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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It may be difficult to be kind and compassionate in the midst of uncertainty, injustice, racism, poverty, and severe climate crises across the planet. Yet each week we have Shabbat, our time for taking in all the experiences of the week and a time of consolidation and contemplation. Shabbat can be a day of mindfulness to appreciate the goodness in our lives and our amazing, beautiful world — a time to refresh, to recenter, and to reflect. Every week, we have the opportunity to cultivate a Shabbat of gratitude and kindness so we can face the world and respond with a wise heart of generosity and forgiveness.

Rabbi Dr. Rivkah (Roberta) Glick is a neurosurgeon, teacher, mother, wife, rabbi, and pursuer of peace. She began her career working with the poor and taking care of people with brain tumors and severe trauma on the west side of Chicago at Cook County and Mount Sinai Hospitals. Thirty years later, she took a sabbatical, in part to immerse herself more fully in the study of Jewish texts and meditation, here and in Israel. Today, she is a rabbi, an important stop on her spiritual path of connection to herself, to others, and to the Divine. Her aspiration is to bring kindness and compassion into the world.

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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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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.

During World War II, approximately 120,000 people of Japanese descent were forcibly moved to and incarcerated in internment camps located in remote areas of the Midwest and western United States. About two-thirds of them were American citizens.

Tour a special exhibition at the Holocaust Museum of eight artists who are Sansei (third-generation) Japanese Americans. The exhibit reflects the impact the imprisonment had from generation to generation after the camps were closed. Much of the work reflects the artists’ pain, often suppressed by their elders.

Have lunch – or a snack – with other participants prior to seeing the exhibit. We will meet at Sweet Basil Café (inside Hampton Inn & Suites on Old Orchard Rd in Skokie.) at 11:30 am. For those joining us for lunch, please email Barbara Berngard.  Participants will pay for admission to the Museum.

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Zionism has evolved from its early days in the late 1800s, encompassing differing doctrines as well as the emergence of anti-Zionism. Dr.Hillel will explain the evolution of the political movements in the late 1800s to the 1948 establishment of Israel, including whether Zionism is a nationalist movement or settler colonialism. Then, the focus will be on the evolution of these political movements from Israel’s 1967 war victory, bringing occupied territories, through the present.

Between 1880 and 1914, almost two million Jews from the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires immigrated to the United States. This migration marks an important shift in modern Jewish history because it turned the United States from a peripheral to a major center of Jewish life.

Before 1914, Congress passed several immigration bills.  While hardly any Europeans were excluded, non-white migrants were not welcome.  American Jewish leaders protested Chinese exclusion early on because they grasped the threat of nativism in a period of rising antisemitism and calls for immigration restrictions.  In 1917, Congress overrode President Wilson’s veto and passed the literacy test bill. Jewish leaders were able to mitigate the bill – the test could be administered in Hebrew and Yiddish.   However, the national origin quota acts, passed in 1921 and 1924, drastically reduced Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe.

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In 1944, a Jewish couple in Paris awaits news of their missing family. Seventy years later, their descendants face the same question: “Are we safe?” Spanning five generations, Prayer for the French Republic is a sweeping, darkly funny exploration of history, identity, and survival. Don’t miss the Chicago premiere of this powerful play, blending sharp humor and profound drama in a story as timely as it is timeless.

Buy your tickets soon for the May 4 performance at 2:30 pm, as seats are limited. Please also register above for the post- show dinner directly following the performance.