CLASSES ARE MEETING VIRTUALLY AND/OR IN PERSON
Gertrude Lederman Family Continuing Education Program classes at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El offer a wonderful chance to deepen your understanding of Jewish thought, culture, and identity. North Suburban Synagogue Beth El's Continuing Education program is made possible through the generous gift of the estate of Gertrude Lederman. The value she placed on Jewish education became the cornerstone of her legacy of lifelong learning in our congregation.
REGISTRATION, TUITION & PAYMENT INFORMATION Check out all our classes and events by going to the Continuing Education page of the Beth El website (www.nssbethel.org/learn/lederman-continuingeducation), and register online by clicking on the Registration link on the page. You may also register by contacting Marcie Eskin, Education Coordinator, at meskin@nssbethel.org or 847-926-7903. Classes are offered in four quarters – Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. The fee structure for regular Continuing Education courses with multiple sessions is $125 per quarter, but offered at a discounted price of $60 to NSS Beth El members. Payment for one multiple session course includes any additional Continuing Education classes during the same quarter with no additional charge. For Sisterhood Torah Fund classes, a minimum annual donation of $54, made payable to Torah Fund, entitles the donor to attend any Sisterhood Torah Fund class for the entire year. For registration and further information, contact Rolly Cohen, Torah Fund VicePresident, at rollycohen7@gmail.com. To make your Torah Fund donation, see our registration information at www.nssbethel.org/learn/lederman-continuingeducation/registration. In addition, the Gertrude Lederman Family Continuing Education Program offers a variety of free events, classes and community opportunities which will be publicized via email throughout the year. To make sure you are on our mailing list, or for questions about adult education, contact Rachel Kamin, Director of Lifelong Learning, at rkamin@nssbethel.org or call 847-926-7902.
Hebrew Language Café Ivrit: Intermediate Conversational Hebrew Silvi Freedson Tuesdays, 6:00–7:30pm, October 12 – December 14 (9 sessions; no class November 23) This intermediate level course will help you improve your conversational and reading skills. Class will be held over Zoom. Quarter Fee: Fall Sicha Ivrit: Advanced Conversational Hebrew Silvi Freedson Thursdays, 6:00–7:30pm, October 14 – December 16 (9 sessions; no class November 25) Join this advanced level course to study Israeli literature and culture in Hebrew. Class will be held over Zoom. Quarter Fee: Fall Intermediate Conversational Hebrew (In Partnership with Moriah Congregation) Silvi Freedson Mondays, 7:30 –9:00pm, October 4 – December 13 (11 sessions) In this class we will be reading stories, plays, and articles and discussing them in Hebrew. Class will be held over Zoom. Quarter Fee: Fall Open Conversational Hebrew Sundays, 9:30–11:00am Practice Hebrew conversation and reading informally with other participants. Free. For information, contact Judy Farby at judyfarby@yahoo.com or 847-372-1700.
Classic Jewish Texts Talmud: Tractate Berakhot Rabbi Michael Schwab Tuesdays, 8:30–9:30am, October 12 – December 14 (9 sessions; no class November 23) Rabbi Schwab takes students on a journey through the mainstay of the Jewish oral tradition, its rich history, structure, and famous personalities. Class will meet in person. Quarter Fee: Fall Jewish Life and Culture Lunch & Learn Rabbi Michael Schwab Thursdays, 12:00–1:00pm, October 21, November 18 and December 9 (3 sessions) Grab your lunch and join Rabbi Schwab from the comfort of your own home or office for study sessions centered on the ethical
issues of our lives. Relying on source material from biblical and rabbinic texts, we will discuss the ethical principles and interpretations of Jewish law over the centuries and how to apply these ideas to everyday challenges. Class will be held over Zoom. FREE Finding Meaning in Prayer (Sisterhood Torah Fund Class) Hazzan Barbara Barnett Wednesdays, 8:00 – 9:00pm, October 13 – December 15 (9 sessions; no class November 24) Take a deeper, spiritual dive into the text, subtext and music of the prayers contained in our siddur. Maybe you learned them by rote as a kid; perhaps they are as foreign to you as if they came from the moon. Maybe Jewish prayer seems inaccessible. Unapproachable. And who needs it, anyway? Take a leisurely, sometimes twisty, journey together through the siddur and discover the hidden meanings and mysteries contained in our tefillot. Class will be held over Zoom. Adult Cantillation Class Hazzan Barbara Barnett Wednesdays, 12:00 –1:00pm, October 6 – November 17 (7 sessions) Unlock the secret of chanting Torah, decode the melody patterns, and learn the “how” as well as the “why” of Torah cantillation. This is the perfect opportunity for parents who would like to learn to chant Torah for their child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah or anyone who wants to become a Torah reader. Comfort with reading Hebrew text is required. Class will meet in person or on Zoom. FREE
Jewish Life and Culture God During Times of Crisis: A Shalom Hartman Institute Course (Sisterhood Torah Fund Class) Rabbi Michael Schwab Tuesdays, 8:00– 9:00pm, October 19– November 16 (5 sessions) Do we see God’s involvement in world affairs? How much responsibility is left to human intervention? Join Rabbi Schwab to explore questions of faith and tragedy, argument and submission, and distance and intimacy with the divine. Class will meet in person. Conservative Judaism Today and Tomorrow (Sisterhood Torah Fund Class) Rabbi Alex Freedman Tuesdays, 11:00am – 12:00pm, October 12– December 14 (9 sessions; no class November 23) Using Arnold M. Eisen’s collection of short essays, Conservative Judaism Today and Tomorrow, as a resource, this class will explore essential questions of Jewish belief, practice, community, and identity from a Conservative perspective. Professor Eisen, the former chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary, is one of the world’s foremost authorities on American Judaism. Each student will receive a copy of the book. Class will be held over Zoom.
Kol Isha: Women You Should Know: An Exploration of Modern Jewish Thinkers (Sisterhood Torah Fund Class) Lori Stark Mondays, 10:00–11:30am (in person) 0r 7:45–9:00pm (on Zoom), October 11–December 13 (9 sessions; no class November 22) Broaden your horizons as we learn about the flourishing of diverse approaches to text through the eyes of some brilliant, groundbreaking, and provocative Jewish women thinkers such as Rachel Adler, Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Jill Hammer, Judith Hauptman and more. Breaking Jewish News & Views: Jewish News Update Carl Schrag Wednesdays, 9:45– 11:30am, October 20–December 15 (9 sessions) This weekly discussion-based class zooms in on local, national, and global news through a distinctly Jewish lens. We'll talk about politics, Israel, anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, rifts in our Jewish community, local and global Jewish affairs, campus life, and the intersection between these topics and more. Carl Schrag, who was the Editor of The Jerusalem Post, brings a journalist's probing questions to every topic. Class will be held over Zoom. Quarter Fee: Fall Sisterhood Torah Fund Book Club (Sisterhood Torah Fund Class) Rachel Kamin Saturdays, 12:30pm, October 16 and December 18 Join Rachel Kamin, Director of Lifelong Learning, after Shabbat Kiddush on Saturdays for lively book discussions. New participants are always welcome! Book selections and 2022 dates to be announced. Writer's Beit Midrash Wednesdays, 9:30–11:00am, October 6 and 20, November 3 and December 1 and 15 All fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, and essay writers (published or not yet published) are welcome for discussions, exercises, camaraderie, and critique every other Wednesday morning. Contact Rachel at rkamin@nssbethel.org for more information and to be added to the mailing list. Class will meet in person. FREE
Special Writer's Beit Midrash Workshop: How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History with Annette Gendler Wednesday, November 17, 10:00am– 12:00pm Do you have a box of family letters, documents, photos, mementos you would love to “do something with?” Discover where to start to convert your heirlooms and oral anecdotes into engaging prose that will bring your ancestry to life. FREE
When are these classes?! You choose! Get a minimum of 5 fellow students together and pick the time and place. The teachers will travel or you can meet at the synagogue or on Zoom. This can be your personal havurah or book club or just a group of friends who want to get together and learn! Soul Sisters: Biblical Women through Midrash and Art Ali Drumm Women in the Bible express ambiguity, questioning and even rebellion against accepted norms. Their stories are some of the juiciest stories of seduction, betrayal and hard choices and are complex, nuanced, and adult. Using the modern definition of midrash as a living art form which includes visual art, music, and other interpretations of Torah, we seek to find the place where these stories about power, human sexuality, and resourceful responses to difficult situations resonate in our lives. An “Unorthodox” Class Rachel Kamin During each session we’ll listen to segments of Tablet Magazine's Unorthodox podcast, the world's leading Jewish podcast. We'll discuss the news of the Jews and learn more about the interesting guests, books, films, and projects featured on the show.
Florence Melton Adult School of Jewish Learning Beth El is pleased to be partnering with Moriah Congregation in Deerfield in offering Melton courses this year.
Love, Loss and Wisdom Rabbi Ben Kramer Tuesdays, 8:30 –10:00am, November 9 –December 14 (6 sessions) Cost: $179 for the class, includes the book $100 rebate available to NSS Beth El members; scholarships available upon request. Register at www.meltonschool.org/nssbe-moriah. Discover the Jewish responses and rituals that take us through mourning and arrive at a place of healing. When death inevitably enters our lives, Jewish wisdom and ritual can help us cope with heartbreak and loss, the anguish of why suffering exists. We will also seek to understand the big questions of what Judaism says about life after death and its understanding of messianic times. With a wider lens, we gain a context with which to better understand l our moments of anguish as individuals and as a community. Class will be held over Zoom. Social Justice: The Heart of Judaism in Theory and Practice Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Avraham Thursdays, 9:30 –11:00am, October 7– December 16 (10 sessions; no class November 25) Cost: $295 for the class, includes the book $200 rebate available to NSS Beth El members; scholarships available upon request. Register at www.meltonschool.org/nssbe-moriah. Social Justice work goes beyond addressing short-term needs; it requires us to take a closer look at the underlying causes of injustice with an eye toward bringing about change. This course explores historical and contemporary examples of Jewish commitment to social justice through the lens of Jewish wisdom manifest in our texts. Topics of study include poverty, immigration, environmental degradation and more that will inspire participants to take a stand and make a difference. Class will be held over Zoom.
Tough Questions Jews Ask Rabbi Alex Freedman Have you ever wondered the following: Why does G-d let awful things happen? Why does Judaism have so many rules? Why marry someone Jewish? This class will explore one big topic after another, utilizing as a guide the book Tough Questions Jews Ask by Rabbi Edward Feinstein, supplemented with texts from the Torah and Rabbinic Literature. Participants are encouraged to ask their toughest questions – and share their experiences and honest opinions - with the rabbi and each other. Quarter Fee: Contact Marcie Eskin at meskin@nssbethel.org to begin to set up your “On Demand” class.
Schechter Institute Online Courses Taught by Rabbi Vernon Kurtz
How to Live an Ethical Jewish Life Sundays, 10:30–11:45 am, October 17-November 21 (6 sessions) Most of us are familiar with Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers. Fewer of us are knowledgeable about its companion volume: The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan. We will study the teachings of the latter book as we examine it both from a scholarly and literary point of view as well as discuss the relevance of its teachings in helping us to live a personal ethical life and establish an ethical society. Its ancient wisdom is as relevant today as it was then. $120; 10% discount for registering for two series. Rabbinic Teachings on the Destruction of the Temple and its Relevance for Contemporary Society Tuesdays, 8:30–10:00am, October 19-December 28 (10 sessions, no class November 30) The fall of the Second Temple and the exile from Jerusalem were cataclysmic events in the life of the Jewish people. We will examine the reactions to this event through the study of historical and literary accounts of that period. While our emphasis will be on Talmudic and Midrashic stories, we also examine reactions of other societies to the event. As this was a seminal moment in the life of Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity, we will have the opportunity to delve into the formative texts of both traditions. We will then discuss what lessons we can learn from that period which can assist us in building a better Jewish and general society. $218; 10% discount for registrations before October 3 or for registering for two series. To register for these online courses, go to https:// schechter.edu/community-learning/.