Tonight we begin a new class at the Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael, CA: Jewish Journeys, Jewish Stories. I’m particularly excited about this class because it is an experiment in teaching Jewish Peoplehood using the Passover Haggadah as a text.
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This past Wednesday evening, Jan 11, we had our first class meeting for “Torah, Memory & History” in Oakland. There were familiar faces, and new faces, and I’m looking forward to exploring Torah and history with you! Class members should have received by now a copy of the class syllabus and other “welcome” materials by [...]
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I’m very excited about this coming week in Intro: we are going to learn about the service and the siddur [prayerbook]. My goals are to make the service itself less confusing and to start you in the process of finding your own path with Jewish prayer.
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I suggest you try taking on one Shabbat observance at a time. Light candles and have a Shabbat dinner: see what that’s like. Take the day off: see what that’s like. Turn off the smartphone: see what you see when you are not looking at the little screen. Bringing Shabbat into your life is a process.
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We had a great first class tonight, with a group of wonderful new students as well as some familiar faces. You told us a bit about yourselves, and we talked about Shabbat.
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Wednesday night, March 23, at 7:30 we will begin the third part of the “Intro” series, “The People Israel” at Congregation Beth El in Berkeley, CA. If you have not taken Parts I or II, no problem! — each part stands on its own, and you can take the series in any order.
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This past week we looked at some American Jewish history. As with everything else, we only had time for the headlines. But the takeaway is, North America really is different for the Jews, and it has been from the first Jewish arrivals here.
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This coming Wednesday evening, January 19, we will begin the Winter series of our course, focused on this History of Judaism and Jewish Texts.
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So here’s my question to you: what topics have piqued your interest? What would you like to learn next?
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