Introducing Our New Annual Membership!
Unlock exclusive access to free and discounted registration for many of our programs.
Programs with this icon are part of a series (and the tuition is for the full series). Please register for the program even if you aren’t able to make it to all sessions in the series. Most of our programs are recorded and can be viewed within 2 days following the program/session under the “Videos of Past Programs” tab.
Please note: When you register for a program you are automatically added to our subscribers’ email list and will receive several emails monthly about upcoming programs. Each email will include the option to unsubscribe.
Also, within minutes of submitting a program registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the zoom link (for virtual programs). If you don’t see it in your Inbox or Spam, email us immediately: programs@newlehrhaus.org
Filters
Program Category
Click on a program below to see more information
- Pacific Time
Deena Aranoff—Mystical Madness: An Open Talmud Session
Hybrid Program
In partnership with the Osher Marin JCC
Please join us as we study Talmudic accounts of creation and the mystical madness that such speculation can bring about. We will join the sages as they travel the mystical terrain of the natural world, the nature of the divine, and the place of humanity in the order of things.
Instructor
- Pacific Time
Prof. Michael Chemers—Man-made Monsters: The Golem and Beyond
Virtual Program
“Create me not!” cries the Golem’s spirit at the beginning of Leivick’s legendary play. Hear why the Golem has become a powerful embodiment of the ethical crisis facing modern Judaism from Dr. Michael Chemers, an expert on monsters in performance. How do Jews survive with ethics intact when the enemies of Judaism will stop at nothing?
Wednesday, February 5 @ 7–8:30pm
Instructor
- Pacific Time
The Queen’s Table: An Evening of Mystical Delight
In partnership with Chochmat Halev, Berkeley
Join world-leading Kabbalah scholars Dr. Melila Hellner-Eshed and Dr. Daniel Matt in Berkeley for an unforgettable night. Come experience an evening of ecstasy and enchantment at Chochmat HaLev’s modern take on the Hassidic tisch. Join us as we reimagine the rituals of the Jewish mystics by gathering around a long candlelit table, sacred teachers illuminating ancient wisdom, wordless nigun melodies, libations... Read more
Register for this ProgramTotal Program Fee: $180.00
- Pacific Time
Profs. David Myers & Nomi Stolzenberg: Jewish Values vs. Democratic Values (on Zoom)
Virtual Program
This program is in memory of David Biale.
There has been discussion over the past thirty years about the vision of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, as well as the compatibility of observant Jewish life and American democracy. Can the two—Jewish and democratic—be reconciled? The two presenters, one a Jewish historian, the other a scholar of American law, will explore the consonances and tensions between Jewish and democratic values in Israel and ... Read more
- Pacific Time
Prof. Gila Fine—The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud (on Zoom)
Virtual Program
In partnership with Cong. Etz Chayim, Palo Alto
How does the Talmud portray its heroines? Why are they never as they first seem? And what does this tell us about the rabbis’ views of marriage, sex, childbirth, and what it means to be a woman in the world? Gila Fine discusses her new book on the six named heroines of the Talmud.
Instructor
Register for this ProgramTotal Program Fee: Free
- Pacific Time Series
Rebecca Kaplan—To be a Jew in the World: Torah from Sinai to Oakland
Virtual Program
Join Rebecca Kaplan in finding Torah in unexpected places, from the Liberty Bell to area murals, contemporary community work, and her years of work (and some recent battles) at the Oakland City Council.
Thursdays, January 23, 30, February 6 @ 7–8:30pm
Instructor
- Pacific Time Series
Ron Glait—Contemporary Jewish Art: A Guide for the Perplexed
Virtual Program
Contemporary art can offer us limitless opportunities to connect with the complex world we live in. But how does one start to uncover the many possible meanings behind an artwork? Discover how to understand contemporary art and how it can help us interpret the world by exploring artworks by today’s Jewish artists looking at the many aspects of Jewish culture, identity, and community.
Instructor
- Pacific Time Series
Profs. Robert Alter and Ron Hendel with Nicholas McGegan and Clifford (Kip) Cranna—From the Page to the Stage: The Bible in Text and Opera
Virtual Program
The Bible has been a font of inspiration for composers throughout the ages. This course pairs passages highlighting dramatic Biblical stories with their interpretations in opera and oratoria spanning Baroque to 20th-century music.
Grab a taste of the course in this specially-curated Spotify playlist – featuring operas from the curriculum!... Read more
- Pacific Time Series
Jehon Grist—Reading the Bible Wisdom in the Wine: Its Uses and Abuses in the Biblical World
Virtual Program
Become a member and pay only $57.50 for this program!
For millennia, the vine and its products have been an essential part of the Biblical world. In this richly illustrated class, we’ll explore the origins and growth of viticulture in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and of course, the land of Israel. We’ll also delve into the wisdom that comes from the vine: anc... Read more
Instructor
- Pacific Time Series
Jehon Grist: Prayerbook/Biblical Hebrew 2
Virtual Program
Become a member and pay only $57.50 for this program!
The second of a three-semester sequence, this course is designed for those who have completed New Lehrhaus Hebrew 1 or equivalent, have a working Hebrew vocabulary of 75-100 words and are familiar with the grammar of nouns, adjectives, possessive endings and simple participles. It’s also a great choice for students with basic sight-reading skills who ne... Read more
Instructor
- Pacific Time
Scott D. Seligman—The Chief Rabbi’s Funeral: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Antisemitic Riot (on Zoom)
Virtual Program
In partnership with the Jewish Community Library, San Francisco
On July 30, 1902, tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets of New York’s Lower East Side to bid farewell to the city’s chief rabbi, the eminent Talmudist Jacob Joseph. All went well until the procession crossed Sheriff Street, where the six-story R. Hoe and Company printing press factory towered over the intersection. Without warning, scraps of steel, iron bolts, and sca... Read more
Instructor
Register for this ProgramTotal Program Fee: Free
- Pacific Time Series
Daniel Matt: Exploring the Zohar in English
Virtual Program
Read and study the Zohar, the masterpiece of Kabbalah. Earlier series are available via Zoom session recordings. There is one free introductory session that is recommended for new students but not required.
Tuition ranges from $150–$300 (sliding scale). Full info (including sample videos) is available here.
Tuesdays, January 7, 14, 21, 2... Read more
