Adult Jewish Learning at Congregation B’nai Israel The Journey Toward the Promised Land Continues Saturday Morning Torah Study at 9:30 a.m. Every Saturday morning we learn Torah together—some attend 8:00 a.m. services, while others arrive in time for the study group. Some participate every week, and others drop in when they can. Some have solid biblical backgrounds, and others are novices to the study. Some know Hebrew, and most do not. Bottom line: Everyone is welcome! Join us for an enriching, enjoyable, and engaging hour of weekly learning of our most sacred text. Parent Learning Circle Sunday, February 3 at 10:30 a.m. The Parent Learning Circle (PLC) is an opportunity for parents of students in Gan through Kitah Gimel (kindergarten through grade 3) to connect, learn, and create community. Our learning and discussions mirror the topics that students are learning in their classrooms. PLC helps parents feel better prepared to answer children’s questions about Judaism, God, birth, death, and much more. PLC also helps group members gain confidence in celebrating Shabbat and holidays, and engaging in Jewish rituals. And participants will have an opportunity to learn Hebrew during the first 20 minute of each class, just like the children in their classrooms! Join us for the whole session, or drop in at 10:50 to participate in the Jewish living conversations. With Rabbi Schultz. Raising the “Bar” in Bar and Bat Mitzvah Monday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m. Join us as Rabbi Schultz continues this four-part series for parents of upcoming Bar and Bat Mitzvah students. The sessions will be an opportunity for parents to both study together and create an open forum for discussion on contemporary topics and issues related to the Bar and Bat Mitzvah process. As parents, you will have a space to talk about how you are feeling about this major upcoming event in the life of your family with clergy and like-minded adults. All parents of upcoming Bar and Bat Mitzvah students are encouraged to attend! Note: Supervised pizza dinner/ study hall will be provided for students from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. RSVP to Rabbi Schultz at 203-336-1858 or eschultz@ cbibpt.org by that Monday at noon if your child will be joining us for dinner.
The Changing Face of the Middle East— in conjunction with Trinity Church, Southport, and Fairfield University Thursday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. Professor Yoram Peri, the Abraham S. and Jack Kay Chair in Israel Studies at the University of Maryland at College Park, will speak on the impact of the “Arab Spring” on Israel. Professor Peri is a former political advisor to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the founder and former head of the Chaim Herzog Institute for Media, Politics and Society. Among his publications are The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin (Stanford University Press) and Between Battles and Ballots: Israel Military in Politics (Cambridge University Press). The Modern Jewish Short Story Monday Midrasha—Monday, February 25, and March 4, 11, 18 at 7:00 p.m. Over the course of the last century, the Jewish short story has become a major presence in the world of Jewish literature. Participants in this course will have an opportunity to read and discuss a wide variety of Jewish authors, including Sholom Aleichem, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Bernard Malamud, Nathan Englander, Shalom Auslander, and Israeli author Etgar Keret. A course reader with all stories will be provided in both paper and digital format. With Rabbi Schultz. The Visitor, by Carol Mack (B’nai Israel congregant) The Quick Center, Tuesday, March 19 at 8:00 p.m. The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University is presenting Carol Mack’s play The Visitor (co-sponsored with the American Studies program) as a staged reading in the Wien Experimental Theater at the Quick Center. It is based on a true story that took place in New York City when Teddy Roosevelt was police commissioner. Admission is free. To reserve a seat, call the Bennett Center at 203-254-4000, ext 2066.
Join the March for Change on February 14. See p. 3 for details.
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