Israeli Current Events Beyond the Headlines

Course Title: Israeli Current Events Beyond the Headlines
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning Classic
Instructor: Jonathan Golden, Ph.D. (Read Bio)
Monday evenings, 7:30-9pm Eastern Time
February 26, March 4, 18, 25, April 1, 8 2024 (6 sessions)
Location: Online via Zoom
Session: Winter/Spring 2024
Fee: $240 Inquire about partial scholarships based upon financial need

Together, we will explore important topics in Israeli current events and draw connections between those events and broader trends in Israeli history, politics, and culture. Themes will include Israel-Diaspora relations, the possibilities of Jewish democracy, and conversations about Israel and the Jewish future.

Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning classes are for learners of all backgrounds.

Canadian and other registrants from outside of the US: please email Cindy Bernstein to complete your registration. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Building Resilience through Stories: A Special Session for Grandparents

Class Title: Building Resilience through Stories: A Special Session for Grandparents
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning, Parenting and Grandparenting
Instructor: Margie Bogdanow LICSW
Date: November 5, 2023 (1 session)
Day and Time: Sundays 3:00-4:30 p.m.
Location: In-person, Lehrhaus, Somerville, MA
Fee: $25

 

Research shows that learning and knowing about family history helps build resilience in children of all ages. Judaism is a religion of stories. We tell the same Torah stories over and over and each time they have new meaning with the Passover Seder being the most famous example. As grandparents, sharing our stories is one of the most important things we can do for our grandchildren. Today our stories can be told in many ways, from sitting on a lap to sitting at computers across the world. They can be shared in words, in music and in pictures.

Join other grandparents to reflect on our stories, explore the Jewish wisdom around the value of storytelling, and share practical approaches to becoming impactful stewards of our family narrative. We will meet at Lehrhaus – a new Jewish Tavern for Learning in Somerville, MA.

 

Parenting Through a Jewish Lens, Chelmsford, MA

Course Title: Parenting Through a Jewish Lens Chelmsford MA
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning, Parenting and Grandparenting
Partner Organization: Congregation Shalom, Chelmsford, MA
Instructor: Carolyn Keller
Day and Time: Sundays, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Dates: 10/15, 22, 29; 11/5,19; 12/3, 2023 (6 sessions)
Location: In-person, Congregation Shalom, Chelmsford, MA
Fee: $150 per person *Congregation Shalom members, $100 per person
Financial scholarships available.

Join a group of fellow parents of young children to discuss topics that matter to you as a parent; reflect on the joys and challenges of raising kids today; and find support, encouragement, and connection. Our curriculum helps parents discover the many ways in which Jewish sources of wisdom can inform their choices. Topics will include Towards Joyful Parenting, Shabbat: A time to Recharge and Reconnect, and Finding Peace in Our Homes, among others.

I Am My Beloved’s: Navigating Life’s Journey For Young Adult Couples

Course Title: I Am My Beloved’s: Navigating Life’s Journey for Young Adult Couples (5 sessions)
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning Young Adult
Partner Organization: Modern Jewish Couples
Instructor: Rabbi Jen Gubitz
Day and Time: Wednesdays, 6:30-9:00 pm * includes Havdalah get together and Shabbat dinner.  All Wednesday sessions include dinner starting at 6:30.
Dates: October 18, 25, November 1, 8, 29; Havdalah Saturday, November 4th; Shabbat dinner, Friday, December 8th,  2023
Location: In-person, Village Works, Brookline, MA
Fee: $125 per person * $100 per person through Modern Jewish Couples. Financial scholarships are available.

 

Connect with your partner and other couples to explore essential conversations for navigating life’s journey, such as ritual, money, rest, and legacy. This cohort is designed for beloveds – young adult couples on the road to committed partnership or early years of marriage. Whether you identify as Jewish, Jew-ish, interfaith, queer or are in a relationship with someone who identifies as such, Jewish tradition offers a framework for meaningful conversations between partners committed to their shared future, with love. Through guided questions, texts, and discussion prompts, we’ll engage in deep conversation and reflection! Each gathering begins with dinner and an opportunity to connect with other couples, and the chance to dive into Jewish learning and conversation. Registered couples will be asked to fill out an introductory questionnaire and will be offered a 30-minute session with Rabbi Gubitz so she can get to know you! Our session focused on money will be in partnership with Ariel Nathanson from Finances for Feminists.

This experience is generously supported by CJP, the Covenant Foundation and the Natan Fund.

Queer Jewish Journeys in Media

Course Title: Queer Jewish Journeys in Media
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning: Young Adult/Arts and Culture 
Instructor: Stav Meishar
Day and time: Sundays, 10:00-11:30 am Eastern Time
Dates: Oct 29; Nov 12, 19; Dec 3, 10, 2023 (5 sessions)
Location: Online via Zoom
Fee: $125 Financial scholarships available

From “Angels in America” to “Transparent”, from “Bent” to “Yentl”, we will set out to explore the intersection of Jewish identities and queer identities in fictional characters from the worlds of film and television. Are these identities separate or interconnected? Do they stand in juxtaposition, or do they complement each other? What does it mean for these characters to be Jewish AND Queer, and how does it shape their trajectories?
We will watch excerpts from some of the works above (warning: contains spoilers!) and analyze these questions together using biblical, contemporary and academic texts, layering Jewish history, Jewish thought, midrash and more in our deconstructing and reconstructing of these characters’ journeys. This course aims not only for students to become familiar with diverse examples of queer Jewish characters in film and television, but also, to better equip them in examining these characters’ complex worlds and – through their stories – explore our world today through a queer and Jewish lens. 

Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning classes are for learners of all backgrounds.

Registrants from Canada, UK, EU and Australia: please email Cindy Bernstein to complete your registration. We apologize for the inconvenience.