Beth Emet is a diverse community of individuals with different viewpoints, backgrounds, and a broad range of Jewish learning experiences.
Beth Emet Adult Programming offers exciting opportunities to meet new people, exchange ideas, and embrace Jewish history, ritual, and culture.
Our classes are taught by experienced clergy, teachers, and lay leaders from Beth Emet and the larger Jewish community. Offerings range from one-time events to yearlong classes; some have fees, and scholarships are available.
While we are still preparing registration for all fall offerings, you can see all of September’s offerings below. If you’d like to be notified when new Adult Programming opportunities become available, you may subscribe to our email list.
When registration is available, follow these steps:
The Fall 5785 term offers a diverse array of classes and special programs. Stay tuned for detailed information on the upcoming courses, including specific venues.
Everyone is invited to listen, learn, contribute, and share new insights with fellow members of the Beth Emet community.
While we gear up for the High Holy Days we invite you to participate in some of our offerings for September. Whether taking a trip to the Holocaust Museum of Illinois, learning and understanding problems facing Israel, or gearing up for the holidays and embracing Elul we have something everyone can enjoy!
Look out for exciting new offerings in the months ahead. To be given a link to online programming, you must register beforehand.
Selichot Service with Choir:
Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare for the High Holy Days with a beautiful and reflective Selichot Service. We look forward to sharing this meaningful evening with you at Beth Emet.
Wednesday, September 4 | 6:30 pm | In-Person and Virtual on Zoom
Members Register here
Guest Register here
As the month of Elul begins and we begin our spiritual preparation for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we invite you to find community and meaning with a potluck dinner, singing, and learning with our clergy, Rabbi Andrea London and Cantor Natalie Young.
Wednesday, September 11 | 7:30 pm | In-person & Virtual on Zoom
Members Register Here
Guests Register Here
A continuing lecture-discussion series on contemporary public issues of interest to Jews. Watch the Presidential Debate on September 10. Then come to discuss current politics at our September 11 session!
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.
Monday, September 16 | 7:30 pm | In-person & Virtual on Zoom
Our two speakers will provide insights on selected key issues, with time for questions and comments.
Zack Selch
The Chair of the Israel Committee. Zach Selch grew up in Beer Sheva and served as a paratrooper during the First Intifada and the First Lebanon War. He later worked with the Prime Minister’s Office as an economic advisor to the Palestinian Authority during the Oslo Accords. Zack then spent over ten years working in Israeli high-tech.
Joel Hodes
Joel made Aliyah to Israel 10 years ago. He and his wife split their time between Tel Aviv and Chicago, spending a half-year in each location. Joel is an active protester, often attending the weekly rallies held in Hostage Square and Kaplan St. in Tel Aviv. Since the war, Joel has regularly volunteered to harvest agriculture on the abandoned kibbutzim near the Gaza border.
Thursday, September 19 | 7:30pm | In-person & Virtual on Zoom
Registration:
Member Register Here
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 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. You must pre-register in order to receive a link. Contact Marci Dickman with any additional questions.
Friday, September 20 | Lunch @11:30am Museum @1:00 pm | In-person
A Heartwarming Journey Through History
This special exhibit showcases the rescue of nearly 10,000 children from Germany and other Nazi-controlled areas in Europe in nine months between 1938 and 1939. Great Britain waived its visa immigration requirements, allowing these thousands of children to be brought into the United Kingdom.
Lunch: For those who wish, we’ll have lunch together before seeing the exhibit. We’ll meet at Sweet Basil Café (inside Hampton Inn & Suites on Old Orchard Rd in Skokie) at 11:30 am. Email Barbara Berngard to reserve a spot.
Hebrew is the language of the Torah, the prayer book, and the universal language of the Jewish people. For many, Hebrew is a gateway to Jewish community and study, empowering us spiritually, intellectually, and socially and connecting us with people in Israel, around the world, and fellow learners here at Beth Emet. Now is a good time to learn to read Hebrew or improve the Hebrew skills you already have in a supportive and stimulating environment. Our Hebrew classes meet weekly during the school year, except during Thanksgiving, winter break, and Passover. Scholarships are available. Contact Marci Dickman if you are interested in private lessons.
An opportunity for learners with no or limited Hebrew background to become familiar with the Hebrew alphabet, how to sound out Hebrew words, and begin to develop reading fluency. You will also acquire some basic Hebrew vocabulary that connects us to Jewish life, ritual, tradition, and Israel. This class meets a requirement for Adult Kabbalat Mitzvah.
Registration coming soon
Are you seeking to participate more meaningfully at services? This class will continue to develop Hebrew reading fluency while exploring the vocabulary, structure, and themes of Shabbat worship services and the individual prayers. This class meets a requirement for Adult Kabbalat Mitzvah.
Bluma Stoller is a Beth Emet congregant and a graduate of Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. She was the North American Director of Academic Affairs for Tel Aviv University and was the recipient of Hillel International’s Exemplar of Excellence Award for her commitment to social justice and tikkun olam. She has held leadership positions in major Jewish organizations, including Project Otzma and the JCRC of Greater Boston.
Learn spoken Hebrew in an Ulpan-like setting. We will read news articles and discuss current events, all in Hebrew. The only prerequisite is basic Hebrew reading skills.
DORIT FLATT is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and grew up in Tel-Aviv, Israel. After completing her IDF service in the paratrooper unit, she studied elementary education at Seminar Levinsky in Tel-Aviv. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan, and taught Hebrew language, literature, and religious studies in Michigan for twenty-five years.
You can sound out Hebrew words, but not as well as you’d like. This five-week crash course will review the rules and techniques for more confident Hebrew reading, and an opportunity to practice.
Beth Emet Adult Programming is supported in part by a generous grant from the David D. Polk and Marian Polk Fried Adult Jewish Studies Fund of the Beth Emet Foundation.
Beth Emet Adult Programming is also supported in part by the generosity of the Jewish Education: Lifelong Learning Opportunities (JELLO) Fund of the Beth Emet Foundation.
Reach out to Marci Dickman, Director of Lifelong Learning.
Contact Marci
