From Buffalo to Jerusalem:
An In-Depth Look at the History of American Zionism In-Person at Hebrew College
Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Rabbi Dan Judson (Read Bio)
Dates: 7 Mondays, Winter/Spring 2024: 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 5/6, 5/13 & 5/20
Time: 9:30 – 11 a.m.
Cost: $315, financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College
In evaluating the complicated and varied responses the American Jewish community had to the terrorist attack by Hamas and subsequent Israeli actions, it is worth taking a historical step back and tracing the history of American Zionism. Beginning with a look at 19th century American views of the Holy Land and moving through to the present day, we will examine the Jewish community’s sometimes fractious, sometimes unified approach to Zionism. With the aid of new research and books like Walter Russel Mead’s The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel and the Fate of the Jewish People, we will be paying particular attention to the way that non-Jewish Americans have been as essential to the unfolding story of American Zionism as the Jewish community.
This course is first and foremost a history course, we will examine Louis Brandeis’s centrality to the Zionist movement, the first time America goes on record with support for Zionism, the politics around Truman’s recognition of Israel, and all manner of episodes relating to the development of American Zionism. The course, however, is primarily not going to be an opportunity to discuss the current situation, while the present day will never be far from our minds (how could it be), this course is for people who want a background in how America came to this place.
Note: This course will also be offered Online at Hebrew College on Monday evenings, 7:30-9 p.m. on the following dates: 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11 & 3/18. Click here to register for this Online class.
The Ethics of War and the Pursuit of Peace in Jewish Law and Thought – In Person at Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley
Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Rabbi Benjamin Samuels (Read Bio)
Dates: 10 Wednesdays, Winter/Spring 2024: 2/7, 2/14, 2/28, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10 & 4/17
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $450, financial aid is available
Location: In Person at Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley
Hosted by: Temple Beth Elohim
Jews say hello and goodbye with the word “Shalom – Peace.” Our ultimate prayers (think “Sim Shalom” or the last line of Kaddish, “Oseh Shalom Bimromav”) are likewise blessings for peace. And yet, in the unredeemed world of the Jewish past and present, Jews have had to contend with war, terrorism, and violent persecution. How does a people whose opening words and most ardent prayers are for peace defend themselves from persecution, deal with terrorism, and wage war? Jewish tradition has a rich tradition of considering and debating the ethics of self-defense and the morality of war. These existential issues have become particularly pertinent for the Modern State of Israel in its 75 years of terror-and-war-filled history. In this course, we will study Jewish ethics of war and the pursuit of peace from biblical times to the present in Jewish law and thought. The method of our text-based learning will be to focus on ethical dilemmas born of past Jewish historical circumstances, learn related Jewish views from biblical and rabbinic literature, along with medieval and modern Jewish commentary, and robustly and respectfully discuss their moral applications and historical outcomes.
Note: This course will also be offered Online via Zoom on Monday mornings, 9:30-11:30 a.m. on the following dates: 2/5, 2/12, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8 & 4/15. Click here to register for this Online via Zoom class.
Survey Course on the Modern Period of Jewish History: Tuesday Mornings In Person at Hebrew College
Program:Hebrew College Me’ah Classic Instructor: Rabbi Leonard Gordon (Modern) (Read Bio) Dates: 11 Tuesdays, Winter/Spring 2024: 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 & 4/2 Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Cost: $360, financial aid is available Location: In person at Hebrew College: 1860 Washington Street| Newton, MA 02466 Hosted by: Hebrew College
Beginning with the 17th century Age of Enlightenment, modernity posed a significant challenge to traditional Jewish culture, community, and identity, creating new social and economic opportunities but also threatening traditional Jewish values and society. As in each of the previous eras, modern Jews remained preoccupied with sacred texts, suggesting that however great the impact of rupture and discontinuity, their passion for reading and re-reading classical Jewish texts became the creative wellspring for modern Jewish thought.
You’ll delve into some of these modern primary texts representing differing ideological viewpoints — works of Jewish philosophers such as Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig, and Zionist thinkers such as Ahad Ha’am and Micha Josef Berdyczewski — that mirror the issues faced by Jews of that era.
And you’ll wrestle with the subtle points of comparison and contrast between Jewish modernity and the civilization we’ve inherited. Texts will examine the emancipation of European Jewry; the rise of Hasidism; the Jewish cultural revolution of Eastern Europe; and the birth of Modern Zionism.
NOTE: This course is part of our Me’ah Classic program that we are opening to all who wish to learn about Modern Jewry. We hope you will enjoy taking this course and then register for the other sections of Me’ah Classic.
Survey Course on the Rabbinic Period of Jewish History: Tuesday Evenings In Person at Hebrew College
Program:Hebrew College Me’ah Classic Instructor: Rabbi Benjamin Samuels (Rabbinics) (Read Bio) Dates: 11 Tuesdays, Winter/Spring 2024: 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2 & 4/9 Time: 7-9 p.m. Cost: $425, financial aid is available Location: In Person at Hebrew College: 1860 Washington Street| Newton, MA 02466 Hosted by: Hebrew College
The Rabbinic Period — the millennium from the Second Temple to the completion of the Babylonian Talmud (500 BCE to 600 CE) — refers to a time when new Jewish leaders, sages and rabbis emerged and developed rich texts of their own. Some of those texts took the form of extensive commentary about the earlier world of biblical Israel. During this seminal period, rabbinic scholars created a legal system which led to a Jewish belief system that has informed and ordered Jewish community, culture, and behavior for the past millennia.
Your instructor will guide you through enduring questions:
What is the relationship between God and human beings?
How do we understand Jewish history and Jewish ethics?
What is the role of ritual, holy days and life-cycle events?
Readings illustrate the development of the rabbinic mindset and talmudic beliefs. As with the Hebrew Bible sequence, you’ll first cover selected historical, textual, and conceptual areas, then examine core concepts in conjunction with Bible study to illustrate how beliefs and practices evolved over time.
NOTE: This course is part of our Me’ah Classic program that we are opening to all who wish to learn about the Hebrew Bible. We hope you will enjoy taking this course and then register for the other sections of Me’ah Classic.
Each semester, our Me’ah team works closely with groups who want to learn together, offering them unique course topics that meet their interest.
See a course you like in our online course catalog? Looking for something different? Interested in studying with a particular instructor? If you have a group of learners, from a synagogue, organization or just friends, who may wish to learn together and have a course designed to fit your specific interests, please contact us at meah@hebrewcollege.edu and we would be happy to work with you!
Sample Me’ah Select Courses from our Me’ah Faculty
Note: This is only a selection of courses and faculty from 2021-2023. Choose from these courses and instructors or the Me’ah team can work with you to create a course for your group.
Instructor: Dr. Jacob Meskin
An Introduction to the Modern Reading of Rashi
The Diverse Cultures of Contemporary Israel
Crucial Moments in Israeli History Through the Lens of Short Stories: Parts I & II
Tradition on the Screen II: Challenges & Joys of Traditional Jewish Life in Film
A Modern Introduction To The Thought Of Maimonides
Instructor: Rabbi Or Rose
Hasidic Narratives of Spiritual Growth, Loss, and Renewal
Abraham Joshua Heschel: Spirituality & Social Justice
The Mystical Quest: Kabbalah & Contemporary Jewish Experience
Instructor: Dr. Susie Tanchel
Ancient Responses to Modern Challenges
Honoring Many Voices
Connections and Disconnections: The Biblical World
Instructor: Rabbi Neal Gold
Sages and Dreamers: The Lives of the Rabbis of the Talmud
Encountering God Today
Beyond Statehood: How Early Zionism Transformed Jewish Life & Culture
The Passover Haggadah
Discovering the Art of Midrash
Instructor: Rav Rachel Adelman, PhD
The Problem of Evil Love
Love and Marriage in Rabbinic Tales of the Talmud
Bad@ass Broads of the Bible
Moses, A Life: A Study of Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg’s Biography of Moses
Bad@ass Broads in Midrash
Joseph and His Brothers
Instructor: Rabbi Benjie Samuels
The Biblical Book of Judges: Leadership Amidst Lawlessness
Profiles in Leadership and Resilience: Exploring Biblical & Jewish Historical Personalities
Changes and Challenges for a New Generation
Instructor: Rabbi Nehemiah Polen
Music and Melody in Jewish Spiritual Practice
Gender Symbolism in Bible, Talmud & Midrash, Kabbalah and Hasidism
Thank you for your interest in Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning.
Starting in 2016, Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning courses took place in living rooms and synagogue meeting rooms, creating safe, intimate spaces to strengthen social connections through shared learning journeys. Open Circle Jewish Learning has expanded with online learning to include learners from as far as the FIJI Islands and Australia!
Open Circle Jewish Learning brings groups of friends together to learn with veteran and new instructors. Designed for learners of all backgrounds, sometimes groups approach the Open Circle Jewish Learning team to request a course in a specific topic, and we work to match instructors with groups. Sometimes instructors submit course proposals (in May and November) after coordinating with student groups.
Some topics that groups of students are interested in are: Jewish Texts, Ritual, Israel, History, Jewish Thought, Holidays, Calendar, Social Action, Young Adults, Mussar, Spirituality, Parenting, Grandparenting, Art and Culture. We welcome the opportunity to match your interests with instructors.
For instructors wishing to teach through Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning, we welcome the opportunity to understand your particular passions and keep your name handy for groups looking to learn a topic within your area of expertise.
Student groups and instructors are invited to contact the Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning Team at opencircleregistration@hebrewcollege.edu.