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1 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
West End Synagogue
ADULT EDUCATION
Winter & Spring
2015 / 5775
Scholar-in-Residence Shabbat & Avi Winokur Social Justice Lecture 2
Shabbat-Based Learning Weekly 2 Semi-Monthly 3 Monthly 3
Passover Prep 4
Courses Synagogue and Ritual Skills 5 History 6 Literature, Autobiography & Liturgy 7
Ethics and Daily Living 8
Spirituality and Aging Initiative 9
Israel 10
Other Study 10
Torah v’Tikkun (study and repair of the world) Initiative 11
Reconstructionist Education Day 12
Special Reconstructionist Weekend Shabbaton on Liturgy and Prayer 13 Conference on Liturgy and Prayer 13 Celebrating 30 14
All program details are subject to change. Please check
the weekly Daf Shabbat and eNewsletter, and the
synagogue website (www.westendsynagogue.org) for current
information.
2 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
Scholar-in-Residence Shabbat &
Avi Winokur Social Justice Lecture
Professor Elsie Stern, PhD Vice President for Academic Affairs Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Saturday, May 30 Co-sponsored by the Yad Mordecai Adult Education and Social Action Committees
During the 10:00 am Shabbat service
Chosenness and Privilege: Two Sides of the Same Coin?
Join us for this combined Scholar-in-Residence and Avi Winokur Social Justice Lecture to be presented by Elsie Stern, PhD. At 11:30 am, Dr. Stern will deliver our annual Avi Winokur Social Justice lecture, speaking on “Chosenness and Privilege: Two Sides of the Same Coin?” Although Reconstructionist Judaism rejects the idea that the Jews are a chosen people, Dr. Stern will show how biblical texts about chosenness can help us reflect on, and respond to, the contemporary realities of racial and socio-economic privilege.
At 1:30 pm after the kiddush luncheon
Sustainability Biblical Style
Please join us for our kiddush luncheon and following that, at 1:30 pm, as part of our Scholar-in-Residence program, Dr. Stern will lead a congregational study session on “Sustainability Biblical Style.” Come and learn about the biblical systems of Sh’mitah (Sabbatical Year) and Yovel (Jubilee Year), their relevance to our modern-day experience, and how they can help us reflect on and address issues of environmental and economic sustainability.
Not only will your understanding of these important concerns be deepened but you also will learn about relevant actions you can take to make a difference in our community and the larger world.
Shabbat-Based Learning
WEEKLY
Torah Study
Led by Rabbi Marc Margolius
Shabbat mornings, 9:00–10:00 am
Each week, Rabbi Margolius facilitates a group exploration of the weekly Torah portion. The sessions incorporate traditional rabbinic, Hasidic, and contemporary interpretations, as well as the insights of the group’s participants. As a learning community, we seek to discover points of resonance between our experience and the Torah narrative, and lessons which can guide us in our daily lives and inform our efforts to repair the world. All are welcome; no prior background or knowledge required.
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Shabbat-Based Learning, cont.
SEMI-MONTHLY
HaMatmid Tanakh Study: Jeremiah
Led by Susan Schorr
First and third Saturdays of the month, 1:30–3:00 pm
Our close text study of the Tanakh continues with Jeremiah, one of the most beautifully written of the prophetic books. All are welcome; no prior background or knowledge required.
Mesillat Yesharim (The Path of the Just)
Led by Susan Schorr
Second and fourth Saturdays of the month, 1:30–3:00 pm
Using a classical text on Jewish ethics, our discussions address common ethical challenges of our everyday lives. All are welcome; no prior background or knowledge required.
MONTHLY
Why Reconstructionism: Ten Steps Towards a Meaning-Based Judaism Led by Rabbi Marc Margolius During Saturday morning services 6 remaining sessions: January 17, February 28, March 28 (9:00–10:00 am), May 2, May 16, June 27
Reconstructionist Judaism represents a path by which we search for meaning and enhance our lives. In these monthly sessions, Rabbi Margolius will lead us through the core principles of Reconstructionist Judaism, exploring how it can help us find greater meaning in our daily lives.
Each session will be held in the West End Synagogue sanctuary as part of our Shabbat service, which begins at 10:00 am. The study session will run from approximately 11:30 am to 12:20 pm (except for the session on March 28, which will take place from 9:00 to 10:00 am).
Session 5, January 17:
Praying as a Reconstructionist
Session 6, February 28:
Melding Innovation with Tradition
Session 7, March 28, 9:00–10:00 am:
Values-Based Decision Making
Session 8, May 2:
Living in Two Civilizations
Session 9, May 16:
Seeing the World Each Day with Reconstructionist Eyes
Session 10, June 27:
Reconstructing Zionism
4 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
Shabbat-Based Learning, cont.
Chug Ivri (Hebrew Club) 2:00 pm last Shabbat of each month
Here’s your chance to gain fluency in Hebrew by reading and discussing stories, poetry, and articles on current affairs in Hebrew. It’s also an opportunity to deepen your knowledge of Jewish life and broaden your social circle. Although participants differ in their language skills, this friendly and informal learning community helps one another to bridge the gaps—and a dictionary is always within reach.
Meetings are held in the homes of WES members. The Chug Ivri welcomes new participants. Meeting locations are announced in the WES eNewsletter. WES members only, please.
Passover Prep
Passover University Sunday, March 8 Co-sponsored by the Yad Mordecai Adult Education, Ritual, and Yad Mordecai Social Action Committees, and the Jewish Family Life and Learning Program 1:00–5:00 pm
No lengthy application process! No tests to take or essays to write!
All are invited to attend West End’s exploration of all things Passover. Designed for seder givers, seder goers and all interested in observing the festival of freedom (and matzah). It will include:
Singing Learning Tasting Laughing Studying and Lots of Fun
Any suggestions, workshop ideas or questions? We’d love to hear from you. Please be in touch with the planning committee by email: [email protected].
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COURSES
Synagogue and Ritual Skills
Sacred Servants of the Text Part I: Become a Gabbai Taught by Hazzan Ayelet Piatigorsky 3 sessions, Thursdays, January 8 and 22, February 5 6:30–8:00 pm
Learn the skills to perform the multi-faceted role of gabbai during the public reading of the Torah on Shabbat and holidays. Enjoy deepening and broadening your understanding of this sacred task through a combination of lectures and experiential activities. Take pride and pleasure in working with other West Enders in a creative, nonjudgmental environment. West End members only, please.
Anyone who serves as a WES gabbai and/or chants Torah at WES is encouraged to register by emailing [email protected].
Prerequisites: Participants must know the Hebrew alphabet well enough to read Hebrew but are not required to understand what they read without English translation; they must also be familiar with or willing to learn the Torah cantillation melodies.
Sacred Servants of the Text Part II: Learn to Chant the Haftarah Taught by Hazzan Ayelet Piatigorsky 5 sessions, Thursdays, Feb. 26, Mar. 12 and 19, Apr. 2 and one additional date to be decided by the class, 6:30–8:00 pm
All participants in the first part of the series are strongly encouraged to participate in the second part, in which they will learn the melodies of haftarah cantillation. (Please note: Haftarah chanting does not entail memorization as it is chanted from a printed book rather than from a scroll.) As with Part I, the second part of the series includes lectures and experiential activities, and supportive, nonjudgmental interactions with other West Enders who seek to grow and nurture community-based skills and relationships. West End members only, please.
Prerequisite: Participation in Part I of the series: “Become a Gabbai.”
Haftarah: Writings of the Prophets Shabbat at 1:30 pm 1 remaining session: January 17 Led by Richard Blum
Have you wondered why Jewish prayer services include not only a reading from the Torah but also a haftarah, a selection from one of the Prophets? Or who the authors of these haftarot (plural of haftarah) were, what their concerns were, and what types of stories and messages they passed on to us? The final session of this series will continue to answer such questions and engage you in a discussion of their meaning.
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COURSES, cont.
History
Jewish History Intensive: The Path to Canonizing the Torah Led by Nathan Schumer, Columbia University PhD candidate in Ancient Jewish History Third Thursday of each month, beginning February 7:00–9:00 pm
Please join this lively discussion of The Formation of the Jewish Canon, by Timothy H. Lim. Covering the period from the emergence of the Torah to the final acceptance of the list of books of the Tanakh in the Rabbinic period, Lim suggests that, for several centuries, instead of one official “canon,” there were several collections of scripture that were authoritative for different Jewish communities.
Readings from the book will be assigned in advance. The group meets in the home of a congregant. For location and registration, email [email protected]. WES members only, please.
The Impact of Emancipation on Jews, Judaism and the Larger World Led by Rabbi Judy Bardack Tuesdays, April 14, 21 and 28, 6:00–7:30 pm
The French Revolution transformed Western Europe and, with it, the Jewish experience. This three-session, interactive course will explore the impact of the revolution’s outcomes—including the right to vote, equality under the law and the abolition of the ghetto—on the Jewish people. For example, how did Christian Europe respond to the Jews becoming an integral part of civic and cultural life? What new opportunities opened up for Jews to contribute to the larger society? How were the Jews and the larger world affected by these opportunities?
Beyond exploring historical developments, participants will consider how events that occurred in the late 18th century continue to resonate today and how they transformed not only how we practice Judaism but also how we live in 2015.
The course text will be Emancipation: How Liberating Europe’s Jews from the Ghetto Led to Revolution and Renaissance by Michael Goldfarb. It is available in hardcover and eBook editions; used copies of print editions are available for just a few dollars online. Class participants are responsible for purchasing their own copies of the book.
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COURSES, cont.
Literature, Autobiography & Liturgy
Sacred Fiction Led by Carole Kessner 3 sessions, Thursdays, March 26, April 30, May 28 6:00–7:30 pm
Our ancient narrative is an interplay of literature and history, distilled into the anthology that we call the Hebrew Bible. The result is a long narrative of origins and history that begins as myth, moves on to legend, and then evolves into fictionalized history. It was originally addressed to an audience who received it as the word of God. Can we apply modern literary analysis to it? See what happens when we bring together an ancient text, modern scholarship and a class of 21st century believers and skeptics.
No prior knowledge of the texts is required. An essay or article will be distributed for you to read before each class. (If you do not have an e-mail address or a printer, you can arrange to pick up a printed version at West End’s office.)
Torah on Tuesdays
Led by Susan Schorr Second and fourth Tuesdays of every month 7:30–9:30 pm
If we were playing Jeopardy, the answer might be: “The original Sh’ma,” or “Quoted on West End’s ark,” or “ The Ten Commandments revisited,” or “Earliest reconstruction of Judaism.” The correct question in response to all: “What is Deuteronomy?” All are welcome to join our ongoing study of this book of the Torah. We read the text (in English) and consider it from the perspectives of literature, sacred text, religious mythology, family lore, psychology, drama, history, pop culture and more. Drop in and join the conversation, or just listen and enjoy! No prior background or knowledge required.
Spiritual Autobiography Led by Judith Friedman Tuesdays, January 27; February 3, 10, 17 4:00–5:30 pm
Join other West End members who want to connect to our Jewish heritage through childhood memories and through experiences of spiritual awakening. Between sessions, each participant will write a short piece at home on a topic to be determined by the group (for example, trust, bonding or change), then read it to the group at the weekly meeting. Participants will have an opportunity to share briefly how what others have written resonates with their own life experiences as well as the spiritual connections they made.
Other core elements of the program include relating Torah stories to the life experiences participants share—universalizing and personalizing their meaning—and uncovering the spiritual aspects of our associations with nature.
Continued on next page . . .
8 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
COURSES
Literature, Autobiography & Liturgy, cont.
All written and spoken sharing will be treated as confidential. No judgments will be made regarding anything that is shared or on the quality of a participant’s writing.
The program is open to WES members only. Registration is required and will be limited to eight participants. Meetings will be held in the homes of WES members. To register or learn more about the program, email [email protected].
The Revolution of Reconstructionist Liturgy
Led by Susan Schorr 4 sessions, Tuesdays, April 7 and 21, May 5 and 19 7:45–9:30 pm
Changes made by the original Reconstructionist prayerbook editors in the 1940s seemed revolutionary at the time. We will examine the whats, whys and hows of those changes, then discuss how the movement’s 1980s Prayerbook Commission reconsidered (and reconstructed) many of those changes in creating the Kol Haneshamah series of prayerbooks.
ETHICS AND DAILY LIVING
Middah Study Group: Ethics in Daily Living
Led by Susan Schorr Third Monday of each month 7:00–9:00 pm
This ongoing lay-led study group explores the WES Middah (character trait) of the Month from multiple perspectives and considers shared concerns. WES members only, please. For information and to register, email [email protected]. Held at a member’s home.
Jewish Ethics to Enhance Your Daily Living Led by Rabbi Judith Edelstein Dates and time: TBD
A valuable opportunity to deepen your knowledge of Reconstructionism and Jewish ethics. Several chapters from A Guide to Jewish Practice: Everyday Living (RRC Press) will serve as the course’s core text. The book, written by Rabbi David A. Teutsch, director of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s Center for Jewish Ethics, provides guidance on how to lead a life of integrity and meaning built on Values-Based Decision Making, a core tenet of Reconstructionism.
In a review published by the Jewish Book Council, Wallace Green notes, “The [Guide] is designed to mimic traditional rabbinic texts. The top of the page contains the text, and along the bottom of the page are comments and observations by a host of Reconstructionist rabbis. Many of these commentaries demonstrate considerable scholarship and are often more significant than the text itself, sometimes challenging mainstream Reconstructionist thinking and offering trenchant comments of their own.”
The course will focus on four chapters from the book: “Everyday Spirituality,” “Speech,” “Community” and “Tzedakah.”
Continued on next page . . .
9 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
COURSES
Ethics and Daily Living, cont.
No prior knowledge of the subject is required. YMAE will order 12 copies of A Guide to Jewish Practice: Everyday Living at the discounted rate of $25 per copy (reduced from $40) which will be available for purchase on a first come, first served basis.
SPIRITUALITY AND AGING INITIATIVE
Spirituality and Aging: Roses and Thorns of Jewish Aging Led by Sandy Warshaw Third Monday of every month 4:00–5:30 pm
Small group discussions about memory and memories, growing older, the Jewish holidays and more.
Telling Our Stories Monthly, Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm
Each of these Sunday afternoon panels will focus on common life experiences of WES members who will tell us their stories. The sessions will be held in members’ homes. Limited to West End members and their guests, please.
January 25 In the Military/The War Years
February 22 Love and Marriage
March 29 Topic TBD
April 26 The Holocaust, including Children of Holocaust Survivors
Aging and Creativity Sunday, March 15 Bagels at 10:00 am, presentation at 10:30 am
How do artists accommodate themselves to aging and maintain their creativity? Using Erickson’s last stage of psychosocial development (Ego Integrity vs. Despair) as a starting point, psychologist Connie Goldfarb will chair a dialogue demonstrating examples of several artists’ oeuvre.
Telling WES Stories Sunday, May 3 Bagels at 10:00 am, stories begin at 10:30 am
Hear several WES founders tell how the congregation came to be and remember highlight moments of our last 30 years. All are welcome to join us!
10 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
ISRAEL
The Role of Liberal Judaism in Israel Speaker: Rabbi Joshua Weinberg Saturday, March 28 at 11:30 am during the 10 am Shabbat morning service Co-sponsored by the Israel Connections and Yad Mordecai Adult Education Committees
Rabbi Joshua Weinberg is president of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) and director of the Israel Program for the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
Within the Eye of the Storm Thursday, May 7 at 7:30 pm 68-minute documentary directed by Shelley Hermon, produced in Israel in 2012 Subtitled in English (translated from Hebrew and Arabic) Co-sponsored by West End’s Israel Connections, Yad Mordecai Adult Education and Yad Mordecai Social Action Committees, and by Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Bassam, a Palestinian, served seven years in an Israeli prison. Rami, an Israeli and son of a Holocaust survivor, fought in three wars. But the two men share a tragic common bond: both had daughters killed in acts of senseless violence at the hands of their enemies. Within the Eye of the Storm follows the daily lives
and personal struggles of these two unlikely activists, who, in the wake of unspeakable loss, seek to break the cycle of retribution by engaging in meaningful dialogue.
“With quiet grace, director Shelley Hermon documents Bassam and Rami’s deep friendship, their complicated relationships to their homelands and their thought-provoking conversations.
“Providing a powerful example of forgiveness and empathy in the face of decades of division and conflict, this moving documentary allows its subjects to share their distinct yet parallel stories, revealing the profound truth they have learned: that it is possible to forge a path to peace by opening hearts and minds, one conversation at a time,” Alissa Chadburn for the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.
The film will be followed by a discussion.
OTHER STUDY
Book Club Co-sponsored by the Yachad and Yad Mordecai Adult Education Committees
If you love to bond with others over great books and stimulating discussions, you’re a prime candidate for the West End Book Club! The group meets approximately five times each year on Sundays from 4:00-6:00 pm. Each meeting is hosted in the home of a congregant.
Book selections have a Jewish theme and/or author and, generally, are novels; however, non-fiction and historical fiction are also considered. Regular book club attendees make the selections. Typically, 8-15 members attend.
Please check the weekly WES eNewsletter or the Daf Shabbat for details about the next meeting. WES members only, please.
11 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
NEW IMPORTANT INITIATIVE
Torah v’Tikkun:
Responding to Complex Problems
Through Learning and Action
The Yad Mordecai Adult Education Committee (YMAE) proudly announces a new multi-year initiative, Torah v’Tikkun (study and repair of the world): Responding to Complex Problems Through Learning and Action.
Torah v’Tikkun programs will address the complex social, environmental, economic and health issues that are part of modern life—locally and globally. Study sessions for each issue will include both Jewish and secular resources, not only to clarify what is at stake and why but also to strengthen the connection between the two civilizations we live in.
The Torah v’Tikkun initiative will incorporate relationship and community building into the process of study and action to help create stronger bonds within the congregation. In addition, by collaborating with other committees we will seek to broaden the diversity of perspectives that illuminate our study of and response to complex issues.
The first program in the Torah v’Tikkun series is being planned. As soon as details are available, you will learn about them in WES’s weekly eNewsletter and Daf Shabbat.
12 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
Reconstructionist Education Day
For Jewish Reconstructionist Communities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Surrounding Areas
A Day of Learning Around the Themes of
Reconstructionism 101 and Tikkun Olam
Sunday, February 1
9:30 am–3:00 pm
At the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, 15 West 86th Street, NYC
Cost: $25/person (includes food and materials)
The program will include a keynote by Rabbi Deborah Waxman, president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) and the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities on “A Most Welcome Minority:
The Challenges and Opportunities of Being Jewish in America in the 21st Century.” Workshops will be led by area rabbis, RRC professors and others on topics including:
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Battlefield Ethics as a Model for Interpersonal Relationships, Rabbi Marc Margolius
Tikkun Olam in 200 CE: Radical Changes and Subtle Maneuvering, Rabbi Ariann Weitzman
You Were Slaves in the Land of Egypt: Self-Awareness, Empathy and Racial Inequality, Elsie Stern, PhD
The View of the Outsider, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld
Living by Our Values: A Reconstructionist Approach to Making Personal Decisions, Rabbi David Teutsch, PhD
Online registration is available at: www.jewishrecon.org/registration
13 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
SPECIAL RECONSTRUCTIONIST WEEKEND
Shabbaton on Liturgy and Prayer
Friday–Saturday, May 15–16 Co-sponsored by The Kaplan Center, the Society for the Advancement of Judaism
and West End Synagogue
Conference on Liturgy and Prayer Sunday, May 17
Co-sponsored by The Kaplan Center and Mechon Hadar
The Kaplan Center will present a conference on liturgy and prayer in Manhattan, in partnership with Mechon Hadar. West End Synagogue and the Society for the Advancement of Judaism (SAJ) are delighted to join with the Kaplan Center in sponsoring a pre-conference Shabbaton, on Friday evening, May 15 at West End, and Saturday, May 16 at the SAJ (15 West 86th Street). As some of you know, our own Mel Scult is a co-founder of The Mordecai M. Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood (see www.KaplanCenter.org) and Mel will present a major address after services on Friday.
The Shabbaton will include diverse offerings on liturgy and serve as a laboratory for new and creative approaches to prayer. It will also stimulate discussions about the challenges of creating vibrant and engaging services (how to change, how much to change, praying with intent v. maintaining tradition, etc.).
At the conference, we will engage in a variety of trans-denominational conversations with compilers of liturgy and other experts from the Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Renewal and Humanistic streams of Judaism, from both North America and Israel.
Please join us! Information about registration will be available soon. For additional information in the meantime, please talk to West End’s representatives on the Shabbaton planning committee: Sandy Warshaw and Susan Schorr.
14 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
30 Years Ago in 1985. . .
January: Internet Domain Name System Created.
February: First class postage increases from 20 cents to 22 cents.
March: “Moonlighting” debuts on ABC starring Cybill Shepard and newcomer Bruce Willis.
April: With great fanfare, Coca-Cola introduces New Coke. By July, the company has returned to the classic 99-year-old formula.
May: Michael Jordan named NBA Rookie of the Year.
June: U.S. Route 66 is officially decommissioned.
July: “Back to the Future” opens. It will be the highest grossing film of 1985.
August: Michael Jackson buys the rights to most Beatles songs.
September: Walt Disney World welcomes its 200 millionth visitor.
October: Yankees fire Billy Martin for the fourth time.
November: Microsoft Windows 1.0 released.
December: Dow Jones closes above 1,500 for first time.
And, West End Synagogue, A Reconstructionist Congregation is founded. Many special programs and events are planned to mark this special anniversary, which we will celebrate all year long!
15 |West End Synagogue Adult Education Winter & Spring 2015/5775
WEST END SYNAGOGUE A RECONSTRUCTIONIST CONGREGATION
190 AMSTERDAM AVE. AT 69TH ST.
(212) 579-0777 b
www.westendsynagogue.org
All program details are subject to change. Please check the
weekly Daf Shabbat and eNewsletter, and the synagogue
website (www.westendsynagogue.org)
for current information.
