impressive operations in Lebanon differ so much from the ongoing grind in Gaza? Join Amir beginning October 22. Course will be presented live via Zoom from Israel. [Special Schedule Note: This one-hour class (9:00-10:00 pm) begins on Wednesday October 22 and continues for five consecutive Wednesdays through November 19.]