Jody Hirsh: Bible, Midrash, Art: The Richness of Bible Narratives (Virtual on Zoom)

In partnership with and a part of The JFCSC Holocaust Center Day of Learning and with the Jewish Studies Program at UC Davis

3 sessions

Apparently uncomfortable with various portions of the Torah, the rabbis provide interpretations that tend to neutralize the troubling aspects of those texts.  In this class, we will engage in close readings of texts from the Torah and corresponding Talmudic passages.

While we follow the Russian invasion of Ukraine with heartbreak and grave anxiety and hold ALL Ukrainians in our hearts and thoughts, we step back in history with Prof. Natan Meir, to the days when Kyiv - Kiev was a flourishing Jewish Metropolis. Populated by urbane Jewish merchants and professionals as well as new arrivals from the shtetl, imperial Kiev was acclaimed for its opportunities for education, culture, employment, and entrepreneurship but cursed for the often pitiless persecution of its Jews.

Mathematicians, theologians, and even children ponder the inspiring and surprising nature of the infinite. Dr. Lesser will explore—in a lively, interactive way—how math concepts can help illuminate some big ideas in Judaism, including the value of life, the value of commandments, and the coexistence of God's transcendence and immanence. While parts of this realm can get technical, have no fear: our session will maintain a liberal arts, general adult audiences sensibility to keep it accessible to a broad diversity of backgrounds in mathematics and in Judaism.

In Partnership with Congregation Beth El, Berkeley

The abortion debate has just reached fever pitch following the leak of the Supreme Court majority opinion suggesting the demise of Roe vs. Wade. If it is overturned, what other personal freedoms are already/will be in danger: transgender health services, gay marriage, contraception?

Program Video: https://youtu.be/FEzwnh37xBY

In partnership with The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, and A Wider Bridge

In partnership with the Contra Costa JCC

Explore culture, history and, of course, great food on an exciting and educational trip to Morocco, March 3-13, 2023. Rabbi Yoel Kahn will lead us on a journey to fabled cities like Casablanca, Fez and Marrakech, as well as the desert and the mountains. Jews have lived in Morocco for over two thousand years and we will engage with both the historical and contemporary Jewish sites and community.