Adult Education 2025-2026 / 5786
Current and Upcoming Classes and Events
For most classes, there is no charge for CBE members. Non-members are requested to make a donation to the Adult Education Fund (suggested $36) by clicking HERE and selecting Adult Education Fund in the "TYPE" dropdown menu.
Almost Rosh Chodesh Class Series with Leann Shamash ♦ Monthly on Tuesdays, starting November 4 ♦ 12:00 to 1:15 PM at CBE & Zoom
Leann, former CBE Education Director, leads this series. We will launch into topics that relate to either the holiday of the month, the current Torah portion, or Jewish identity issues. Suggested cost is $120 for the full series with discounted costs, if needed.
Torah Talk with Rabbi David
Usually held the first three Thursdays of each month from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM via Zoom only.
This class will be a general text study class that could bring in Talmud, Mishnah, Torah, Midrash, or other sacred texts. It could also be about Jewish values and current events, or an upcoming holiday.
This class will be held via Zoom only. After you sign up, you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom login information.
Sign up HERE to receive the zoom link
Shalom Gathering with Cantor Sarra
Tuesdays, November 18 and December 9
7:00 - 8:00 PM in Sanctuary & Zoom
Join Cantor Sarra for a time to rejuvenate with guided meditations, songs and Jewish teachings about unity and joy.
Sign up HERE to receive attendance information.
Shabbat Torah Study with Rabbi David
Shabbat mornings except days with B'nai Mitzvah. Watch for announcements in Star-Lite or see our online calendar.
This study and discussion of the weekly parsha follows a short Shacharit service. Various translations and commentaries are employed, as well as the rabbi’s own insight.
Mid Week Torah Study
Facilitator: Waky
Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 PM
(On summer break)
Join a group of adult students that has been studying Jewish texts together for several years All are welcome; we study using the chevruta style of learning where we all share our thoughts on a wide perspective on the texts. No previous knowledge is required nor is Hebrew a necessity. Drop-ins are welcome. Contact Waky at adulted@bethelohim.org.
Educational Resources
Israel Discussion Series Resources
The following resources came out of the first Israel discussion on February 8, 2023, as valuable to the understanding of Israel's history and society:
Books:
Archive of The STAR Column, "People of Chelm Want to Know"
Find the archive of 10 plus years of this column, published in The STAR, and developed by Bob Ferrara with Waky's help as the editor and fact checker.
Jewish Book Month Speaker Event with Anne Hand ♦ Sunday, October 26 ♦ 6:30 PM at CBE & Zoom
Former congregant, Anne Hand, will share her memoir, "Austrian Again." Her memoir shows us what it means to both reclaim a lost heritage and gain new footing in today’s world.
Find all details and sign up HERE.
Yom HaShoah: Screening of the film, Four Winters
Featuring the Jewish Partisans
A Story of Resistance & Bravery in WWII
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 , 6:30 PM
In commemoration of Yom HaShoah, the Adult Education Committee will be screening Four Winters, followed by a conversation with the film director, Julia Mintz (who is a member of CBE’s extended family and Rabbi Lewis Mintz’s niece).
There will be a short religious service before the screening. The film screening will be in person only.
FILM SYNOPSIS
“All I owned was my camera, a leopard coat, and a grenade in case of capture...the pillow was the rifle, the walls were the trees and the sky was the roof,” says partisan Faye Schulman. Over 25,000 Jewish partisans fought back against the Nazis and their collaborators from deep within the forests of WWII’s Eastern Europe, Ukraine and Belarus. Against extraordinary odds, they escaped Nazi slaughter, transforming from young innocents to courageous resistance fighters. Shattering the myth of Jewish passivity, these last surviving partisans tell their stories of resistance in FOUR WINTERS, revealing a stunning narrative of heroism and resilience.
FILM TRAILER:
https://fourwintersfilm.com/trailer
Scholar-in-Residence Weekend 2025 with Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin
Friday, February 7 at 7:00 PM, Saturday, February 8 at 9:30 AM, Sunday, February 9 at 9:00 AM ♦ In person & Zoom
Theme for the Weekend:
"Rebooting Liberal Judaism"
Speaker Events:
Session 1: Friday, February 7 • 7:00 PM – Shabbat Service: Rabbi Salkin will provide the D'var Torah: Rebooting Liberal Judaism. This will be offered in person in the CBE Sanctuary and via Zoom (Usual Services Zoom)
Session 2: Saturday, February 8 • 9:30 AM– Shabbat Service followed by Torah Study with Rabbi Salkin (about 10:30 AM): Rabbi Salkin will lead the Torah Study: Parsh Beshalach. A Wall on the Left and a Wall on the Right: Beiong Jewish in Today's America. This will be offered in person in the CBE Sanctuary and via Zoom (Usual Services Zoom)
Session 3: Sunday, February 9 • 9:00 AM – Brotherhood Breakfast: Rabbi Salkin will speak about 9:30 AM: A Complete Unknown: How Jewish is Bob Dylan? (There is no cost for Brotherhood members. Non-Brotherhood members are asked to pay $10 for the breakfast, payable at the door.)
SIGN UP HERE for Sessions 2 and/or 3 and join us to learn together. We are not asking for sign-up for the Friday Shabbat Service. You will find the speaker bio at this link also.
Making Moral Choices with Rabbi David
Tuesdays December 3, 10 and 17
5 to 6 pm in the CBE library and via Zoom
In a world of political extremes, how do we make moral choices? In the Jewish tradition, we have different processes for making moral choices. When do we consider a particular value to be so important as to trump all others? When and how do we strive to balance a particular value among other values? We will consider these questions within the framework of living in a diverse community and of how moral decision-making influences our relationships. Please join us on Tuesday afternoons for a lively discussion.
Below are recordings for sessions 2 and 3. Session 1 was not recorded.
Making Moral Choices Class - Part 2 - Rabbi David Braham- December 10, 2024
Making Moral Choices Class - Part 3 - Rabbi David Braham- December 17, 2024
Jewish Book Month Speaker - Joan Leegant
Sunday, November 17, 2024
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
CBE Social Hall
Congregation Beth Elohim Adult Education Committee and Sisterhood are pleased to host award-winning author Joan Leegant for our annual Jewish Book Month author event.
Joan Leegant will speak about her timely short story collection, DISPLACED PERSONS, which shines a light on American Jewish life and Israel, especially relevant in these times. DISPLACED PERSONS won the national New American Fiction Prize and has been selected by Hadassah Magazine for their One Book, One Hadassah program and chosen by the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism for their Women’s League Reads program for January 2025.
About the author
Joan is a passionate speaker who loves engaging with audiences. Come for an eye-opening conversation about the creative process, writing about Israel, and what it means to be coming out with a Jewish book today in this climate of anti-Israel sentiment.
Joan's first book, An Hour in Paradise, won the PEN/New England Book Award, the Wallant Award for Jewish Fiction, and was a Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Her second, Wherever You Go, was named a “Significant Jewish Book” by the Union for Reform Judaism.
Formerly a lawyer, Joan taught at Harvard for eight years and was the Visiting Writer at Bar-Ilan University outside Tel Aviv for five years where she also lectured at schools across Israel on American literature and culture under the auspices of the U.S. State Department.