Title: Consider G’d’s Body: Jewish Imaginings of the Divine Body (5 sessions)
Instructor: Sara Klugman
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning Texts and Traditions
Day and time, Sundays 11:30 am-1:00 pm ET
Dates: April 21, 28; May 5, 12, 19, 2024
Location: Online via Zoom
Fee: $200 Scholarships available
Consider G’d’s body. Does G’d have a body, multiple bodies, or no body at all? What could, or does, the divine body look like? What are foundational beliefs – and contradictions – in Jewish understandings of the divine body? What can we take with us into our own spiritual practice, and our understanding of our own bodies? In this course, we will look at these questions across the prism of ancient, medieval, and contemporary Jewish thought. In addition to ancient and rabbinic texts, we will draw on philosophical texts, modern literature and poetry, visual art & media, and contemporary cultural critique. As a cohort, we will experiment with visualization, speculation, and experimentation in our own spiritual practice.
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.
Program:Hebrew College Me’ah Select Instructor: Layah Lipsker (Read Bio) Dates: Spring/Early Summer: 20 classes/ 10 sessions in terms of payment
Spring/Early Summer Dates: Begins on Monday, March 25th through June 17th Mondays: 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20, 6/3, 6/10 & 6/17 Thursdays: 3/28, 4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/23, 5/30 & 6/6 Time: 9-9:45 a.m. Eastern Course fee: $450 Winter/Spring Semester, financial aid is available Location: Zoom Hosted by: Hebrew College
Daf Yomi is an international program to study the entire Talmud in unison, one page at a time. Jews around the world from all backgrounds and affiliations join by following a fixed schedule. This course is for people interested in the fascinating world of Talmud, whose varied discussions have broad and universal resonance. Our twice weekly sessions will keep us on the Daf Yomi schedule, but we will focus on contemporary relevance of the texts for modern Jewish life. No Hebrew reading is necessary, all texts will be studied in English. This Daf Yomi course will meet twice per week for 45 minutes each time.
Finding Our Way to Freedom: Bringing Ourselves to Seder in Troubled Times (3 sessions)
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning Texts and Traditions
Instructor: Meredith Reiches
Day and Time: Mondays, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Eastern
Dates: April 1, 8, 15, 2024
Location: Online via Zoom
Fee: $100 Financial scholarships available
The Passover seder is the most widely practiced Jewish custom. Around the world, Jews of every stripe sit down at tables to share a meal and tell stories of liberation. But what happens when we get to the table? How can we make the seder both meaningful and manageable? In this charged global moment, when Jewish identity is center stage in the Diaspora, this class invites us to explore how we articulate what freedom and liberation mean, and how we can share sacred space with people whose ideas are different from our own. We will look at the textual origin of the Passover story, Exodus, to grapple with how it describes the passage from slavery to a different place (hint: the word “freedom” does not appear in the text). We’ll examine passages from different haggadot to understand how the concept of liberation has resonated for different communities, identities, and causes. What speaks to us and what might we bring to our own seder tables to share? Whether this is your first or your seventy-first time thinking through the seder, all are welcome—the richness of our conversation will come from our many voices.
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.
Title: How did we get here? Civil Rights, Social Justice, and Race in American Jewish History (4 sessions)
Program: Open Circle Jewish Learning Social Action
Instructor: Professor Marc Dollinger (read bio)
Day and time: Thursdays, 7:30-9:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Dates: , August 15, 22, 29; September 5, 2024
Location: Online via Zoom
Fee: $160, Scholarships are available
Join pre-eminent historian, Professor Marc Dollinger for a deep dive into the important and timely topic of Jews, race, and racism in America. Begin by looking at the question of Jews and ‘whiteness,” a sometimes-controversial topic. The class will then examine anew Jewish involvement in the civil rights movement during the 1950s and early 1960s. Get ready for historical surprises as you investigate Professor Dollinger’s upcoming new edition of his book, Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s,on the contributions of the Black Power movement to Jewish ethnic and religious identity in the late 1960s and beyond. Finally, through the examination of historical documents, trace how racism in America intersected with Jewish life. This course is for everyone interested in learning more about this misunderstood topic.
*Hebrew College is organizing a Civil Rights trip to the South in September 2024 with Etgar 36. Details coming soon.
Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning is 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.
How do women of multiple Judaisms connect with God? There are cultural Jews, secular Jews, religious Jews, Jews by birth, Jews of color, Jews by choice, political Jews, Goddess Jews (sometimes called “Jewitches”), Jewish pagans and those who describe themselves as Jews who may not affiliate with any religious organization.
Explore the ways we imagine, construct and connect with God. What rituals, prayers or blessings hold the most meaning for us? Can we define what makes us feel Jewish? What traits give us our Jewish identity? What in our Jewish belief system or practices gives our lives the most meaning?
Readings will include excerpts from Dr. Grenn’s dissertation, “For She Is A Tree of Life: Shared Roots Connecting Women to Deity- an Organic Theological Inquiry Into Identities, Beliefs and Practices Among South African Lemba and European American Jewish Women.” Our other main text will be excerpts from Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s “Judaism Without Tribalism: A Guide to Being a Blessing to All the Peoples of the Earth.”
Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning is 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.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Search for Peace -Registration Closed
Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Dr. David Jacobson (Read Bio)
Dates: 10 Tuesdays, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9 & 4/16
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Course fee: $450, financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Beth El Temple Center in Belmont
Meet the instructor: Dr. David Jacobson
The Israel-Hamas war has evoked intense interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has had a powerful impact on our Jewish community. In this course, we will seek to gain a deeper understanding of the events set in motion by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 by studying the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and exploring why it has persisted for over a century. We will also consider attempts that have been made by Israeli and Palestinian officials to reach a peaceful resolution, as well as grass-roots efforts by Israelis and Palestinians to transcend their political differences. Course materials will include works of fiction and poetry, films, historical documents, and works of historical analysis. As events in the conflict develop in real time during the course, we will discuss their significance in light of our course readings and discussions.
