Thursday, 11 March 2010
Congregation Beth Elohim Brooklyn, NY
 
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Jewish Learning
  We are called to foster the three things on which the world depends: Torah, Worship, and Acts of Loving-Kindness. The study of Jewish texts, thought and practices is crucial to that pursuit.

 
Our courses for the year 5770 (2009-2010) are for the sake of enriching our knowledge, creating a “learning community,” and deepening our sense of Jewish identity. Our courses range in style from traditional learning-pair study, to hands-on practice, to seminar discussions, and public lectures. Our instructors include rabbis, scholars, musicians, and congregational members. The ultimate goal of Judaic learning at Beth Elohim is to invite and inspire an active, life-long pursuit of the exploration of Jewish knowledge. Your mind, voice, and involvement will enrich the entire Temple community. Please join us!

Learning is a life-long and joyous obligation for Jews. We invite you to come and expand your Jewish horizons through study. 
 
CBE’s Shabbat Morning Learning

Among the Ten Commandments is the instruction to 'Remember the Sabbath day, to hallow it" (Exodus 20).  The Sages teach that together with resting the body and spirit, we can hallow the Sabbath with study.  Along with prayer and community CBE offers a variety of learning opportunities every Shabbat morning. 

At 8:30am, "Maimonides Book of Love: A Treatise on Jewish Prayer and Practice" with Rabbi Andy Bachman.
 
In conjunction with Yachad, additional adult learning opportunities include regular mini-courses with Rabbis Daniel Bronstein and Shira Koch Epstein, in addition to Parshat Ha-Shavuah (weekly Torah portion) with Revson Rabbinic Intern Marc Katz from 11:00am -12:30pm.

See advisories and homepage for updated schedules and mini-course information.  Finally, stay tuned also for special Shabbat speakers throughout the year.
 

Jewish Learning 2010

Upcoming Learning events include: 

Meet the Rabbis!
Wednesday 2/24 at 6:30pm

Have you ever had a burning question for the Rabbis? Come Join Rabbi Bachman, Rabbi Epstein, and Rabbi Bronstein on Wednesday February 24th at 6:30pm in the 2nd Floor Ballroom Classroom for a lively question and answer session. Pizza and childcare will be provided.

Please RSVP to sjacobs@cbebk.org by Monday February 22nd.

 

Wine and Cheese Learning Purim Learning Saturday 2/7 at 4:30 p.m. 
Male/Female/Insider/Outsider:  A New Examination of Mordechai and Esther with Rabbi Daniel M. Bronstein

(Co-sponsored by the Kehillah Project and the Jewish Learning Committee. Please bring either a bottle of wine or a cheese).

A discussion with Mike Hammel, Chairperson of Aguda, the National Association of GLBT in Israel Sunday 3/7 11 AM 

On August 1, 2009, a masked gunman burst into the facilities of the Aguda, or National Association of GLBT killing two and injuring dozens more. In the aftermath, it became evident that the Israeli government's social services and social workers have not been trained or educated in dealing with GLBT issues.  However, the Israel Minister of Social Services recently issued a mandate to the Aguda to build network of national network of social services to deal with the GLBT community.  
 
Mike Hamel, the Chairperson of the Aguda since 2004, who is considered the leading expert on GLBT issues in Israel and has been involved in social reform and the protection of human rights for his entire life is touring the United States accompanied by Chen Langer, a young volunteer with the Aguda youth program who was shot during the recent tragedy.  As chair of Israel's oldest LGBT organization, Mike has represented Israel's gay community in a variety of settings and took the lead at the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Jurisprudence committee's proceedings concerning the human rights section of the future Israeli constitution.  The National Association of GLBT in Israel is currently celebrating its 35th year of service and support of GLBT rights and issues and providing social services to the GLBT community in Israel. The Aguda has been the founding father of many of the GLBT organizations in Israel and is the only national GLBT organization offering programs ranging from our youth services to our all new HIV-AIDs awareness website along with Project Barak, our educational program. The Aguda is presently trying to build an all new national social services program that will stretch from border to border and encompass all of Israel regardless of religion, origin or sexual orientation.

(refreshments to be offered) 

 

Special Shabbat Morning Learning events 

A screening of Waves of Freedom Saturday and discussion with Paul Kaye Saturday March 13 at 11 AM 

Waves of Freedom presents the story of American sailors who disregarded the British blockade of Palestine to ferry Jewish refugees to Palestine during the Holocaust.  Of all the refugees who slipped past the British, nearly half came on ten largely American-manned vessels.  Waves of Freedom offers authentic documentary footage intertwined with sailors' reminisces' about defying the British blockade to bring Jewish refugees into the future state of Israel.  Join us for the film and a discussion with one of the former American sailors, Paul Kaye who will share his experiences with us.

 

Coming in February: American Jewish History through the Marx Brothers with Rabbi Daniel M. Bronstein                Wednesday 2/17 and 2/24 and 3/17 at 8:00 PM (please note changed date for final session)

What do Freud, Einstein, Marx and the Marx Brothers have in common?  All of them have been characterized as quintessential "non-Jewish Jews," i.e., people of Jewish descent, whose life work somehow embodies Jewish ethics or offers a Jewish outlook despite their individual   distance from Jewish tradition.  This class will completely ignore the first three fellows and focus specifically on the founders of modern American Jewish comedy, the Marx Brothers.  How, we will ask, does Marx Brothers' artistic legacy embody their Jewishness, and what does their work teach us about American Jewish history.

Class I:  From Ellis Island to Animal Crackers:  American Jewish Cultural Conflict before the Depression.

Class II:  A Night at the Opera with Nudnicks:  American Jewish Culture in the midst of the Depression.

Class III:  You bet your Life:  The merging of American and Jewish Culture in the Post-War Era.

Cost: $100/full course

Pay in advance by mailing check to CBE's main office (274 Garfield Place Brooklyn, NY 11215), please put title of the course in the memo or pay at the door.


"Current Ideas and Thinkers in Jewish Thought and Practice"
Instructor:  Rabbi Andy Bachman
Wednesdays:  11/4/09 to 5/5/10 at
7:30 PM
     Jews have always been a people who have cherished the questions we ask about life even more than the answers.  And since their inception, the Sages and Rabbis of the Jewish tradition have encouraged all students of Torah to explore the meaning of Judaism with questions and responses, over and over again.  In this course we will examine several questions:  What is Torah? What do we mean when we pray and Who exactly are we praying to?  What happens when we die?  And how do I live a life of meaning?  We will examine ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary thinkers as well as traditional and innovative modes of Jewish practice.
Cost: $200/full course
Pay in advance by mailing check to CBE's main office (274 Garfield Place Brooklyn, NY 11215), please put title of the course in the memo or pay at the door.


"Maimonides Book of Love: A Treatise on Jewish Prayer and Practice"
Instructor:  Rabbi Andy Bachman
Saturday mornings: 9/26/09 to 5/1/10 at 8:30 AM
     The great medieval sage, philosopher and physician, Moses Maimonides (the Rambam) wrote this tract about the laws of prayer and Jewish ritual.  Encoded in its words is a spiritual map for living a meaningful life worthy of our attention and humble consideration.  This marks the second year of our continued study of the Rambam.  Beginners and new students are always welcome.
Cost: Free of charge


"The Mechiltah of Rabbi Ishmael"
Instructor: Rabbi Dan Bronstein
Thursdays: 11/12/09 to 5/6/10 at 7:30 PM
     Midrash, or exposition, has been written for every part of the Bible.
While “Midrashim” make up a significant portion of the Talmud, others
exist as free-standing books. The Mechiltah is a free-standing Midrash of
Sh’mot, the Book of Exodus. The rabbinical authors of the Mechiltah use
this literary form both to explain and to interpret the Torah. But the
thoughts and musings of early rabbis preserved in the Mechiltah also offer
insights into rabbinical theology and Jewish history still influencing
us today. Continuing from last year, we will explore this text both as an
interpretation of Torah and as an insight into early rabbinic thought.
Although knowledge of Hebrew is not required, this course will use
both Hebrew and English texts. Consecutive attendance is not required;
feel free to drop in when you can.
Cost: $200/full course
Pay in advance by mailing check to CBE's main office (274 Garfield Place Brooklyn, NY 11215), please put title of the course in the memo or pay at the door.

“Basic Judaism: An Intro to Jewish Life, Text, and Ideas”
Instructor: Marc Katz (Revson Rabbinic Intern)
Wednesdays: beginning 10/14 and running until spring (approx. 25 sessions) at 7:30 PM
     This course will provide an opportunity to learn about Jewish
traditions, holidays, history, and lifecycle events in an interactive
and engaging way. Through ancient texts and modern media, participants
will learn to navigate Jewish prayer and will get a comfort with the
texts, symbols, and ideas that shape Jewish life today. Taught by Marc
Katz, Revson Rabbinical Intern at Congregation Beth Elohim, this
course aims to give participants the tools to conduct Jewish ritual at
home and the faculty to ask the challenging questions about the Jewish
faith and Israel. We welcome individuals and couples who wish to know
more about Judaism as well as those considering becoming Jewish.
For more information contact info@brooklynjews.org.
To register click here
Cost: $200/full course
Pay in advance by mailing check to CBE's main office (274 Garfield Place Brooklyn, NY 11215), please put title of the course in the memo or pay at the door.


“Mussar”
Instructor: Gary Shaffer
Mondays: 11/30 and 12/15, 1/25, 2/08, 2/22, 3/08, and 3/22

     Mussar, a traditional Jewish approach to spiritual and practical self-improvement, seeks to bridge the gap that often exists between rational understanding and actions, between knowing right and doing right.  Evolving within the Jewish world over the past 1000 years, the Mussar movement was revitalized in the 19th century by a Lithuanian rabbi, Israel Salanter, who developed a system that employs textual study, prayer, discussion, and focused journal writing as a means of incorporating Torah values into daily life.  The course will initially run four weeks, and will cover four character traits, or middot, addressed by standard Mussar texts.  Starting first with a study of humility, we will then continue with examinations of patience, anger and gratitude, exploring the proper balance of each trait.  As a basic source book, the course will use Alan Morinis’s Everyday Holiness, which is a modern guide to Mussar practice.  Other readings from Maimonides, Salanter, and other Jewish writers will also be used during the course.  
Cost: Free of charge

 




Speaker Series

2009-2010 Speaker Series Calendar 

Upcoming Learning events include:

 

American Jewish History through the Marx Brothers with Rabbi Daniel M. Bronstein Wednesdays, 2/17 and 2/24 and 3/17 at 8:00 PM

(Please note changed date for final session).

 

Wine and Cheese Learning Purim Learning Saturday 2/27 at 4:30 p.m. Male/Female/Insider/Outsider: A New Examination of Mordechai and Esther with Rabbi Daniel M. Bronstein

(Co-sponsored by the Kehillah Project and the Jewish Learning Committee. Please bring either a bottle of wine or a cheese).

 

A discussion with Mike Hammel, Chairperson of Aguda, the National Association of GLBT in Israel Sunday 3/7 11 AM

On August 1, 2009, a masked gunman burst into the facilities of the Aguda, or National Association of GLBT killing two and injuring dozens more. In the aftermath, it became evident that the Israeli government’s social services and social workers have not been trained or educated in dealing with GLBT issues. However, the Israel Minister of Social Services recently issued a mandate to the Aguda to build network of national network of social services to deal with the GLBT community.

Mike Hamel, the Chairperson of the Aguda since 2004, who is considered the leading expert on GLBT issues in Israel and has been involved in social reform and the protection of human rights for his entire life is touring the United States accompanied by Chen Langer, a young volunteer with the Aguda youth program who was shot during the recent tragedy. As chair of Israel's oldest LGBT organization, Mike has represented Israel's gay community in a variety of settings and took the lead at the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Jurisprudence committee’s proceedings concerning the human rights section of the future Israeli constitution. The National Association of GLBT in Israel is currently celebrating its 35th year of service and support of GLBT rights and issues and providing social services to the GLBT community in Israel. The Aguda has been the founding father of many of the GLBT organizations in Israel and is the only national GLBT organization offering programs ranging from our youth services to our all new HIV-AIDs awareness website along with Project Barak, our educational program.

The Aguda is presently trying to build an all new national social services program that will stretch from border to border and encompass all of Israel regardless of religion, origin or sexual orientation.

(refreshments to be offered)

 

Special Shabbat Morning Learning Events

All adult learning programs co-sponsored by the Early Childhood Center, Kehillah Project and Yachad.

A screening of Waves of Freedom Saturday and discussion with Paul Kaye Saturday March 13 at 11 AM

Waves of Freedom presents the story of American sailors who disregarded the British blockade of Palestine to ferry Jewish refugees to Palestine during the Holocaust.

Of all the refugees who slipped past the British, nearly half came on ten largely American-manned vessels. Waves of Freedom offers authentic documentary footage intertwined with sailors’ reminisces’ about defying the British blockade to bring Jewish refugees into the future state of Israel.

Join us for the film and a discussion with one of the former American sailors, Paul Kaye who will share his experiences with us.

 

For a full listing of ongoing courses and additional learning opportunities follow this link to our website: http://www.congregationbethelohim.org/index.php/Jewish-Learning/ 

 

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