Category: Community Learning Non-Degree
Hebrew College Courses for this Moment
Course Information
Registration is currently closed
For questions about course offerings, please email Erica at estreit@hebrewcollege.edu
Thursday, March 19, 8 PM: Mussar as a Tool for Challenging Times with Rabbi Eric Gurvis
We are now sharing an unprecedented new chapter in our lives as the world around us challenges almost every bit of normal life we know. The Jewish practice of Mussar offers us a framework that can help us maintain our balance in a time when our lives may feel “as shaky as a Fiddler on the Roof.” Exploring and focusing on middot (Mussar soul-traits) such as anavah (humility), menuchat haNefesh (equanimity) and gevurah (strength) can help us focus on how to best approach the uncertainty of the days ahead.
Friday, March 20, Noon: The Power of Gratitude with Rabbi Katy Allen
We will begin with an exploration of Jewish sources on acknowledging the good and expressing gratitude. Ideas will be shared for how to develop a personal gratitude practice, with opportunities for sharing ideas, thoughts, and personal experiences
Sunday, March 22, 8 PM: Sharing Our Stories in a Time of Social Distance with Rabbinical Student Michaela Brown
The Jewish Women’s Archive’s newly-launched app, Story Aperture, enables people of all ages and genders to collect and share the untold and underrepresented stories of Jewish women through mobile technology. We will teach participants how to use the app and conduct interviews remotely during this time of social distancing.
Monday, March 23, Noon: Power, Politics, and Governmental Ethics: The Talmudic Story of the Deposing of RabbanGamliel with Rabbi Daniel Berman
The story of the removal – and restoration – of Rabban Gamliel endures through modern times, with its piercing insight into politics, ethics and power. This will be a text-based discussion class.
Tuesday, March 24, 8 PM: Like They Did in Egypt: Jewish Queerish Histories & Possibilities with Instructor Emily Rogal
As Jews, we often reflect on who are ancestors are, and what they have to teach us. For queer Jews, we are doubly enrolled in the business of ancestor-making, of finding spaces and texts within the tradition which teach us how to be. In this session, we invite LGBTQIA* Jews, as well as allys, to study some queer Torah and engage in this radical project together.
Wednesday, March 25, Noon: People of the (Comic) Book: How American Jews Created a New Form of Entertainment and Infused It With Jewish Content with Instructor Dale Rosenberg
Although early comic books rarely had Jewish characters or overtly Jewish content, the creators of the comics gave them a lot of Jewish subtext. In later years, Jewish characters “came out” and displayed their Jewishness proudly. Learn about the influence American Jews have had and continue to have on this quintessentially American art form.
Thursday, March 26, 8 PM: 15 Steps Goes 12 Steps: Understanding the Seder Through a Recovery Lens with Rabbinical Student Hindy Finman
Isolation can be extremely triggering for those in the recovery community. This course will provide a space for the entire recovery community to come together and support each other through the lens of the Passover experience.
Friday, March 27, Noon: Have You Made Art About It?: Responding to Our Current Circumstances With Art and Soul with Rabbi Carol Glass
Experience the healing power of art. This session will include time to create a small collage or piece of artwork, or to create a written response such as a diary entry, poem, or even a random list of related words. An opportunity will be provided for (voluntary) sharing. No previous artistic experience is necessary!!!
Sunday, March 29, 8 PM: CHAD GADYA: A Kaleidoscope of Connections with Rabbi Neal Gold
Chad Gadya is a beloved song that has closed the Passover seder since late medieval times. But what is it? A simple children’s folksong? A parable of divine retribution in the face of Jewish suffering? Or something more allegorical and mystical about our human interconnectedness? We’ll explore traditional, mystical, and modern commentaries from the past four centuries to shed light on this favorite, but perplexing, Jewish song.
Monday, March 30, Noon: Facing Your Fears: A Passover Teaching on Transforming Anxiety into Understanding with with Rabbinical Student Matt Ponak
“There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in,” says Leonard Cohen. Learn the theory and practice of moving through constriction and into liberation. Through body-centered meditations and prayer, we will listen to our worries and find the hidden messages that they are bringing.
Tuesday, March 31, NOON and 8 PM: Poetry as a Spiritual Exercise with Dr. Roslyn Weiner
Listening for what is meaningful to you is a sacred act. Poetry can help us access spiritual insights and emotional truths. This class will introduce a unique process that invites personal reflection through the experience of hearing poetry.
Wednesday, April 1, Noon and 8 pm: A Cure for What Ails us: A Taste of Rebbe Nachman’s Tikkun Klali Practice for a World on Edge with Rabbi David Curiel
Rebbe Nachman prescribed the recitation of 10 psalms as a Tikkun haKlali: a general remedy for suffering, repentance and heart-ache. Join R’David in reading and under-standing some key passages from these psalms through the translation of Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi z”l. The class will go beyond cognitive “understanding” of the texts, opening up these psalms as a tool for personal spiritual respite.
>> Watch the noon class recording
>> Watch the evening class recording
Digital Pedagogy to Increase Student Proficiency
An online course, consisting of 8 one-hour webinars, 2 – 3 PM EDT US
An online course, consisting of 8 one-hour webinars. Offered in partnership with Hebrew at the Center (HATC), a non-profit organization dedicated to revolutionizing Hebrew teaching and learning. Providing cutting-edge pedagogic and assessment tools, HATC works to educate school leadership, develop Hebrew language leadership and empower teachers with the tools and expertise to maximize each student’s success. By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify the basic principles of the Proficiency Approach for teaching Hebrew
- Adapt a variety of online tools to different learning objectives
- Advance your learners to a higher level of proficiency
- Create meaningful online content for your classes
The course is intended for modern Hebrew teachers who want to learn how to integrate technology and the Proficiency Approach into their instruction during this fluid time. No prior knowledge of the Proficiency Approach or of educational technology is required for participation. At the end of the course attendees will receive a certificate of participation (Required: 80% participation in the webinars and 80% completion of assignments).
Note: This course will be conducted in Hebrew.
Webinar and Independent Study Facilitator
Mira Angrist, HATC Lead Advisor
Schedule
The course will take place in Summer 2020. All webinars begin at 2 pm EST.
- Session 1 – Sunday, July 26
- Session 2 – Sunday, August 2
- Session 3 – Sunday, August 9
- Session 4 – Sunday, August c16
- Session 5 – Sunday, August 23
- Session 6 – Sunday, August 30
- Session 7 – Sunday, September 6 (Asynchronous session all week)
- Session 8 – Sunday, September 13
Cost
$445 ($400 for teachers at Prizmah-member schools.)
Learn Hebrew through Ulpan
Hebrew College Ulpan is an immersion language program that teaches grammar, reading comprehension, and conversation skills. Ulpan brings Hebrew to life through discussions of contemporary political, social, and cultural topics, and readings drawn from current Israeli news and social commentary.
Ulpan is offered on campus (or online due to Covid-19) through ten levels of study, including beginner, intermediate and advanced.
Learn about our Ulpan offerings and figure out what level is right for you.
Open Circle Jewish Learning 20s & 30s
Open Circle Jewish Learning 20s & 30s
Open Circle Jewish Learning 20s and 30s brings together small groups of curious, engaged learners with exceptional educators to dive into an array of compelling topics and practices.
Find meaning in Jewish sources of wisdom through approachable conversations in living rooms, synagogues, and community centers throughout the Greater Boston Area. Open Circle Jewish Learning themes include:
- Mindfulness and mysticism
- Politics and history
- Arts and culture
- Social action
- Texts and traditions
We also welcome the opportunity to partner with individuals and organizations throughout Greater Boston to offer tailored young adult experiences. Bring seven friends and pick a theme or topic, and we’ll find a facilitator and provide texts to enrich your Jewish journey!
We welcome participants from all religious, political, gender, and economic backgrounds. No prior formal Jewish education or knowledge of Hebrew is required. Past participants include secular and religious Jews from a variety of movements, and non-Jews, including partners in interfaith relationships, and those considering going through conversion.
Eser
Eser is Hebrew for 10, a number with special significance in Judaism. Ten is a symbol of good luck and power: there are 10 Commandments; 10 members of a minyan, the quorum for communal Jewish ceremony; and 10 sefirot, or elements of the divine existing in nature.
Named for Eser’s 10 sessions, Eser brings young adults together in living rooms throughout Greater Boston each spring to explore contemporary issues and ideas through a Jewish lens, and to build connection and community through conversation.
Eser participants meet each spring for 10 sessions of facilitated discussion and Jewish learning around a specific “top ten” theme in convenient locations across the Boston Area. Weekly discussion sessions are held at the home of a group member and facilitated by a Jewish educator or rabbi-in-training. Groups also come together for Shabbat meals and other social gatherings.
Eser 2021 registration will open at the end of 2020.
Me’ah Classic
The Jewish “conversation” stretches over 3,000 years, with each generation interpreting and reinterpreting the core texts of Jewish life. With 100 (me’ah in Hebrew) hours of coursework over two years, Me’ah Classic is a comprehensive, engaging, and in-depth adult learning experience that takes students on a journey through the narrative of the Jewish people and empowers students to become part of the conversation.
Me’ah — Hebrew for 100 — is led by outstanding faculty from Greater Boston academic institutions who are attuned to the needs of adult learners. Readings, text study, lectures and discussions focus on core texts from biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern times. Students receive a certificate during a graduation ceremony at the end of their second year.
Me’ah Classic welcomes students of all backgrounds. No prior formal Jewish education or knowledge of Hebrew is required. Financial aid is available to those who qualify, thanks to CJP’s generous support. For more information, download our brochure.
UPDATE: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all Hebrew College Community Learning classes are now being offered online. For questions, please contact Anna Katsevman.