Adult Education Winter/Spring 2021
Rabbi Gershon Albert
Dear Friends,
With the new calendar year, we are excited to offer special opportunities to hear from experts in the field of medical ethics as well as Jewish parenting.
Classes will generally take place on the Beth Jacob Zoom link (https://zoom.us/j/4672710965) but check your emails for specific details before each session. Join us for one series, a single class, or every session – we can’t wait to learn together!
Rabbi Jacob Weiner
SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE SERIES ON HOSPITAL TORAH WITH RABBI JACOB WEINER
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Tuesday January 5th at 8:00 PM
Incredible Stories from the Front Lines: Confronting Complex Ethical Scenarios and Dilemmas in the Hospital
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Tuesday, January 12th at 8:00 PM
Emergency Triage and Administering Vaccines During COVID
Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, BCC, serves as the senior rabbi and director of the Spiritual Care Department at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, where he is responsible for the chaplaincy team and all aspects of spiritual care.
Rabbi Weiner is a member of the executive committee of the Cedars-Sinai Bioethics Committee. He is past president of the Southern California Board of Rabbis and has been honored with Rabbinic Leadership Awards from the Orthodox Union and Chai Lifeline. Rabbi Weiner is also the rabbi of Knesset Israel Synagogue of Beverlywood.
He is the author of Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making (Urim Press) and Guide to Observance of Jewish Law in a Hospital (Kodesh Press). He has published more than forty scholarly articles and book chapters, as well as several "popular" pieces.
ERUV-MAKING: AN EXPLORATION OF THE CONCEPTS INVOLVED IN CREATING AND MAINTAINING A COMMUNITY ERUV
In celebration of the Oakland Eruv, join Rabbi Albert for a three-part series on the halachic concepts behind the creation of an Eruv, featuring real-life examples from our own!
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Tuesday, January 26th at 8:00 PM
Demystifying Domains – Understanding the Biblical and Rabbinic laws around when, how and why an Eruv is required on Shabbat
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Tuesday, February 2nd at 8:00 PM
How to create the boundaries of an Eruv: Understanding the various physical and symbolic barriers used to create the map of the Oakland Eruv
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Tuesday, February 9th at 8:00 PM
The Vice-Mayor of Oakland, Weekly Checkers, and a Box of Matza: The Halachic Requirements for Eruv beyond the physical barriers
Rav Shua Brick
TRADITION AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION
Join Rav Shua Brick for a fascinating three-part series on the intersection between science, Torah, and the space in between!
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Tuesday, February 16th at 8:00 PM
Friends or Foes: Setting the Stage for Conflict
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Tuesday, February 23rd at 8:00 PM
On Giant Olives and Jumping Elephants - Oh How the World has Changed
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Tuesday, March 2nd at 8:00 PM
The Slifkin Mieselman Controversy - How the Conversation Continues
Nechama Tamler
JEWISH PARENTING: A COLLABORATION BETWEEN BETH JACOB CONGREGATION AND GAN MAH TOV
We are delighted to partner with Gan Mah Tov in bringing together Gan parents and all Beth Jacob members for a series of discussions on Jewish parenting. These sessions are made possible through the generosity of the Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust and Jewish LearningWorks.
THE BLESSING OF A SKINNED KNEE: USING JEWISH TEACHING TO RAISE SELF-RELIANT CHILDREN
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Wednesday, January 20th at 8:00 PM
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Wednesday, February 3rd at 8:00 PM
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Wednesday, February 17th at 8:00 PM
Who doesn't want to be the best parent they can be? Raising resilient, healthy and loving children may be one of the most difficult tasks for which we receive next to no training. Yet, if we are lucky enough to have kids, we want to do the best job we can, since we are already logging in the hours day after day, week after week. Especially now, because of COVID, when we are mostly confined to our homes and many routines are disrupted, it seems we are being asked to balance competing demands more than ever. Feeling challenged these days is par for the course!
You are cordially invited to participate in three evening discussions to share questions, insights, experiences, and consider what values are most important to you in the years-long endeavor to raise your children to become thriving adults. We will read excerpts from the best-selling book by Wendy Mogel, PhD, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children and reflect on what she can teach us in navigating one of life's most sacred tasks. Each session is 75 minutes and will be led by Nechama Tamler.
Nechama Tamler currently teachers and learns from adults in various settings after retiring from 30+ years working in JCCs, synagogue schools, the Jewish Community Federation and Jewish Learning Workds and holds a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Santa Clara. She lives in Palo Alto with her husband of 53 years, within walking distance of several grandchildren, feeling very lucky to have the grandkids and her adult children in her life on a regular basis. In 2018, Nechama published her first book of poetry, Each Holy Breath, available on Amazon.
Rachel Brodie
DAYENU: WHEN IS "GOOD ENOUGH" GOOD ENOUGH FOR US AS PARENTS AND AS JEWS?
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Wednesday, March 10th at 8:00 PM with Senior Educator Rachel Brodie
The pendulum for what constitutes good parenting among Jews in America has swung wildly over the last 100 years. An exploration of ancient Jewish sources offers some counter-cultural perspective on the obligations of a parent and the limits of "compassionate care" for a child. Join us for a lively discussion of classic texts, pernicious stereotypes, and comic relief from the "blessed burden" of parenting.
Rachel Brodie, Senior Educator at the Jewish Studio Project, has spent much of her career teaching Torah (in the broadest sense) to adult learners and specializing in designing and facilitating professional development opportunities for other Jewish educators. From 2011 to 2016 Rachel served as the Chief Jewish Officer of the JCC of San Francisco. Prior to that (2004-2011) Rachel was the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Jewish Milestones: a not-for-profit, educational resource for Jewish lifecycle ceremonies. She holds a master's degree in Rabbinic Literature from The Jewish Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Literature and Society from Brown University.
Tue, April 23 2024 15 Nisan 5784
