We are a community of lifelong learners who engage deeply in study and pursue opportunities for spiritual growth.

Adult Learning Opportunities

Starting a New Year with New Programs!
All CBI Adult Education programs require registration. Some programs are virtual only. Check Chai Lights, our bi-monthly Bulletin and Adult Education emails for registration information and links. To receive Adult Education emails, please contact Rabbi Rosenbaum at hrosenbaum@cbict.org. Most 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 and we thank you for your consideration. CLICK HERE to support our program.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS:
Sundays at 10:30am, In Person Only
Upcoming Meetings: December 17, January 21
“Jewish Poetry Series” with Claire Serpi
Have you always wished you had more poetry in your life? Do you know that there is a world of wonderful Jewish poetry waiting to be enjoyed?  Join a roundtable discussion about the great poets of Jewish history as we cover a handful of their seminal works one Sunday morning per month. Literary figures to include Emma Lazarus, Allen Ginsberg, Yehuda Amichai, and Adrienne Rich, among others. CBI congregant and poet Claire Serpi will introduce each writer with a brief biography before we embark on a close reading of selected poems and workshop-style commentary. No prior background necessary!

Filmshul Presents “In the Beginning”
Thursday, November 30 at 8:30pm
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
The American film industry was started primarily by Jews who had emigrated from Eastern Europe and settled in big cities like New York and Chicago, supporting their families by dealing in everything from clothing to food to jewelry. Transfixed with the flourishing of nickelodeons and storefront theaters in the early years of the 20th century, interests for a number of them shifted to the entertainment business. Soon, some made their way to Southern California, where they opened the large-scale motion picture studios that became Paramount, MGM, Warner Brothers,20th Century Fox, Columbia and Universal. Discover the fascinating story of how men like Adolph Zukor, Carl Laemmle, Louis B. Mayer, Harry Cohn and others began Hollywood with their ambition, ingenuity and keen instincts.

“The Beginnings of Kabbalah”
Thursday, December 14 at 8:30pm
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
This program examines the fundamental theological questions that gave rise to the tradition of Jewish texts and ideas known as Kabbalah. The program historically locates Kabbalah’s origins in Medieval Europe and considers how Kabbalah arose, in part, as a response to philosophical conceptions of the divine. The program will then explore some early Kabbalistic texts to understand how Kabbalists understood both the nature of divinity and the relationship between G-d and the world with a focus on humanity’s place therein. Brian Hillman is an assistant professor in the department of philosophy and religious studies at Towson University in Towson, Maryland.

“Jewish Greece”
Sunday, December 17 at 1:00pm
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
“Jewish Greece” with Evan Kapros: Greece is full of history, and this is reflected in the history of Greek Jewry, a unique combination of Sephardic, Ashkenazi, and Romaniote communities with roots in Spain, the Balkans, and going back all the way to the Roman Empire. We will discover this rich history, and will talk about the social perceptions prevalent in contemporary Greek society concerning Jewish identities. Finally, no good discussion about Greek Jewry can be conducted without talking about the language, food, and music of the community!

Continuing TBA
“Together & Apart: The Future of Jewish Peoplehood”

Dates & Times TBA *In Person Only at CBI*
Adult Ed is once again offering this exciting program through the esteemed Shalom Hartman Institute. The program addresses the complex features of Jewish peoplehood and the contemporary challenges to the Jewish people in an era in which we have moved from having no home to having two different, vibrant, homes in Israel and North America. The 14 unit program will be compressed into 10 in person sessions at CBI led by Rabbi Fliegel. We’ll conduct 4 sessions over the winter and spring and complete the course with 6 sessions in the fall. Questions? Please contact Mike Honor at mhonor205@gmail.com or Roberta Tansman at roberta.tansman@gmail.com.


S.A.G.E. Programs
Second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 11:00am *In person at CBI unless otherwise specified*
These programs are for everyone, regardless of age! Visit our calendar for information on upcoming speakers. Most programs are followed by a light buffet lunch at $12 per person. For more information, contact Barb Lavine (wslavine@comcast.net) or Kay Weiss (steven.k.weiss@gmail.com).