Adult Education

The Adult Education Committee annually presents an array of thought-provoking programs and classes designed to expand and enhance the collective Jewish education and Jewish conversation among members at Congregation Beth Sholom.

Adult Education is a well-known gem on the Congregation Beth Sholom calendar. In a synagogue known for a population filled with rabbis, cantors, and Jewish educators of varying kinds, the Adult Education program transcends these defined roles and allows everyone to learn about a central topic, in many cases educating one another in the process.

New this year: Congregation Beth Sholom will become transform into a yeshiva for adult learners of all levels on March 19-21, as faculty and students from Yeshivat Hadar – the first full-time egalitarian yeshiva in North America — teach us and learn with us as part of an interactive Beit Midrash experience. Click here to learn more.

Regular programs include:

  • Scholar in Residence – lectures and Erev Shabbat dinner and Shabbat lunch with an invited scholar twice a year – the Alice Hereld Cahn Memorial Scholar-In-Residence in the fall and the Rabbi Barry Schaeffer Scholar-In-Residence in the spring. Some recent guests have included Dr. Arnold Eisen, Rabbi Jonathan Slater, Dr. Steven M. Cohen, Dr. Arthur Green, Dr. Shaye J.D. Cohen, Dr. Allan Nadler, and Dr. Anne Lapidus Lerner.
  • Beth Sholom Shabbaton – Initiated in 1992 as a local “retreat” for synagogue members, the annual Shabbaton has become a highlight of our annual communal activities. Families come together to study at the synagogue on Friday night and all day Shabbat. Three sessions of classes are offered with a choice of many different topics, led by scholars from the community. Our families join together for Friday night dinner and Shabbat lunch. Children’s activities and baby-sitting are available during the sessions.
  • Lunch and Learn – Approximately five times throughout the year, lunch is served at the synagogue after the Shabbat morning service, followed by a lecture on either textual or contemporary issues.
  • Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah course – a two-year program which culminates in a festive Shabbat morning service, conducted by the graduates of the course. The course is taught by members of the synagogue.
  • Hug Ivri – an informal study group which meets periodically for reading and discussion of modern Hebrew texts. Meetings and discussion are in Hebrew on selected days one hour before ma’ariv. Check the announcements for meeting dates.

In addition, Congregation Beth Sholom annually hosts the Rose and Albert Buchman Memorial Lecture on the Fine Arts and regularly features other discussions, movies, and musical activities.

The year also includes a number of weekly and regular programming:

  • Rabbi Michael Chernick leads a weekly class on Sunday morning
  • Rabbi Kenneth Berger leads a weekly class on Tuesday morning that looks at The Book of Job and Classic Jewish Responses to Suffering
  • Arthur Konigsberg leads a weekly class on Tuesday evening about The Book of Job
  • A weekly discussion about the Torah Portion of the week precedes the main sanctuary service
  • Rabbi Eliezer Diamond teaches a weekly shi’ur on “Who Knows Ten? A Study of the Ten Commandments” Saturday afternoon before Ma’ariv
  • Artists Beit Midrash: A community of artist-learners who study Jewish texts and respond artistically. Using one of a variety of mediums, participants create works outside of class that relates to the material and bring that to the class for critique. Texts are discussed in English and are accompanied by the original Hebrew.
  • The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School: An innovative program of adult Jewish learning in which participants study of Jewish history, laws, beliefs, practices, and ideas in an atmosphere that is warm, pluralistic, and interactive.

Click here to download a copy of this year’s Adult Education Program of Events.