Beth Emet
Member's Adult Education Registration - 2020-2021 - 5780-5781

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Adult Education Registration
Please choose class(es) below.  You can hover over any class name to see a full description.
Friday Morning Package

Who is a Jew? with David Gottlieb
Friday, March 19 at 11:00 a.m

American Jews and the Israeli Settler Movement with Sara Hirschhorn
Fridays, April 9 and 16 at 11:00 a.m.

Learning About Islam with Liat Alon
Fridays, April 23 and 30 at 11:00 a.m.

The Universal and the Particular: The Wisdom of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks with Rabbi Marianne Novak
Friday, May 7 at 11:00 a.m.

Intermarried Families during the Holocaust with Benjamin Frommer
Fridays, May 14 and 21 at 11:00 a.m.
Individual Classes
with *Marci Dickman Thursday, October 29, Wednesday, November 11, and Thursdays, December 17, January 21, February 18, March 18, April 22, and May 20 | 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Participants study as a small group to become b’nei mitzvah together at Beth Emet. If interested in joining this ongoing class, please contact Marci Dickman, Director of Lifelong Education.
with *Rabbi Andrea London Fridays, October 16 – May 21 | 9:30 – 10:35 a.m. There are many ways to interpret Torah and its nuances of meaning that are often overlooked. We will continue our learning from last year, reading and interpreting the text of the Book of Numbers line by line. New learners are always welcome. No fee for members (please register to receive Zoom link); non-member fee $100
Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 pm Rabbi Edelheit was with us during Yom Kippur, and is back to teach us again! This Pesach the bitter herbs will immediately remind us of the past ten months of American grief, anger, and reflection provoked by the murder of George Floyd. The challenge that we all face from America's original sin, racism, will be sparked as we read our own origin story in the Haggadah. In preparation to observe Pesach, we will study the issue of 'slavery' as read in the Torah and search for guidance in the struggles we face today. Pasters Michael Nabors, Daniel Ruen and Rabbi London will engage in an interfaith conversation with Rabbi Edelheit on his essay “A Critical re-reading of Slavery in the Torah”. No fee for members; non-member fee $25 Register here. Rabbi Joseph Edelheit, Professor Emeritus of Religious and Jewish Studies at St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, MN), lives in Rio De Janeiro. He was selected by the Divinity School of the University of Chicago as Alumnus of the Year 2021. His most recent book, "What am I missing? Questions about Being Human," was published in February 2020 and focuses on the difficult life lesson that we are all missing something in our lives. We welcome him back, virtually, to the Chicago area; he was the Senior Rabbi at Emanuel Congregation from 1984-1992.
Monday, March 14 at 1:00 pm Beth Emet joins Kaleidoscope, an Israeli educational organization dedicated to promoting appreciation for diversity, in inviting you to connect to Israel through a different lens. On March 14 at 1pm, we will reflect on the challenges of multiculturalism, prejudice and diversity in Israel and at home here in the US. We will be guided through this experience by Kaleidoscope’s director and founder and by its facilitators of different cultures – Rasia Feru, of the Druze community, Eihab Kadah, a Muslim citizen, and Yisraela Baruch, a citizen of Ethiopian origin. We will have an opportunity to meet each through their stories – their histories, cultures, religions, day-to-day life experiences, and their experiences of acceptance and discrimination as members of Israel’s minority populations. Please join us as we explore our own biases and discuss diversity, bigotry, and majority/minority relations within Israel and within our own communities – and share ideas about how to deal with them.
Monday, March 22 at 7:30 pm An Apeirogon is a polygon with an infinite number of sides, an apt metaphor for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Apeirogon is a work of historical fiction based on the real life events and the relationship between Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian Muslim, and Rami Elhanan, an Israeli Jew. Aramin co-founded the activist group Combatants for Peace which Elhanan joined after his son Elik brought him to a meeting. Both Bassam and Rami also have had daughters killed in the violence of the conflict and speak around the world about their experiences as bereaved fathers for The Parents Circle-Families Forum, a grassroots organization of Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost immediate family members due to the conflict. Rabbi London loved the book and is looking forward to discussing it with members of Beth Emet.
Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 pm Pastors Michael Nabors, Daniel Ruen and Rabbi London will engage in an interfaith conversation with Rabbi Edelheit on his essay “A Critical re-reading of Slavery in the Torah”. No fee for members; non-member fee $25 Register here. Rabbi Joseph Edelheit, Professor Emeritus of Religious and Jewish Studies at St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, MN), lives in Rio De Janeiro. He was selected by the Divinity School of the University of Chicago as Alumnus of the Year 2021. His most recent book, "What am I missing? Questions about Being Human," was published in February 2020 and focuses on the difficult life lesson that we are all missing something in our lives. We welcome him back, virtually, to the Chicago area; he was the Senior Rabbi at Emanuel Congregation from 1984-1992.
Monday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. Jews have encountered anti-Semitism throughout history; during global pandemics and periods of economic crisis such prejudicial behaviors have taken on a different set of characteristics. In 2020 we encountered a new wave of anti-Jewish expression and the unfolding of a national debate over race and racism. What might all of this mean for America’s Jews, our relationship with other communities, and with our place in this nation? No fee for members; non-member fee $15
Tuesday, April 6 at 20:30 a.m. The story of Jewish women inventors continues. This spring, meet Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin, Florence Melton, Vera Rubin, and Millie Dresselhaus. These women have changed our world with their achievements. Their stories are remarkable. No fee for members; non-member fee $10
Fridays, April 9 and 16 at 11:00 a.m. More than 60,000 Jewish-Americans have settled in the territories since it was captured by the State of Israel during the Six Day War. Fifteen percent of the settler population today, they have established major communities, transformed domestic politics and international relations, committed shocking acts of terrorism, and demanded attention in both Israel and the United States. We will explore the changing face of the settlements and political realities at the heart of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Member fee $25 or included in Friday package; non-member fee $35
Saturday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m. Through story and song (and a few puppets) Evan takes us on a poignant, often humorous journey that spans continents, decades, and generations. Ultimately, “Shards” is the story of finding home, finding homeland, and learning a bit more about yourself along the way. This program is sponsored by the Sherwin Education Fund of the Beth Emet Foundation. No fee for members: non-member fee $15 . Cantor Evan Kent received ordination and a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music from Hebrew Union College in New York and served Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles as its cantor for 25 years. He is currently on the faculty of Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem, teaching liturgy and sacred music. Evan has starred in many Jerusalem productions including “Guys and Dolls,” “Cabaret,” “She Loves Me,” and he portrayed Yitzchak Rabin in a new musical drama, “November,” that dramatized the last week of Rabin’s life.
Tuesday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. Drawing on the rich texts of our tradition as well as the prose and poetry of modern politicians, scholars, and songwriters, Cantor Kyle Cotler will lead us from Exodus to the present. But that's not all! Cantor Cotler will be joined by special guest, Cantor Doug Cotler (the elder)! Two Cantor Cotlers, one jubilant night of singing; you won't want to miss it! No fee
Monday, April 19 and 26 at 4:00 p.m. Beth Emet member Lindy Rubin, originally from South Africa, presents a history of Jewish South Africa in pictures and art. The Rubins immigrated to America in 1980 because they were most unhappy with the Apartheid regime, despite their privileged lives. Follow this presentation with a visit to the current Mandela show at the Holocaust Museum. No fee. Register here. Lindy Rubin has an M.A. in Education from the University of Chicago. She does programs in schools and senior centers, using works of art to teach.
Tuesday, April 20 and April 27 at 7:30 p.m. Drawing on his entertaining and fascinating book, Seth Rogovoy traces klezmer music from its Old World roots to its migration to America at the end of the 19th century, where it flourished and declined, to its revival and renaissance at the end of the 20th century. $25 for members; Non-member fee $35 Seth Rogovoy is the author of The Essential Klezmer: A Music Lover’s Guide to Jewish Roots and Soul Music (Algonquin Books, 2000), the all-time bestselling guide to klezmer music. Seth’s work has appeared for three decades in the English-language national Jewish publication, The Forward, where he is a contributing editor.
Fridays, April 23 and 30 at 11:00 a.m. We will begin with an overview of the basic history, geography, and theology of Islam, dismantle some myths and stereotypes, and answer some questions, including: Why the hatred between Sunni and Shia; What is the origin and use of the name “Isis”; Are the Fast of Ramadan and the day of Ashura actually Jewish traces incorporated into Islam; and How is Yom Kippur associated with Jihad? Member fee $25 or included in Friday package; non-member fee $35. . Liat Alon is an Israel Institute Teaching Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (Program in Jewish Culture and Society and History Dept.). She is a historian of the modern Middle East and North Africa, working on the social history of “ordinary” people, focusing on the Egyptian and Shami (Lebanese and Syrian) Jewries in the 20th century, particularly women, gender and family in these societies. She received her Ph.D. from Ben Gurion University.
Tuesday, May 4 and 11 at 10:30 a.m. Ruth and Rahav: one a Moabite and one a Canaanite; one an ancestor of King David and one a prostitute. Each woman is part of Tanach and each is honored by our tradition. Who are these women and what is their story? No fee for members; $15 fee for non-members. . Hyma Levin, Beth Emet’s Director of Education Emerita, has been a Jewish educator for more than forty years. She is a member of the Chicago Coalition for Interreligious Learning: Catholics | Jews | Muslims Working Together, and taught by request in Catholic elementary and high schools for more than fifteen years. A Life Member of Hadassah, Hyma facilitated a leadership-training program for the Chicago-Northshore Chapter. She has taught in a variety of adult education venues in the area.
Tuesday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. We will examine the events and people that fomented changes in our liturgical and musical worship experience. We will explore how the influences of the Protestant Germanic chorale tradition, baby boomers, the counter-culture folk movement, and summer camps all played a role in how we sing and pray today.
Friday, May 7 at 11:00 a.m. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z’l was the Chief Rabbi of the UK, a sought-after voice in Judaism who spoke and wrote prolifically on morality, ethics, social justice, science, and religion. We will explore together one example of his wisdom — his commentary on the Torah portion for the week of our class, Behar-Bechukotai. Member fee $15 or included in Friday package; non-member fee $25. . Rabbi Marianne Novak is an instructor and curriculum developer for the Florence Melton Adult School of Jewish Learning and taught Tanakh locally at Rochelle Zelle Jewish High School. She has lectured for many Jewish organizations and synagogues, and writes a blog for the Times of Israel. Rabbi Novak received an A.B. in Political Science from Barnard College, a J.D. from Washington University School of Law, and was ordained in 2019 at Yeshivat Maharat.
Fridays, May 14 and 21 at 11:00 a.m. We will consider the daily struggle and paradoxical fate of intermarried Jews and their progeny (so-called Mischlinge) during the Holocaust. Although Hitler feverishly denounced Jews who had intimate relations with non-Jews as the greatest threat to German racial purity, most intermarried Jews in Central Europe ultimately survived the war. Tragically, many of their children did not. Member fee $25 or included in Friday package; non-member fee $35. . Benjamin Frommer (Ph.D. Harvard University) is an Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University, with a joint appointment at the Crown Center for Jewish and Israel Studies. He is a historian of Central and Eastern Europe, and most recently, co-editor of Intermarriage from Central Europe to Central Asia: Mixed Families in the Age of Extremes (2019).
Wednesday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. A continuing lecture-discussion class on contemporary public issues of interest to Jews as citizens. We will focus primarily on United States national and international policy related to economic, diplomatic, and military issues, including relations with Israel and other nations. Special attention will be given to the policy and political issues facing the Biden administration. No fee for members; non-member $10. . David Zarefsky is the Owen L. Coon Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, specializing in argumentation and the analysis and criticism of American political discourse. David is a former president of the National Communication Association, the Rhetoric Society of America, and the Central States Communication Association. In 2012 he received the Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award from the National Communication Association. David is a
Wednesday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. Drawing on his new book, scheduled for publication in March, David will discuss how President Lyndon Johnson tried to resolve competing political currents in the preparation of his speech to the nation on March 31, 1968. This speech also surprised the country with the announcement that he would not be a candidate for re-election David Zarefsky is the Owen L. Coon Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, specializing in argumentation and the analysis and criticism of American political discourse. David is a former president of the National Communication Association, the Rhetoric Society of America, and the Central States Communication Association. In 2012 he received the Lifetime Teaching Excellence Award from the National Communication Association. David is a
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