Welcoming the New Year—and the Stranger: Partnership with JFCS East Bay & HIAS
Sarah Gakenia Cleveland (JFCS), Joe Goldman (HIAS) & Nawida Popal (JFCS)
As we welcome the New Year, how are we as a community welcoming the strangers among us? Where does “welcoming the stranger” come from as a Jewish value—and how have we as a people interpreted it over time? How are we currently welcoming Afghans, Ukrainians and others into our community? And how is this landscape changing as the rules for asylum seekers are being challenged?
Contemporary Jewish Life, Jewish Practice
contemporary-jewish-life jewish-practice
Key Legal Issues in Israel’s Judicial Reform
Kenneth Mann, JD
The Judicial Reform proposed by Netanyhu’s government encompasses a complex web of proposed legislation with the hallmark one, revoking of the “unreasonableness clause” under review by Israel’s Supreme Court (September 12). One of Israel’s leading civil rights attorneys provides a deep dive into the legal issues in the context of a fuller understanding of Israel’s judicial system.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life israel
Crisis in Israel: What Happened? What’s Next?
Our experts explain the Judicial Reform crisis:
– Prof. Fania Oz-Salzberger (Haifa University Emerita, History & Law)
– Bradley Burston (Ha’Aretz Columnist: “A Special Place in Hell”)
– Kenneth Bob (President of Ameinu & Project Rozana USA, Board member J. Street)
– Prof. Eli Salzberger (Haifa University School of Law)
Moderator: David Biale (Emanuel Ringelblum Professor Emeritus of Jewish History, UC Davis)
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life israel
Tu Be’Av: The Little-Known Jewish Summer Love Festival
David & Rachel Biale
On Tu Be’Av (the fifteenth of Av), “the daughters of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards. And what would they say? ‘Young man, lift up your eyes and see—whom would you choose.'” (Talmud, Ta’anit). Learn about the holiday and dip into romantic love stories from the Bible and Midrash.
Bible, Jewish Holidays, Text Study
bible jewish-holidays text-study
The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton
Andrew Porwancher
After debunking myths about Hamilton’s origins, Prof. Porwancher arrives at a startling conclusion—Hamilton was, in all likelihood, born and raised Jewish. While he did not identify as a Jew in his American adulthood, Hamilton emerged as an important advocate for Jewry in the United States. This story offers a fresh insight into a young republic, torn between New World promises and Old World prejudices.
History & Thought, Jewish Holidays
history-thought jewish-holidays
Breads of the Jews
Aliza Grayevsky Somekh
Wheat pancakes, matzah, challah, bagels, rye and pumpernickel bread and pita are all breads associated with Jewish life and culture. After a bird’s-eye view of Jewish breads, we bake some samples in the Urban Adamah kitchen.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
Heritage and Memory: The Jews of Greece
Jim Mavrikios—Greek Jewry and the Little Shul that Could
Neither Ashkenazic nor Sephardic, the Romaniote Jews of Greece were there to welcome the Sephardim who fled Spain in the fifteenth century. Learn about the history and customs of the Romaniote Jews, and discover the only Romaniote synagogue in the western hemisphere, Kehila Kedosha Janina in New York City.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice
Jehon Grist—Genesis: Jews in Ancient Greece
Spanning back to at least the 4th century BCE, our ancestors built a distinctive culture that blended Biblical tradition with Greek ideas that helped forge our emergence into Classical Judaism. We’ll explore both text and archaeology to discover the world of the Jews of Greece through the centuries of antiquity.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice
“Old Boys” at the New Lehrhaus: The Rosenzweig-Buber-Scholem Debate transported to 2023
Sam Shonkoff, Naomi Seidman & David Biale
What if Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber and Gershom Scholem were transported to 2023 Berkeley and asked to teach at New Lehrhaus? How would the passing of over a century since they established and taught at Lehrhaus Judaica in Frankfurt in 1920 change their debates about God and the Commandments, Zionism and Messianism, and Adult Jewish Learning?
History & Thought
history-thought
Smiling through Tears? Jewish Humor in Antiquity, part 4
Prof. Erich Gruen
This program considers a number of texts composed by Jews dwelling under imperial rule in antiquity in order to understand how the humor in those texts reflects the experience and attitudes of a subordinate people. The topic of this lecture is “Jonah: Prophecy or Parody?”
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
What REALLY Happened at Sinai?
Dr. Jehon Grist & Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan
Shavuot celebrates Matan Torah – the giving of the Torah at Sinai. But what really happened there? Jewish tradition holds that every Jew throughout all time was present at Sinai. What do we “remember” from it? And what does archeology tell us about it: was there a mass gathering? a golden calf? tablets inscribed with ten commandments? Or did something even more earthshaking happen in the Sinai desert?
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Holidays, Religious Life & Spirituality
The Bible on the Couch: A Rabbi and Psychiatrist Analyze Sacred Texts, part 1
Rabbi Judy Shanks & Dr. James Gracer
The presenters join forces to bring a psychological lens to our Biblical ancestors. We explore hidden motivations, possible diagnoses, and complicated relationships between siblings, spouses, G-d, and humans. Teachings draw on midrashic texts and modern psychological theories.
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Smiling through Tears? Jewish Humor in Antiquity, part 3
Prof. Erich Gruen
This program considers a number of texts composed by Jews dwelling under imperial rule in antiquity in order to understand how the humor in those texts reflects the experience and attitudes of a subordinate people. The topic of this lecture is “Jonah: Prophecy or Parody?”
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Blood Libel: On the Trail of An Antisemitic Myth
Magda Teter
Annual Pell Lecture presented by the UC Berkeley Center for Jewish Studies and The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life
The talk explores how a medieval anti-Jewish lie became rooted in Christian imagination to persist into the twenty first century US and lead to a horrific crime in California.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
Ruth: A Literary Masterpiece, a Lesson in Kindness
Shalhevet Robinson
The Book of Ruth is an extraordinary novella with a simple but profound goal: to take us from the alienation of grief into a healed society. Where does it fit in the tapestry of the Hebrew bible?
Bible, Jewish Practice, Text Study
bible jewish-practice text-study
Smiling through Tears? Jewish Humor in Antiquity, part 2
Prof. Erich Gruen
This program considers a number of texts composed by Jews dwelling under imperial rule in antiquity in order to understand how the humor in those texts reflects the experience and attitudes of a subordinate people. The topic of this lecture is “Judith and Susanna: Feminist Heroines?”
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Smiling through Tears? Jewish Humor in Antiquity, part 1
Prof. Erich Gruen
This program considers a number of texts composed by Jews dwelling under imperial rule in antiquity in order to understand how the humor in those texts reflects the experience and attitudes of a subordinate people. The topic of this lecture is “Esther: Triumph or Travesty?”
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Soil to Soul: People of the Cookbook
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett in conversation with Yoel Raviv of the Jewish Food Society
Read as a genre of literature, each recipe a poem, cookbooks and recipe collections offer a unique perspective on the history and diversity of Jewish life. This conversation will draw on Barbara’s collection and highlights from the Jewish Food Society archive of stories and recipes.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice
Josh Horowitz
Explore Jewish musical themes in wedding music, the synthesis of “Gypsy” and Jewish music, the case of a 19th-century traveling Hasidic musician, an analysis of the only surviving pre-war Yiddish opera, and an instrument that previously defined klezmer music but has since been forgotten.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
Judaism in a Bottle: The Manischewitz Story
Jhos Singer
How did this Manischewitz wine—which transgresses oenophilic culture, defies epicurean standards of excellence, and is loved by winos and children everywhere‚—come to define Kosher wine and, in some ways, Jewish identity, in the 20th century?
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality
Ron Hendel and David Biale
It’s not what you think, it’s not what the Hagaddah tells us, it’s not what you remember from Sunday School or “The Ten Commandments”. Hear an analysis of the Biblical text, both historical and literary, which will turn your Passover seder upside down.
Bible, Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Holidays, Religious Life & Spirituality
Mind, Body and Soul: Maimonides’ Eight Chapters, part 2
Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan
Maimonides’ “The Eight Chapters” just might be the best introduction to his philosophy, and perhaps to all medieval Jewish philosophy. It is a prescription to you, his beloved reader, for a healthy mind, body and soul.
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Joshua Horowitz
Explore Jewish musical themes in wedding music, the synthesis of “Gypsy” and Jewish music, the case of a 19th-century traveling Hasidic musician, an analysis of the only surviving pre-war Yiddish opera, and an instrument that previously defined klezmer music but has since been forgotten.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
Mind, Body and Soul: Maimonides’ Eight Chapters, part 1
Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan
Maimonides’ “The Eight Chapters” just might be the best introduction to his philosophy, and perhaps to all medieval Jewish philosophy. It is a prescription to you, his beloved reader, for a healthy mind, body and soul.
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Joshua Horowitz
Explore Jewish musical themes in wedding music, the synthesis of “Gypsy” and Jewish music, the case of a 19th-century traveling Hasidic musician, an analysis of the only surviving pre-war Yiddish opera, and an instrument that previously defined klezmer music but has since been forgotten.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
Give Peace a Chance
Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed and Prof. Yael Teff-Seker
This session will focus on how research and activism on environmental challenges, with a special emphasis on water, build bridges between Israeli Jews and Arabs, Palestinians, and Jordanians.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life israel
The Fiddler Phenomenon, part 4
Naomi Seidman
Explore the ways Yiddish literature—and in particular Sholem Aleichem’s Tevye stories—expressed Jewish ambivalence toward what Ian Watt calls “the sex religion,” the modern ideology of freedom to choose one’s own mate.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought the-arts
Hasidism: New Perspectives on an Old Movement
Professor David Biale, UC Davis (Emeritus); Dr. Chen Mandel-Edrei, Open University of Israel; and Professor Marcin Wodziński, University of Wroclaw, Poland
Three academicians representing three generations of research will share their perspectives on Hasidism’s evolution and its shifting role within the global Jewish world.
History & Thought, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality
Orli Bein with New Israel Fund grantees Sally Abed and Alon-Lee Green of Omdim Beyachad (Standing Together) and Ahlam Kasim Ali and Lev Littman of Tzedek Centers
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life israel
The Fiddler Phenomenon, part 3
Bonnie Weiss
The essential contributions of composer Jerry Bock, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, director/choreographer Jerome Robbins and book writer Joseph Stein includes recorded interviews, captivating performances, and two fascinating songs cut from the show before opening night.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought the-arts
Give Peace a Chance, part 1
The series features projects that create bridges between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as neighboring Jordan. SESSION 1: Medicine (Project Rozana) and Technology (Tech2Peace) with Kenneth Bob, Uri Rosenberg and Abeer Bandak
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life israel
The Jews of Morocco, part 4
Dr. Sarah Levin
Jews Among Berbers (Imazighen) in the Atlas Mountains (photographs of Elias Harrus)
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought the-arts
Poverty in the Jewish Community
Presenters: Bruce Phillips, Steve Chester, Brittany Couture and Robin Mencher
Contemporary Jewish Life, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality
Dr. Alma Heckman
Jews & Politics in 20th Century Morocco
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
The Jews of Morocco, Part 2
Dr. Vanessa Paloma Elbaz
Moroccan Jewish Music: Inner Power & Outer Politics
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought the-arts
Violence and Non-Violence in Jewish Tradition, part 4
Howard Simon
This inquiry into violence and non-violence in Jewish tradition employs Gandhi’s model of satyagraha as a benchmark for non-violent resistance.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice
Naomi Seidman
Matchmaking and Modernity: The Ambivalent Move from Arranged Marriage to Romantic Love
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought the-arts
Violence and Non-Violence in Jewish Tradition, part 3
Howard Simon
This inquiry into violence and non-violence in Jewish tradition employs Gandhi’s model of satyagraha as a benchmark for non-violent resistance.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice
Prof. Steve Whitfield
Black lawyers were too few to make a difference in the 1960s, and local white lawyers rarely wished to advance civil rights. Mostly Northern Jewish attorneys stepped in to fill this historic vacuum.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
The Jews of Morocco, part 1
Rabbi Yoel Kahn
A broad introduction to the arc of Moroccan Jewish history
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought the-arts
Violence and Non-Violence in Jewish Tradition, part 1
Howard Simon
This inquiry into violence and non-violence in Jewish tradition employs Gandhi’s model of satyagraha as a benchmark for non-violent resistance.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice
Hanukkah in Song: From the Heartfelt to the Hilarious
Bonnie Weiss
A musical journey from “I Have a Little Dreidel” and “Rock of Ages” to original songs, hilarious Tom Lehrer satiric numbers, and Hanukkah-themed new lyrics set to music by Leonard Bernstein and other acclaimed composers
Contemporary Jewish Life, Jewish Holidays, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life jewish-holidays the-arts
What Really Happened on Hanukkah?
Dr. David Biale
The reason we celebrate Hanukkah turns out to be more complicated than what we learned as children. We may also be surprised at how little the rabbis of the Talmud understood about Hanukkah, the only Jewish holiday not mentioned in the Bible.
History & Thought, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality
Rabbis Chai Levy and Peretz Wolf-Prusan
The Jewish Community and Clergy
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
Time to Cancel “Cancel Culture”? Part 2
Moderator: Riva Gambert
Discussion of Stephen Fry’s documentary film “Wagner & Me”
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
Time to Cancel “Cancel Culture”? Part 1
Profs. Michael Krasny, Robert Alter, Eva Mroczek and Liora Halperin
Cancel culture in literature and scholarship
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), part 4
Robert Alter & Ron Hendel
We explore the poetry and philosophy of Qohelet (or Kohellet, Ecclesiastes) in the context of biblical and ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature.
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), part 3
Robert Alter & Ron Hendel
An exploration of the poetry and philosophy of Qohelet (or Kohellet, Ecclesiastes) in the context of biblical and ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
The Intractable Middle East: Dual Narratives, part 6
Eleanor Shapiro
1988-2008: From Oslo to Stalemate
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought israel
Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), part 2
Robert Alter & Ron Hendel
An exploration of the poetry and philosophy of Qohelet (or Kohellet, Ecclesiastes) in the context of biblical and ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
The Intractable Middle East: Dual Narratives, part 5
Eleanor Shapiro
From the Six-Day War to the First Intifada (1968 – 1988)
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought israel
Pharaoh of the Exodus? Ramses II and His Times, part 2
Dr. Jehon Grist
Many scholars believe king Ramses II was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. We’ll examine the pros and cons of this claim and also delve into the fascinating world he ruled.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), part 1
Robert Alter & Ron Hendel
An exploration of the poetry and philosophy of Qohelet (or Kohellet, Ecclesiastes) in the context of biblical and ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature.
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Oh, the Hora! American Klezmer and Israeli Folk Music in Conversation
Uri Schreter
Musicologist Uri Schreter presents his research on American Jewish weddings in the 1950s, based on recordings, archives, and interviews with klezmorim from that era.
History & Thought, Israel, The Arts
history-thought israel the-arts
What Now? Analysis of Israel’s Elections
Ken Bob
Israel’s fifth election in 3 years speaks volumes on its deeply divided society and the fragmentation of its political parties.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life israel
The Intractable Middle East: Dual Narratives, part 4
Eleanor Shapiro
1948 – 1967: Independence / Nakba
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought israel
Pharaoh of the Exodus? Ramses II and His Times, part 1
Dr. Jehon Grist
Many scholars believe king Ramses II was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. We’ll examine the pros and cons of this claim and also delve into the fascinating world he ruled.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
The Intractable Middle East: Dual Narratives, part 3
Eleanor Shapiro
Mandate Palestine, part 2 (1936 -1948)
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought israel
The Intractable Middle East: Dual Narratives, part 2
Eleanor Shapiro
Mandate Palestine (1922-1936)
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought israel
The Intractable Middle East: Dual Narratives, part 1
Eleanor Shapiro
Setting the Stage: Late Ottoman Empire – end of WWI
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought israel
Talmud for Beginners, part 4
Prof. Daniel Boyarin
The Talmud has been compared to an ocean. Prof. Boyarin offers “beginners’ floaties” so you can start swimming in this expansive, complex, and often enigmatic foundational text of Jewish culture.
Talmud, Text Study
talmud text-study
Mexico and Its Jews in a Nutshell, part 2
Dr. Jehon Grist
This session explores how Jews made their way to Mexico in the early 16th century, and how they suffered and prospered through the centuries.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality
Prof. Daniel Boyarin
The Talmud has been compared to an ocean. Prof. Boyarin offers “beginners’ floaties” so you can start swimming in this expansive, complex, and often enigmatic foundational text of Jewish culture.
Talmud, Text Study
talmud text-study
Mexico and Its Jews in a Nutshell
Dr. Jehon Grist
An overview of the history of Mexico from the Olmec to Aztec pre-colonial cultures, through the Spanish occupation, and on to the birth and growth of the independent state
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality
Prof. Daniel Boyarin
The Talmud has been compared to an ocean. Prof. Boyarin offers “beginners’ floaties” so you can start swimming in this expansive, complex, and often enigmatic foundational text of Jewish culture.
Talmud, Text Study
talmud text-study
Talmud for Beginners, part 1
Prof. Daniel Boyarin
The Talmud has been compared to an ocean. Prof. Boyarin offers “beginners’ floaties” so you can start swimming in this expansive, complex, and often enigmatic foundational text of Jewish culture.
Talmud, Text Study
talmud text-study
Descendants of Light: American Photographers of Jewish Ancestry
Penny Wolin
Over six years, Wolin had in-person encounters with 70 leading American Jewish photographers, including Robert Frank, Annie Leibovitz, and Arnold Newman. With a visual and verbal discussion, we will explore the motivations of Jews in photography.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Jewish Practice, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life jewish-practice the-arts
Divinity and Infinity: Exploring the Infinite in Mathematics and Judaism
Dr. Larry Lesser
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 divine transcendence and immanence.
History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Word Wizards: Broadway’s Legendary Jewish Lyricists, part 4
Bonnie Weiss
How are Jewish religion and tradition and the qualities inherent in the Yiddish language reflected in the songs written by Jewish lyricists including Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Ira Gershwin, Yip Harburg, Dorothy Fields, Sheldon Harnick, and Alan Jay Lerner?
The Arts
the-arts
Abortion through Multiple Lenses, part 3
Roslyn Banish
Focus on Abortion: Americans Share Their Stories: A Photographic Journey
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, The Arts
Word Wizards: Broadway’s Legendary Jewish Lyricists, part 3
Bonnie Weiss
How are Jewish religion and tradition and the qualities inherent in the Yiddish language reflected in the songs written by Jewish lyricists including Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Ira Gershwin, Yip Harburg, Dorothy Fields, Sheldon Harnick, and Alan Jay Lerner?
The Arts
the-arts
We Were Here: HIV-AIDS, the Bay Area and the Jewish Community
Rabbi Yoel Kahn, Avi Rose & David Weissman
A panel discussion by key leaders/witnesses reflects on the AIDS crisis in the Bay Area and beyond, and on its impact on the Jewish community.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
Abortion through Multiple Lenses, part 2
Prof. Carole Joffe & Dr. Debbie Bamberger
The Abortion Wars: The social-political-cultural divide, impact on public health and Jewish values undergird working as an abortion provider
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality
Word Wizards: Broadway’s Legendary Jewish Lyricists, part 2
Bonnie Weiss
How are Jewish religion and tradition and the qualities inherent in the Yiddish language reflected in the songs written by Jewish lyricists including Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Ira Gershwin, Yip Harburg, Dorothy Fields, Sheldon Harnick, and Alan Jay Lerner?
The Arts
the-arts
Word Wizards: Broadway’s Legendary Jewish Lyricists, part 1
Bonnie Weiss
How are Jewish religion and tradition and the qualities inherent in the Yiddish language reflected in the songs written by Jewish lyricists including Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Ira Gershwin, Yip Harburg, Dorothy Fields, Sheldon Harnick, and Alan Jay Lerner?
The Arts
the-arts
Abortion through Multiple Lenses, part 1
Panel: Rachel Biale, Shalhevet Sarah Robinson & Rabbanit Michal Kohane
Abortion in Jewish Law (Halakhah) and the Orthodox Jewish Community Today
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality
Prof. Michael Krasny
Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith” and Saul Bellow’s “A Silver Dish”
Contemporary Jewish Life, Literature
contemporary-jewish-life literature
People of the Book, but What Book? The Confrontation between Torah & Talmud, part 3
Ron Reissberg
Apparently uncomfortable with various portions of the Torah, the rabbis provide interpretations that tend to neutralize the troubling aspects of those texts.
Bible, History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
The Tree of Life: Making Kabbalistic Diagrams, part 2
Yosef Rosen
Learn about the aesthetic-theology of kabbalistic diagrams—full of trees, circles, spirals, lines, and letters—and use these as models to map your own relation to that which is essential but intangible (what might be called spirit, soul, or the divine).
History & Thought, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, The Arts
Prof. Michael Krasny
Grace Paley’s “Goodbye and Good Luck” and Cynthia Ozick’s “The Shawl”
Contemporary Jewish Life, Literature
contemporary-jewish-life literature
People of the Book, but What Book? The Confrontation Between Torah & Talmud, part 2
Ron Reissberg
Apparently uncomfortable with various portions of the Torah, the rabbis provide interpretations that tend to neutralize the troubling aspects of those texts.
Bible, History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Eddy Portnoy
This talk details the long history of Jews and cannabis, and will delve into aspects that range from religious texts to medieval manuscripts to contemporary artifacts, all of which reveal deep Jewish involvement in the science, the marketing, the legalization, and the usage of cannabis.
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
The Tree of Life: Making Kabbalistic Diagrams, part 1
Yosef Rosen
Learn about the aesthetic-theology of kabbalistic diagrams—full of trees, circles, spirals, lines, and letters—and use these as models to map your own relation to that which is essential but intangible (what might be called spirit, soul, or the divine).
History & Thought, Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, The Arts
Jews and Gentiles in Pagan Antiquity: A Love-Hate Relationship?, part 4
Dr. Erich Gruen
The Jew and the ‘Other’ in Antiquity
History & Thought
history-thought
People of the Book, but What Book? The Confrontation Between Torah & Talmud, part 1
Ron Reissberg
Apparently uncomfortable with various portions of the Torah, the rabbis provide interpretations that tend to neutralize the troubling aspects of those texts.
Bible, History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Bible, Midrash, Art: The Richness of Bible Narratives, part 4
Jody Hirsh
Examine stories as they are presented in the Bible, dive into traditional Midrash (Rabbinic interpretations that are themselves stories) and examine how artists of all types have interpreted these stories.
Bible, History & Thought, Literature, Text Study, The Arts
bible history-thought literature text-study the-arts
Kiev: Jewish Metropolis
Prof. Natan Meir
Step back in history 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 but cursed for the often pitiless persecution of its Jews
History & Thought
history-thought
Jews and Gentiles in Pagan Antiquity: A Love-Hate Relationship?, part 3
Dr. Erich Gruen
Displaced in the Diaspora?
History & Thought
history-thought
Jewish Music Matters, part 2
Eleanor Shapiro
Pre-Modern to Early Modern
Contemporary Jewish Life, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life the-arts
Archeology BEFORE the Bible, part 5
Steve Rosen
This course will delve into periods and aspects of pre-biblical archeology, situated in today’s discourse about what is archeology and how is it harnessed to current national and political agendas.
Bible, History & Thought
bible history-thought
Hebrew Writers: Film Biographies and Text Reading
Vered Weiss
Leah Goldberg: Constructions of Home and Belonging
Israel, Literature
israel literature
Bible, Midrash, Art: The Richness of Bible Narratives, part 2
Jody Hirsh
Examine stories as they are presented in the Bible, dive into traditional Midrash (Rabbinic interpretations that are themselves stories) and examine how artists of all types have interpreted these stories.
Bible, History & Thought, Literature, Text Study, The Arts
bible history-thought literature text-study the-arts
Bible, Midrash, Art: The Richness of Bible Narratives, part 1
Jody Hirsh
Examine stories as they are presented in the Bible, dive into traditional Midrash (Rabbinic interpretations that are themselves stories) and examine how artists of all types have interpreted these stories.
Bible, History & Thought, Literature, Text Study, The Arts
bible history-thought literature text-study the-arts
Jewish Music Matters, part 1
Eleanor Shapiro
What is Jewish Music?
Contemporary Jewish Life, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life the-arts
Archeology BEFORE the Bible, part 4
Steve Rosen
This course will delve into periods and aspects of pre-biblical archeology, situated in today’s discourse about what is archeology and how is it harnessed to current national and political agendas.
Bible, History & Thought
bible history-thought
Archeology BEFORE the Bible, part 3
Steve Rosen
This course will delve into periods and aspects of pre-biblical archeology, situated in today’s discourse about what is archeology and how is it harnessed to current national and political agendas.
Bible, History & Thought
bible history-thought
Jews and Gentiles in Pagan Antiquity: A Love-Hate Relationship?, part 2
Dr. Erich Gruen
Was There Antisemitism in Pagan Antiquity?
History & Thought
history-thought
Archeology BEFORE the Bible, part 1
Steve Rosen
This course will delve into periods and aspects of pre-biblical archeology, situated in today’s discourse about what is archeology and how is it harnessed to current national and political agendas.
Bible, History & Thought
bible history-thought
Jews and Gentiles in Pagan Antiquity: A Love-Hate Relationship?, part 1
Dr. Erich Gruen
Was Ancient Judaism a Nation, an Ethnicity, or a Religion?
History & Thought
history-thought
Hebrew Writers: Film Biographies and Text Reading, part 3
Vered Weiss
Chaim Nachman Bialik: Between the Private and Political
Israel, Literature
israel literature
Not Your Grandparents’ Judaism: Exploring Personal Jewish Spiritual Growth, part 5
Rabbi Lavey Derby
This course is an invitation to explore our own personal, ongoing spiritual formation as we examine how Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z’l, Rabbi Arthur Green, and others have responded to the spiritual challenges of our age.
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Steve Rosen
This course will delve into periods and aspects of pre-biblical archeology, situated in today’s discourse about what is archeology and how is it harnessed to current national and political agendas.
Bible, History & Thought
bible history-thought
Illuminated Medieval Passover Haggadahs
Rabbi Yoel Kahn
Medieval Jews created marvelously illustrated Haggadahs. The pictures in these 14th–16th century books can tell us about how their illustrators and viewers imagined the Biblical story, and about their own day.
Text Study, The Arts
text-study the-arts
Hebrew Writers: Film Biographies and Text Reading, part 2
Shirelle Doughty
Jacqueline Kahanoff: In Praise of the Levant
Israel, Literature
israel literature
Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation
Daniel Matt
Explore Elijah’s development from the Bible to Rabbinic Judaism, Kabbalah, and Jewish ritual, culminating in the Hasidic notion that within each of us lies hidden a beḥinat Eliyyahu (an aspect of Elijah).
Bible, History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Not Your Grandparents’ Judaism: Exploring Personal Jewish Spiritual Growth, part 4
Rabbi Lavey Derby
This course is an invitation to explore our own personal, ongoing spiritual formation as we examine how Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z’l, Rabbi Arthur Green, and others have responded to the spiritual challenges of our age.
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Hebrew Writers: Film Biographies and Text Reading, part 1
Shirelle Doughty
Yona Wallach: Hebrew and the Sexmaniac
Israel, Literature
israel literature
Not Your Grandparents’ Judaism: Exploring Personal Jewish Spiritual Growth, part 3
Rabbi Lavey Derby
This course is an invitation to explore our own personal, ongoing spiritual formation as we examine how Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z’l, Rabbi Arthur Green, and others have responded to the spiritual challenges of our age.
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Jews of Color: Taking Charge of Your Jewish Identity
Kim Carter Martinez
It is not unusual for a Jew of color to be asked, “How did you get to be Jewish?” The question stems from their appearance—“You don’t look Jewish.” There are a number of ways that an adult from a biracial Jewish or interfaith family can arm themselves for these micro-aggressions.
Contemporary Jewish Life
contemporary-jewish-life
Care to Make It Interesting? Seinfeld, Jewish Culture, and the Talmud, part 2
Ron Reissberg
Uncover a more general characteristic of Seinfeld’s humor, namely the tendency to argue endlessly about everything and nothing. In all cases, it’s the principle that counts. We will study Talmudic passages through the lens of the Seinfeld-Talmud connection.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Text Study
contemporary-jewish-life text-study
Not Your Grandparents’ Judaism: Exploring Personal Jewish Spiritual Growth, part 2
Rabbi Lavey Derby
This course is an invitation to explore our own personal, ongoing spiritual formation as we examine how Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z’l, Rabbi Arthur Green, and others have responded to the spiritual challenges of our age.
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Prof. Michael Krasny
Isaac Singer’s “Gimpel the Fool” and Bernard Malamud’s The Magic Barrel
Contemporary Jewish Life, Literature
contemporary-jewish-life literature
Care to Make It Interesting? Seinfeld, Jewish Culture, and the Talmud, part 1
Ron Reissberg
Uncover a more general characteristic of Seinfeld’s humor, namely the tendency to argue endlessly about everything and nothing. In all cases, it’s the principle that counts. We will study Talmudic passages through the lens of the Seinfeld- Talmud connection.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Text Study
contemporary-jewish-life text-study
Not Your Grandparents’ Judaism: Exploring Personal Jewish Spiritual Growth, part 1
Rabbi Lavey Derby
This course is an invitation to explore our own personal, ongoing spiritual formation as we examine how Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z’l, Rabbi Arthur Green, and others have responded to the spiritual challenges of our age.
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Michael Krasny
What does fiction written by major Jewish American authors of the post-World War II period reveal about Jewish identity and values? Why is their work of ongoing importance? Authors include Bernard Malamud, Grace Paley, and Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Literature
contemporary-jewish-life literature
Between Shtisel and Fauda: Images of Israeli Men in Israeli TV Series, part 4
Ilan Vitemberg
Examine how Israeli men are portrayed in such popular Israeli TV series as Fauda, Shtisel, and When Heroes Fly, and explore how these portrayals could serve as a lens through which we explore Israeli society and the Zionist endeavor more broadly.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life israel the-arts
The Middle East Crisis…1180 BCE, part 2
Jehon Grist
While an era of seemingly endless chaos, 1180 BCE marks the birth moment of cultural features that thrive to this day.
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?, part 4
Rabbi Steve Chester
If God is a compassionate and loving God, why do people suffer? In an attempt to answer these questions, we will look at the Biblical books of Deuteronomy, Job, and Ecclesiastes, as well as looking at modern theologians.
History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality
history-thought religious-life-spirituality
Between Shtisel and Fauda: Images of Israeli Men in Israeli TV Series, part 3
Ilan Vitemberg
Examine how Israeli men are portrayed in such popular Israeli TV series as Fauda, Shtisel, and When Heroes Fly, and explore how these portrayals could serve as a lens through which we explore Israeli society and the Zionist endeavor more broadly.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life israel the-arts
The Middle East Crisis…1180 BCE, part 1
Jehon Grist
While an era of seemingly endless chaos, 1180 BCE marks the birth moment of cultural features that thrive to this day.
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Between Shtisel and Fauda: Images of Israeli Men in Israeli TV Series, part 2
Ilan Vitemberg
Examine how Israeli men are portrayed in such popular Israeli TV series as Fauda, Shtisel, and When Heroes Fly, and explore how these portrayals could serve as a lens through which we explore Israeli society and the Zionist endeavor more broadly.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life israel the-arts
Femmes Fatales, Monsters and Murderers: Jewish Presence in Weimar Cinema, part 4
Janis Plotkin
German Expressionist cinema, a revolutionary innovation, found Jews both in front of or behind the camera. The class features cinematic masterpieces that foreshadow the coming political storms.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?, part 3
Rabbi Steve Chester
If God is a compassionate and loving God, why do people suffer? In an attempt to answer these questions, we will look at the Biblical books of Deuteronomy, Job, and Ecclesiastes, as well as looking at modern theologians.
History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality
history-thought religious-life-spirituality
Between Shtisel and Fauda: Images of Israeli Men in Israeli TV Series, part 1
Ilan Vitemberg
Examine how Israeli men are portrayed in such popular Israeli TV series as Fauda, Shtisel, and When Heroes Fly, and explore how these portrayals could serve as a lens through which we explore Israeli society and the Zionist endeavor more broadly.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel, The Arts
contemporary-jewish-life israel the-arts
Femmes Fatales, Monsters and Murderers: Jewish Presence in Weimar Cinema, part 3
Janis Plotkin
German Expressionist cinema, a revolutionary innovation, found Jews both in front of or behind the camera. The class features cinematic masterpieces that foreshadow the coming political storms.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
New Lehrhaus Inaugural Lecture with Fred Rosenbaum
“A Revolution in Jewish Learning: Lehrhaus — Then and Now”
Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought
contemporary-jewish-life history-thought
Mickey Katz, Yinglish Comedy, and the Continuity of Klezmer
Uri Schreter
During the 1950s, as Yiddish culture was fading from public view, Mickey Katz (1909-1985) gave it a second wind, performing his “Yinglish” musical parodies to sold-out crowds across North America and produced blockbuster recordings.
The Arts
the-arts
Birds of a Feather: Sephardic Jews and the Exotic Birds’ Feather
Prof. Sarah Abrevaya Stein
A singular story of Jewish culture, global commerce, colonial economic practices, and the rise and fall of a glamorous luxury item.
History & Thought
history-thought
Femmes Fatales, Monsters and Murderers: Jewish Presence in Weimar Cinema, part 2
Janis Plotkin
German Expressionist cinema, a revolutionary innovation, found Jews both in front of or behind the camera. The class features cinematic masterpieces that foreshadow the coming political storms.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, part 1
Rabbi Steve Chester
If God is a compassionate and loving God, why do people suffer? In an attempt to answer these questions, we will look at the Biblical books of Deuteronomy, Job, and Ecclesiastes, as well as looking at modern theologians.
History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality
history-thought religious-life-spirituality
Interfaith Marriage
Bruce Phillips
Using the new Pew 2020 survey, Bruce Phillips argues that current discourses about Jewish intermarriage are outdated.
Contemporary Jewish Life
contemporary-jewish-life
Femmes Fatales, Monsters and Murderers: Jewish Presence in Weimar Cinema, part 1
Janis Plotkin
German Expressionist cinema, a revolutionary innovation, found Jews both in front of or behind the camera. The class features cinematic masterpieces that foreshadow the coming political storms.
History & Thought, The Arts
history-thought the-arts
Change in Israel
Tovah Birnbaum
The social protest movement began in Tel Aviv with young people setting up tents on a major street to protest the prohibitive cost of living, evolving into a process of political change. This presentation tracks the process, and its impact on Israeli politics and society.
Contemporary Jewish Life, Israel
contemporary-jewish-life israel
Torah from the Bedroom, part 4
David and Rachel Biale
Sexuality in the Jewish tradition
Session 4: Mysticism & Hasidism
Bible, Contemporary Jewish Life, History & Thought, Talmud, Text Study
Rachel Gross
Examine shifting ideas about who is an authority on Jewish food and what counts as Jewish food in the United States throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality
history-thought religious-life-spirituality
Mussar: The Art of Menchmaking, part 4
Rabbi Judy Shanks
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Steven Zipperstein
Revisit one of the most explosively controversial—and intriguing—of all contemporary American voices.
History & Thought, Literature
history-thought literature
Food Fights, part 1
Rachel Gross
Examine shifting ideas about who is an authority on Jewish food and what counts as Jewish food in the United States throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
History & Thought, Religious Life & Spirituality
history-thought religious-life-spirituality
Mussar: The Art of Menchmaking, part 3
Rabbi Judy Shanks
Jewish Practice, Religious Life & Spirituality, Text Study
Professors Robert Alter and Ron Hendel present historical and literary readings of the Bible.
The David Stories
The Song of Songs
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Revisiting Philip Roth, part 1
Steven Zipperstein
Revisit one of the most explosively controversial—and intriguing—of all contemporary American voices.
History & Thought, Literature
history-thought literature
The Bible Now, part 2
Professors Robert Alter and Ron Hendel present historical and literary readings of the Bible.
Myth and Narrative: Genesis 1 -11
Bible, History & Thought, Text Study
bible history-thought text-study
Welcoming the Stranger
Avi Rose and Fouzia Azizi discuss Jewish values and history on welcoming refugees and the work of Jewish Family and Community Services — East Bay in settling Afghan refugees
Contemporary Jewish Life, Jewish Practice
contemporary-jewish-life jewish-practice
The Bible Now, part 1
Professors Robert Alter and Ron Hendel present historical and literary readings of the Bible.
The David Stories