Adult Education and Programming

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There are many ways to interpret our Tanach and its nuances of meaning that are often overlooked. Having completed our close look at Torah this past May, we turn to N’viim / Prophets, beginning with Joshua. New learners are always welcome.

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Inflammatory and inaccurate rhetoric? What word choices are most effective in expressing disagreement with some Israeli actions while supporting Israel’s existence and future? You must register to obtain a link to participate in virtually.

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How might Jewish and psychoanalytic perspectives on aging be related? This class will explore how these differing ways of understanding are strands that can be woven into a singular, braided understanding that can lighten the insidious process of aging.

An understanding of the emotional changes that occur with aging benefits from a broader understanding of human psychology. With that in mind, our first session will study the contributions of 20^th-century Chicago psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut and his revolutionary understanding of the human condition.

In our second session, we’ll compare Kohut’s foundational ideas about the human condition with the foundational Judaic ideas expressed metaphorically in Al Shloshah D’varim (from Pirke Avot). These foundational d’varim are so important that the 16th-century Rabbi Isaac Luria references them in his prescription for tikkun olam. We’ll question what makes these words so special for Luria and how they might relate to the psychology of aging.

Our third and final session will engage both Kohut and Rabbi Luria as we traverse the roads of aging that inevitably lead to our own ends. Talk about our endings is neither popular nor easy. Still, the reality of “endings” emerges naturally from within our conversation about aging as we explore the meanings of life’s supporting d’varim.

Dr. Allen Siegel is a clinical psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, currently in private practice in the Chicago area. He has taught and been affiliated with Chicago area institutions including Rush University Medical Center, the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, and Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Institute of Psychiatry. He is: an Associate Editor of the prominent journal Psychoanalytic Inquiry;  American Director of the Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies in Anatolia; Author of several published articles as well as author of the acclaimed book Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of the Self. Dr. Siegel is a member of the Beth Emet community

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A continuing lecture-discussion class on contemporary public issues of interest to Jews as citizens. The November 11 session will focus on interpretation of the 2024 election results.

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. He 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 past president of Beth Emet.

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Grandparents: Do you wonder about the new role you play within your family? Strive for the strongest relationship possible with your grandchildren? Try to impart your Jewish values and Jewish pride to your grandchildren? Want to speak more openly and naturally with your adult children?

Beth Emet is sponsoring the Peaceful Grandparent Project, an Orot Peaceful Family initiative, offering tools to deepen connections and infuse family moments with sacredness and tranquility, using ancient Jewish wisdom and teachings from mindfulness tradition. . Our program fosters empathy, compassion, and love. The texts are all in English, and the groups are created as safe and welcoming communities for all grandparents, regardless of background or level of literacy with Jewish texts or ideas.

Dr. Jane Shapiro is a proud Bubbie whose identity and experiences as a grandmother inform her approach to teaching and mentoring. She has Beth Emet roots and is a senior educator She has been a teacher to many over the last thirty years, in classes ranging from weekly Torah study to Jewish thought, history and literature. She received her doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2016. in 2017 Jane received an Educators Award from the Covenant Foundation. In 2018 she was featured in an Eli talk on “The Torah of Bubbiehood.” She lives in Skokie with her husband and is also mother to four sons, mother-in-law to three daughters and grandmother to six.

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Speaking from our hearts, finding greater equanimity and balance in turbulent times – not easy to do. We will use poetry, songs and lyrics, Jewish text, and our own experiences to reflect on ourselves, and to explore our reactions to the world around us. This class is open to all and will follow the pattern of Nourishing our Souls. All classes will be virtual. Come with an intent to listen, to learn and to share.

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In memory of Helene Rosenberg, who loved classical music and Jewish learning, this essay will feature Steve Reich, a wonderful contemporary composer who has written practically any composer before, more explicitly Jewish music. Reich is a former drummer. He is fascinated by rhythm and influenced by African and Indonesian music and composers like Stravinsky and Philip Glass. After hearing examples of how he writes music in general, we’ll listen to excerpts from “Different Trains,” his powerful string quartet about the Holocaust; from his setting of several psalms in “Tehillim”; and from his video opera, “The Cave,” about the Abraham stories. Throughout, we will consider how music constitutes a kind of midrash for Reich, coloring how we take in familiar stories and making them new for us today.

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No matter the result of the election, we know that our annual converation with U.S. Representative and Beth Emet member, Jan Schakowsky, will lead to many thoughts and insights. From top priorities of the new administration and in Congress, to the state of the world to what’s happening in Israel, the conversations are always rich. We are blessed that Jan is an integral part of our community, and we are fortunate to have this yearly opportunity to hear from her.

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The Arch of Titus and the Jewish Community of Rome with Judith Testa

The Arch of Titus in Rome is redolent with Jewish history. It is best known for the relief sculpture on one of its inner walls that portrays sacred objects looted from the Temple in Jerusalem—most prominently, a huge menorah. This class will consider the motivations for building triumphal arches and the rituals they embody, and the Arch of Titus in detail: why it was constructed, the meaning its sculptural decorations and inscriptions were intended to convey, how that message impacted Rome’s Jewish community, and how the message has been dramatically transformed over the centuries from a symbol of defeat to a symbol of survival and victory.

Judith Testa received her BA degree from Skidmore College, and MA and PhD from the University of Chicago, in Art History. She is the author of five books, including one devoted to art in Rome. Since retiring from her position as a professor at Northern Illinois University, she has been a staff writer for Fra Noi, the monthly magazine of the greater Chicago area Italian American community. For this publication she has authored several hundred articles about Italy, including travel, art, culture and book reviews.

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Cantor Young will lead in exploring our sacred texts through music and art. Learn about the evolution of Jewish music and the creative expression of our identity and experiences. Together, we will tap into our creative souls to find our own unique ways to elevate our prayers.