Come say hello at the New Lehrhaus table, shared with Yale University Press' "Jewish Lives" series. Meet, schmooze with, and get your book/s signed by local series authors Robert Alter and Daniel Matt, and att... Read more

German Jews since Moses Mendelssohn have struggled with their self-definition: are they German Jews (Jews first) or Jewish Germans (Germans first)? We will chart this complex road from the stirring music of Felix Mendelssohn, Moses' grandson who converted to Christianity, through 19th and 20th-century attitudes towards conversion to Phillip Kuttner's own family history.

Watch the fascinating documentary film ... Read more

Join us for a two-part series examining childbirth through the lens of Jewish wisdom, text, and tradition. The two sessions will explore themes of birth and parenting through text study, contemporary midrash (interpretation), and spiritual offerings from birthing parents.

This series is open to anyone interested in the intersection of birth and Judaism, whether you are a birthing parent, a ... Read more

Commemoration and program at 6pm—Time is running out to hear from Holocaust survivors and liberators. As we mark 80 years since the end of WWII, join us to honor their voices and ensure their stories live on. Workshops and exhibits throughout the day, starting at 10:30 am..

Survivors and Liberators Speak: REMEMBER THIS... Read more

Howard Freedman will share a variety of short film clips that demonstrate how immigrant Jews were represented in films of the silent era, ranging from admiring portraits to prejudiced caricatures.

Join us at Berkeley Rep on Sunday, April 20 at 2pm for this remarkable show by famed Venezuelan Jewish playwright, followed by on-stage conversation and an informal gathering of New Lehrhaus'niks on the patio for continued conversation and pesadik treats. As a nonprofit group, we get an incredible discount on tickets (in the rear orchestra) at $59 (regular price is $99–$134).

“All the world is not worth the day on which the Song of Songs was given to the people of Israel.” So proclaimed Rabbi Akiba 2,000 years ago, in defense of a little book of poems about which raged a big rabbinic controversy: Did this slender book of love poetry deserve a place in the canon alongside “weightier” books of psalms and prophecy, creation stories and liberation tales? In the end, Rabbi Akiba prevailed, and since that time, Jews from many cultures have been reciting Shir Hashirim,... Read more

Moses has long been the prototype of the successful revolutionary leader who must cajole his willful followers to cut ties with tyrants and embark on the painful journey from bondage to freedom. The most well-known student of leadership is Niccolo Machiavelli, whose name is synonymous with cunning, amoral political machinations. Yet, he regarded Moses as his model for the ideal leader in The Prince, his famous study of leadership. Join us in an examination of this surprising pairing,... Read more

Claire and Merna Barry—born Clara and Minnie Bagelman in New York City—were a popular singing duo who performed on radio, television, records, and in concert halls and nightclubs from 1937 to 1973. In their elegant form-fitting gowns and coiffed hair, they popularized Yiddish Swing, which melded Yiddish theater tunes with a big-band beat. The sisters also performed highly polished arrangeme... Read more

Read and study the Zohar, the masterpiece of Kabbalah in the original Aramaic with Daniel Matt. The upcoming Zohar course (Series 31) runs from April 1 through May 20 on Zoom (including April 3, 24; May 1, 8, 15, 22) from 11am–12:15pm, Pacific. This course will explore volume 3 of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition.

This class will focus on the moon cycle’s connection to water and traditions of immersion from ancient Mesopotamian myths and rituals to Abrahamic religions—the Jewish mikveh, Christian baptism, and Islamic wudu. Participants will engage with traditional texts, and be given the opportunity to create a prayer or symbolic action echoing these texts.