Torah Study
Every Saturday at 9:30am
November 6: Toledot
November 13: Vayetze
November 20: Vayishlach
November 27: Vayeshev (Virtual only)
December 4: Miketz
December 11: Vayigash
December 18: Vayechi
December 25: Shernot (Virtual only)
Talmud Study
Every Wednesday at noon
Join Rabbi Michael Pincus to explore a bit of Talmud together. Discover questions you never thought to ask and the beauty of rabbinic thinking.
No experience or homework required!
Short Story Coffee Break (First and third Thursdays at 11am; an Extra Cup if there is a 3rd Thursday in the month)
Join Learning Center Director Karen Beyard and a lively group of readers who discuss short stories by Jewish authors. When there is a fifth Thursday, we enjoy an “extra cup” of reading, conversation, and connection.
Currently, all programs are virtual unless otherwise noted. Go to cbict.org/calendar for Zoom codes.
Registration is requested for all programs, which will take place on Zoom (unless otherwise indicated). Watch Chai Lights and Adult Education emails for registration information and links. Once you have registered, you will receive an email with the program’s Zoom link. If you are not receiving adult education emails and wish to be included, please contact Rabbi Rosenbaum at hrosenbaum@cbict.org.
All CBI adult education programs are free of charge. You are encouraged to make a donation to Congregation Beth Israel’s Adult Education Fund to make continued offerings possible.
Who Will Write Our History? With Professor Sam Kassow, Trinity College
Thursday, November 4 at 8:30pm
In 1940, in the Jewish ghetto of Nazi-occupied Warsaw, the Polish historian Emanuel Ringelblum established a clandestine scholarly organization called the Oyneg Shabes to record the experiences of the ghetto’s inhabitants. For three years, members of the Oyneg Shabes worked in secret to chronicle the lives of hundereds of thousands as they suffered starvation, disease, and deportation by the Nazis. Shortly before the Warsaw ghetto was emptied and razed in 1943, the Oyneg Shabes buried thousands of documents from this massive archive in milk cans and tin boxes, ensuring that the voice and culture of a doomed people would outlast the efforts of their enemies to silence them. In 2018, Professor Kassow’s book was made into a film directed by Roberta Grossman. Program registrants will receive a link to view the film at their convenience in the two weeks period prior to the program, so be sure to register early! Samuel D. Kassow is the Charles Northam Professor of History at Trinity College and the author of several books.
Click here to register for the program.
Commemorating Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass
Tuesday, November 9, 7:00pm at CBI
Please mark your calendars and plan on join when we will commemorate Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass,” when Jewish shops, homes, and synagogues throughout Germany and Austria were shattered and destroyed. This evening has particular personal significance and connection for Cantor Kupfer, as three of her four grandparents witnessed the destruction. We will offer a night of beautiful music spanning the centuries along with an insightful narration. It is not to be forgotten.
Click HERE to join us live on YouTube.com
Russia: St. Petersburg and Moscow –
The Pale and Beyond—A Virtual Historical Tour with Mike Hollander
Sunday, November 14 at 1:00pm
Many Ashkenazi Jews say that their parents/grandparents/great grandparents came from Russia; however, most likely, they didn’t! Jews – by and large – were not allowed to live in what is today the Russian Federation (including St. Petersburg and Moscow) until 1860. From that period until 1881, the Russian Revolution, the Great Patriotic War (WWII), the Cold War, and Glasnost – had tremendous impact on the Jewish population in this part of the world. They also had a profound impact on North American Jewry. This journey will visit these cities and examine how these events have and continue to impact Jewish identity in these places, as well as in North America and Israel.
Click here to register.
True Colors–Jews of Color:
A Dramatic Performance by “The Braid”
Saturday, November 20 at 8:00pm
The Braid, formerly Jewish Women’s Theatre, is the go-to Jewish story company and leading non-profit organization creating, curating, producing and preserving stories grounded in Jewish culture and experience. Through its performances and programming, The Braid empowers artists and audiences to feel pride in Jewish culture while building community and connection between people of all backgrounds. Founded in Santa Monica, California, in 2007, The Braid has affiliates
in three cities and counting, holds tours across the country, and is now accessible globally via Zoom performances, our podcast, and streaming on ChaiFlicks and other online platforms.
“True Colors” is made up of humorous, revealing and inspiring stories from Jews of Color exploring identity, community and being a Jew in modern times.
Click here to register.
What IS Chanukah Really About with Rabbi Andi Fliegel
Sunday, November 21 at 10:00am
What IS Chanukah really about? Miracles? Zealots? Pagan festivals? Religious freedom? Sukkot take 2? Join Rabbi Fliegel and find out!
Click here to register.
Sunday, December 5 at 11:00am
Superman is Jewish? With Rabbi Elyse Wechterman
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It’s a plane! It’s a nice yeshiva bocher? ! Let’s look at the Jewish history of Superman, He-man and many of the classic superheroes and what that tells us about Jewish fears, hopes and longings. Rabbi Elyse Wecheterman, self-proclaimed geek, will share the history of American superheroes and explore their connection to Jewish folklore and history.
Click here to register.
Meet the Author… Alan Zweibel—“Laugh Lines”
Thursday, December 9 at 7:30pm
Alan Zweibel started his comedy career selling jokes for seven dollars apiece to the last of the Borscht Belt stand-ups. Then one night, despite bombing on stage, he caught the attention of Lorne Michaels and became one of the first writers at Saturday Night Live, where he penned classic material for Gilda Radner, John Belushi, and all of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players. From SNL, Zweibel went on to have a hand in a series of landmark shows—from It’s Garry Shandling’s Show to Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In Laugh Lines, Zweibel weaves together the stories of his influential career, from writing for a generation of Jackies and Mortys and Dickies to meeting Gilda while hiding behind a potted plant. He goes deep into the origins of famous SNL sketches, as well as how the show evolved in the wake of meteoric success, and the projects—not all of them so enduring—that followed. And Zweibel writes tenderly about his friendships—with Shandling, Billy Crystal, Larry David, and others. Woven throughout are also words from other comedians and writers, including Richard Lewis, Eric Idle, Judd Apatow, Dave Barry, Carl Reiner, Mike Birbiglia, Sarah Silverman, and more. This is a warmhearted cultural memoir from a talented, award-winning writer.
Presented in partnership with Congregation Torat El, Oakhurst, NJ
Click here to register.
“How do Israeli Jews Really Feel about the Religion/State Clash?” with
Rabbi Uri Regev, President and CEO of “Hiddush – For Freedom of Religion and Equality”
Sunday, December 12 at 1:00pm
Rabbi Regev will present the results of Hiddush’s recently released “2021 Israel Religion and State Index,” the only systematic and in-depth periodic review of Israel’s adult Jewish public’s attitudes on matters of religion and state. Its findings present a comprehensive picture of all the controversies in this realm, and this year it provides a special emphasis on the public’s views regarding the new government’s religion-state agenda. He will analyze the findings and discuss their import in light of the makeup of the current governing coalition, one that does not include representation from the ultra-Orthodox parties.
Rabbi Uri Regev is an internationally renowned leader and advocate of religious liberty and the liberal movements of Judaism in his native Israel and around the world. Rabbi Regev serves as the President and CEO of an educational and advocacy Israel-Diaspora partnership, “Freedom Of Religion for Israel” and of its Israeli counterpart, “Hiddush – For Religious Freedom and Equality,” which he founded in 2009. For seven years (2002-2008) he served as president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, the global umbrella organization of the Progressive, Reform, Liberal and Reconstructionist movements. As head of the World Union, Rabbi Regev worked to strengthen modern, pluralistic Jewish life and democracy in the Jewish state and throughout the world. Prior to assuming leadership of the World Union, Rabbi Regev served as founding chair, and later as executive director and legal counsel, of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the public and advocacy arm of the Reform movement in Israel.
Click here to register.
Irene Shaland, an internationally published travel writer, educator and entertaining lecturer, will focus on the rich tapestry of global Jewish experiences, culture and heritage. Irene will take us on a captivating journey through 500 years of Jewish history in Brazil. Learn about the key role the Crypto-Jews played in the development of Brazil. Visit Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon and much more.
Register here
