Prof. Erich S. Gruen, 4/25/24
Biblical narratives retain a powerful hold on the Jewish imagination, yet many Jewish (and some non-Jewish) writers in the Greco-Roman era rewrote many of these stories despite their ostensible sacredness. What did the authors of these versions have in mind when retelling sacred tales and is the retelling sacrilegious? Narratives considered include the Tower of Babel, The Abraham-Sarah-Hagar triangle, the (near) sacrifice of Isaac, the rape of Dinah, Joseph and his brothers, Tamar and Judah, and the Exodus.

Rabbi Sheldon Lewis, 4/16/24
Explicitly and implicitly, Torah texts point to the idea that we are stewards of a planet to which we never gain title. Surprisingly visionary obligations follow to treat this earth with reverence. This course will focus on a journey through Torah and later rabbinic teaching searching for wisdom to safeguard our only shared home.

Rabbi Sheldon Lewis, 4/9/24
Explicitly and implicitly, Torah texts point to the idea that we are stewards of a planet to which we never gain title. Surprisingly visionary obligations follow to treat this earth with reverence. This course will focus on a journey through Torah and later rabbinic teaching searching for wisdom to safeguard our only shared home.

Rabbi Dan Goldbaltt & Zoe Goldblatt, 4/4/24
The Art of Comforting: the Dying, Family & Friends, Mourning Rituals
Jewish ways in death and dying: traditional and contemporary concepts and practices, the approach of death, dying and burial, grief and comforting the bereaved.

Prof. Daniel Matt, 4/3/24
An immersive exploration of the tunes, words, and significance of Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming the Sabbath) on Friday evening). In this video, Prof. Alter Prof. Robert Alter illuminates the poetic beauty and meaning of the Psalms, offering insights into their historical context and literary elegance.

Rabbi Sheldon Lewis, 4/2/24
Explicitly and implicitly, Torah texts point to the idea that we are stewards of a planet to which we never gain title. Surprisingly visionary obligations follow to treat this earth with reverence. This course will focus on a journey through Torah and later rabbinic teaching searching for wisdom to safeguard our only shared home.

Prof. Robert Alter, 3/27/24
An immersive exploration of the tunes, words, and significance of Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming the Sabbath) on Friday evening). In this video, Prof. Alter Prof. Robert Alter illuminates the poetic beauty and meaning of the Psalms, offering insights into their historical context and literary elegance.

Rabbi Sheldon Lewis, 3/26/24
Explicitly and implicitly, Torah texts point to the idea that we are stewards of a planet to which we never gain title. Surprisingly visionary obligations follow to treat this earth with reverence. This course will focus on a journey through Torah and later rabbinic teaching searching for wisdom to safeguard our only shared home.

Jehon Grist, 3/24/24
Esther’s story is exciting, romantic and disturbing. Set in the imaginary lavish court of the Persian king 2,400 years ago, it is an early example of anti-Semitism. Is there actual history here? Why did many Jews oppose its addition to the Biblical Canon? We will explore key parts of the text of the Book of Esther and its world, then fast forward to its ‘movie midrash’ – how Hollywood has interpreted the story.

Rabbi Me’irah Illinsky, 3/21/24
Mapping the Journey: the Mourner & the Soul
Jewish ways in death and dying: traditional and contemporary concepts and practices, the approach of death, dying and burial, grief and comforting the bereaved.

Prof. Naomi Seidman: “Off the Derekh” in Contemporary Orthodoxy, 3/19/24
Heresy is as old as Orthodoxy; we already find it in the Bible! It then continues as a thread, sometimes subterranean, others front and center, throughout Jewish history and thought. This course will take you on a journey from the Bible to today, stopping to consider heresy from the Talmud and Spinoza to the false messiah Shabbatai Zvi and the antinomian thinker Jacob Frank, all the way to the complex paths of those who leave Orthodoxy today.

David Waksberg, 3/15/24
October 7th and the subsequent war in Gaza have deeply shaken the Haredi community in Israel and upended the long-simmering hostility between the Haredim and secular Israelis. Prof. Benjamin Brown, an expert on the Haredi community, will describe the response to October 7th and the war by a community that is often seen—erroneously—as insular and disconnected from Israel’s security and political arenas.

Prof. Ariel Mayse—Modern Antinomianism: Shabbatai Zvi and Jacob Frank, 3/12/24
Heresy is as old as Orthodoxy; we already find it in the Bible! It then continues as a thread, sometimes subterranean, others front and center, throughout Jewish history and thought. This course will take you on a journey from the Bible to today, stopping to consider heresy from the Talmud and Spinoza to the false messiah Shabbatai Zvi and the antinomian thinker Jacob Frank, all the way to the complex paths of those who leave Orthodoxy today.

Prof. Jeremy Popkin, 3/10/24
Before there was feminism, there was Zelda Popkin. Before there was a Jewish women’s movement, there was Zelda Popkin. Before Leon Uris’ Exodus, there was her 1951 novel Quiet Street about Israel’s struggle for independence. From the Roaring ‘20s to the romanticization of the immigrant experience in the 1960s, Zelda Popkin lived through it all and wrote about all the issues that affected American Jews.

Ron Feldman, 3/6/24
Examine Jewish timekeeping as a way to understand Jewish attitudes toward the natural world. In particular, we will trace the history and differences among ancient Jewish calendars of the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Talmud with particular focus on different ways of incorporating the rhythms of the lunar month (a natural cycle) and Sabbath (a non-natural cycle).

Profs. Hannah Ginsborg & Sam Berrin Shonkoff—Modern Europe: Spinoza, 3/5/24
Heresy is as old as Orthodoxy; we already find it in the Bible! It then continues as a thread, sometimes subterranean, others front and center, throughout Jewish history and thought. This course will take you on a journey from the Bible to today, stopping to consider heresy from the Talmud and Spinoza to the false messiah Shabbatai Zvi and the antinomian thinker Jacob Frank, all the way to the complex paths of those who leave Orthodoxy today.

Prof. Charlotte Fonrobert, 2/27/24
Heresy is as old as Orthodoxy; we already find it in the Bible! It then continues as a thread, sometimes subterranean, others front and center, throughout Jewish history and thought. This course will take you on a journey from the Bible to today, stopping to consider heresy from the Talmud and Spinoza to the false messiah Shabbatai Zvi and the antinomian thinker Jacob Frank, all the way to the complex paths of those who leave Orthodoxy today.

Liz Orlin & Sam Salkin, 2/22/24
Advanced Planning—Practicalities: Tahara, Shmira, Burial Plans, Cemetery Options, Insurance
Jewish ways in death and dying: traditional and contemporary concepts and practices, the approach of death, dying and burial, grief and comforting the bereaved.

Prof. David Biale, 2/20/24
Heresy is as old as Orthodoxy; we already find it in the Bible! It then continues as a thread, sometimes subterranean, others front and center, throughout Jewish history and thought. This course will take you on a journey from the Bible to today, stopping to consider heresy from the Talmud and Spinoza to the false messiah Shabbatai Zvi and the antinomian thinker Jacob Frank, all the way to the complex paths of those who leave Orthodoxy today.

Prof. Benjamin Brown, 2/18/24
October 7th and the subsequent war in Gaza have deeply shaken the Haredi community in Israel and upended the long-simmering hostility between the Haredim and secular Israelis. Prof. Benjamin Brown, an expert on the Haredi community, will describe the response to October 7th and the war by a community that is often seen—erroneously—as insular and disconnected from Israel’s security and political arenas.

Sam Salkin, Liz Orlin, Edna Stewart, Rabbi Me’irah Illinsky & Rabbi Chaya Gusfield, 2/8/24
Jewish ways in death and dying: traditional and contemporary concepts and practices, the approach of death, dying and burial, grief and comforting the bereaved. Part 1: The (Difficult) Family Conversation—End of Life Issues & Options: DNR, Medical Directives, Palliative Care, Medical Aid in Dying

Profs. Robert Alter & Ron Hendel,, 2/6/24
Joseph and His Brothers: Genesis 37-50
Explore the book of Genesis: major themes, style, character, and authorship. Topics include: Origins, Ancestors, Jacob’s Family, and Joseph and His Brothers. We will also consider Genesis within the broader context of ancient Near Eastern literature. The recommended translation is Robert Alter, Genesis: Translation and Commentary.

Michal Sella & Mohammad Darawshe, 2/4/24
A discussion with leaders of Givat Haviva Educational Center, Israel’s most veteran “Shared Society” organization, reflecting on the their work since the October 7 attack and ensuing Israel-Gaza War. Hear how they’ve been working to address fear and uncertainty between Jews and Arabs, and about their experience providing a haven at their campus for evacuated families from the south of Israel.
A partnership program with the NEW ISRAEL FUND: nif.org

Prof. Ariel Mayse, 1/31/24
Explore the spiritual legacy and theology of Hasidism, a movement of mystical renewal founded in the 18th century whose fire continues into the present day. We’ll pay special attention to teachings on devotion, prayer, community, ecology, and the possibility of finding the sacred in ordinary moments.

Profs. Robert Alter & Ron Hendel,, 1/30/24
Jacob’s Family: Genesis 25-36
Explore the book of Genesis: major themes, style, character, and authorship. Topics include: Origins, Ancestors, Jacob’s Family, and Joseph and His Brothers. We will also consider Genesis within the broader context of ancient Near Eastern literature. The recommended translation is Robert Alter, Genesis: Translation and Commentary.

Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan & Rachel Biale, 1/24/24
Tu BiShvat (the 15th of the month of Shvat) appears in the Talmud as one of four new years in the calendar, dedicated to trees. We will learn about the mystical meaning of the holiday and hear about tree planting as a formative experience of a childhood (Rachel) and an emerging young adult (Peretz) on kibbutzim, and explore how a minor agricultural task become the symbol of Jewish Spiritual and National revival.

Profs. Robert Alter & Ron Hendel, 1/23/24
Session 2: Ancestors: Genesis 12-25
Explore the book of Genesis: major themes, style, character, and authorship. Topics include: Origins, Ancestors, Jacob’s Family, and Joseph and His Brothers. We will also consider Genesis within the broader context of ancient Near Eastern literature. The recommended translation is Robert Alter, Genesis: Translation and Commentary.

Rabbi Naamah Kelman & Dr. Elan Ezrachi, 1/18/24
Have October 7th and the ensuing war upended the relationship between Israelis and Diaspora Jews? Our presenters reflect on the state of the relationship between the American Jewish community and Israel in recent years and in the wake of the October 7th events.

Profs. Robert Alter & Ron Hendel, 1/16/24
Explore the book of Genesis: major themes, style, character, and authorship. Topics include: Origins, Ancestors, Jacob’s Family, and Joseph and His Brothers. We will also consider Genesis within the broader context of ancient Near Eastern literature. The recommended translation is Robert Alter, Genesis: Translation and Commentary.
Session 1: Origins: Genesis Chapters 1-11

Prof. Ariel Evan Mayse, 1/10/2024
Explore the spiritual legacy and theology of Hasidism, a movement of mystical renewal founded in the 18th century whose fire continues into the present day. We’ll pay special attention to teachings on devotion, prayer, community, ecology, and the possibility of finding the sacred in ordinary moments.

Rabbi Judy Shanks, 12/6/2023
Take a taste of Mussar, the Jewish ethics project where you learn together then set your own curriculum. Think of the qualities you want to increase: patience, gratitude, generosity? And what about the ones you want to lessen: anger, judgment, gossiping? Rabbi Judy Shanks will offer timeless texts and practices from the Mussar tradition to help you further on the path to reach your full potential as mentshen (good people) in the world.

Rabbi Judy Shanks, 11/29/2023
Take a taste of Mussar, the Jewish ethics project where you learn together then set your own curriculum. Think of the qualities you want to increase: patience, gratitude, generosity? And what about the ones you want to lessen: anger, judgment, gossiping? Rabbi Judy Shanks will offer timeless texts and practices from the Mussar tradition to help you further on the path to reach your full potential as mentshen (good people) in the world.

Rabbi Tsipora Gabai in conversation with Jim Mavrikios, 11/20/23
Since Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia are located on the westernmost part of the Arabic-speaking world, Jews (and non-Jews) from the region are known as Maghrebi, “western.” Interesting, when one considers that Moroccan Jews are generally included under the banner of the eidot hamizrach, “communities of the east”. In this session Rabbi Gabai discusses her experience as a Moroccan Jew and rabbi.

Susie Coliver and Steve Rajninger, “A Stage for the Book,” 11/17/23
What confers sacredness onto space? Distinguished sanctuary designers discuss how they approach the shaping of spaces meant to focus the mind and transport the soul. Here, Susie Coliver and Steve Rajninger will describe the thinking behind Kol Shofar, via an introductory Zoom session and site visit, where you will experience the architect’s ideas in vivo at the synagogue.

Rabbi Tsipora Gabai & Jim Mavrikios, 11/13/23
Since Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia are located on the westernmost part of the Arabic-speaking world, Jews (and non-Jews) from the region are known as Maghrebi, “western.” Interesting, when one considers that Moroccan Jews are generally included under the banner of the eidot hamizrach, “communities of the east”. This session addresses the Arabic language among Jews, the varieties of Arabic and its “dialects,” Arabic in Israel, etc.

Rabbi Sheldon Lewis, 11/14/23
Explicitly and implicitly, Torah texts point to the idea that we are stewards of a planet to which we never gain title. Surprisingly visionary obligations follow to treat this earth with reverence. This course will focus on a journey through Torah and later rabbinic teaching searching for wisdom to safeguard our only shared home.

Ken Bob — 11/5/23
Kenneth Bob, President of Ameinu—who has been in Israel since before October 7th—provides a “report from the ground” covering the war, the hostage situation, the state of affairs in Gaza, and life on the home front. Go to www.sfbay4israel.org for information about the Bay Area jewish community’s response and resources.

Rabbi Molly Karp
This course explores Buber’s and Heschel’s key theological teachings. For Buber, our relationship with the Divine and with each other should be I-Thou rather than I-It relationships. Heschel explores the ways Judaism allows us to encounter the ineffable with “radical amazement”. Heschel was a great champion of the Civil Rights Movement; marching to Selma with Martin Luther King, he said, “my feet were praying.”

Rabbi Molly Karp
This course explores Buber’s and Heschel’s key theological teachings. For Buber, our relationship with the Divine and with each other should be I-Thou rather than I-It relationships. Heschel explores the ways Judaism allows us to encounter the ineffable with “radical amazement”. Heschel was a great champion of the Civil Rights Movement; marching to Selma with Martin Luther King, he said, “my feet were praying.”

Craig Hartman & Susie Coliver
What confers sacredness onto space? Distinguished sanctuary designers will discuss how they approach the shaping of spaces meant to focus the mind and transport the soul. In this session architect Craig Hartman discusses the Cathedral of Christ the Light.

Dr. Jehon Grist
After searching out the beginnings of Jewish Spain over 2,000 years ago we’ll focus on the Muslim invasion and the Golden Age that followed. From there, we’ll chronicle the slow but steady advance of Christian armies, finally leading to the Expulsion of Jews (and Muslims) from Spain in 1492 and later years. We’ll close with a look at the fate of Sephardic Jews after the Expulsion as well as the fate of Spain in those centuries right up to today.

Rabbi Molly Karp
This course explores Buber’s and Heschel’s key theological teachings. For Buber, our relationship with the Divine and with each other should be I-Thou rather than I-It relationships. Heschel explores the ways Judaism allows us to encounter the ineffable with “radical amazement”. Heschel was a great champion of the Civil Rights Movement; marching to Selma with Martin Luther King, he said, “my feet were praying.”

Dr. Jehon Grist
After searching out the beginnings of Jewish Spain over 2,000 years ago we’ll focus on the Muslim invasion and the Golden Age that followed. From there, we’ll chronicle the slow but steady advance of Christian armies, finally leading to the Expulsion of Jews (and Muslims) from Spain in 1492 and later years. We’ll close with a look at the fate of Sephardic Jews after the Expulsion as well as the fate of Spain in those centuries right up to today.

Fred Rosenbaum & Prof. Yong Chen
No group was more oppressed during San Francisco’s first century than its large, vibrant Chinese community. Jews, by contrast, were among the city’s most prominent corporate and civic leaders—and part of the dominant white society that persecuted Asian Americans. There were also, however, beneficial interactions between the groups. The relationship between the Chinese and Jews, ancient civilizations with many shared values, evolved in San Francisco’s second century to one of mutual support.

Dr. Jehon Grist
After searching out the beginnings of Jewish Spain over 2,000 years ago we’ll focus on the Muslim invasion and the Golden Age that followed. From there, we’ll chronicle the slow but steady advance of Christian armies, finally leading to the Expulsion of Jews (and Muslims) from Spain in 1492 and later years. We’ll close with a look at the fate of Sephardic Jews after the Expulsion as well as the fate of Spain in those centuries right up to today.

Rabbi Molly Karp
This course explores Buber’s and Heschel’s key theological teachings. For Buber, our relationship with the Divine and with each other should be I-Thou rather than I-It relationships. Heschel explores the ways Judaism allows us to encounter the ineffable with “radical amazement”. Heschel was a great champion of the Civil Rights Movement; marching to Selma with Martin Luther King, he said, “my feet were praying.”

Stanley Saitowitz
What confers sacredness onto space? Distinguished sanctuary designers will discuss how they approach the shaping of spaces meant to focus the mind and transport the soul. Here, Stanley Saitowitz presents “Hebraic Architecture: A Search for Jewish Architectural Roots Distinct from the Western Classical Architectural Tradition”.

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?

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?”

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?

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.

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?”

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.

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?

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?”

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?”

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Dr. Sarah Levin
Jews Among Berbers (Imazighen) in the Atlas Mountains (photographs of Elias Harrus)

Presenters: Bruce Phillips, Steve Chester, Brittany Couture and Robin Mencher

Dr. Alma Heckman
Jews & Politics in 20th Century Morocco

Dr. Vanessa Paloma Elbaz
Moroccan Jewish Music: Inner Power & Outer Politics

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.  

Naomi Seidman
Matchmaking and Modernity: The Ambivalent Move from Arranged Marriage to Romantic Love

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.  

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.

Rabbi Yoel Kahn
A broad introduction to the arc of Moroccan Jewish history

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.  

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

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.

Rabbis Chai Levy and Peretz Wolf-Prusan
The Jewish Community and Clergy

Moderator: Riva Gambert
Discussion of Stephen Fry’s documentary film “Wagner & Me”

Profs. Michael Krasny, Robert Alter, Eva Mroczek and Liora Halperin
Cancel culture in literature and scholarship

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.

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

Eleanor Shapiro
1988-2008: From Oslo to Stalemate

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

Eleanor Shapiro
From the Six-Day War to the First Intifada (1968 – 1988)

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.

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.

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.

Ken Bob
Israel’s fifth election in 3 years speaks volumes on its deeply divided society and the fragmentation of its political parties.

Eleanor Shapiro
1948 – 1967: Independence / Nakba

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.

Eleanor Shapiro
Mandate Palestine, part 2 (1936 -1948)

Eleanor Shapiro
Mandate Palestine (1922-1936)

Eleanor Shapiro
Setting the Stage: Late Ottoman Empire – end of WWI

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Attorney Linda Scaparotti
What’s Next: Legal Implication and Looming Battles

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?

Roslyn Banish
Focus on Abortion: Americans Share Their Stories: A Photographic Journey

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?

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.

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

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?

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?

Panel: Rachel Biale, Shalhevet Sarah Robinson & Rabbanit Michal Kohane
Abortion in Jewish Law (Halakhah) and the Orthodox Jewish Community Today

Rabbi Judy Shanks

David and Rachel Biale
Sexuality in the Jewish tradition

Profs. Bruce Haynes and Bruce Phillips

Prof. Michael Krasny
Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith” and Saul Bellow’s “A Silver Dish”

Ron Reissberg
Apparently uncomfortable with various portions of the Torah, the rabbis provide interpretations that tend to neutralize the troubling aspects of those texts.

Eleanor Shapiro
Modern – Post Modern

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).

Prof. Michael Krasny
Grace Paley’s “Goodbye and Good Luck” and Cynthia Ozick’s “The Shawl”

Ron Reissberg
Apparently uncomfortable with various portions of the Torah, the rabbis provide interpretations that tend to neutralize the troubling aspects of those texts.

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.

Eleanor Shapiro
Modern (Late 18th c – 20th c)

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).

Dr. Erich Gruen
The Jew and the ‘Other’ in Antiquity

Ron Reissberg
Apparently uncomfortable with various portions of the Torah, the rabbis provide interpretations that tend to neutralize the troubling aspects of those texts.

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.

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

Dr. Erich Gruen
Displaced in the Diaspora?

Eleanor Shapiro
Pre-Modern to Early Modern

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.

Vered Weiss
Leah Goldberg: Constructions of Home and Belonging

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.

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.

Eleanor Shapiro
What is Jewish Music?

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.

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.

Dr. Erich Gruen
Was There Antisemitism in Pagan Antiquity?

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.

Dr. Erich Gruen
Was Ancient Judaism a Nation, an Ethnicity, or a Religion?

Vered Weiss
Chaim Nachman Bialik: Between the Private and Political

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.

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.

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.

Shirelle Doughty
Jacqueline Kahanoff: In Praise of the Levant

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).

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.

Shirelle Doughty
Yona Wallach: Hebrew and the Sexmaniac

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Prof. Michael Krasny
Isaac Singer’s “Gimpel the Fool” and Bernard Malamud’s The Magic Barrel

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

Jehon Grist
While an era of seemingly endless chaos, 1180 BCE marks the birth moment of cultural features that thrive to this day.

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.

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. 

Jehon Grist
While an era of seemingly endless chaos, 1180 BCE marks the birth moment of cultural features that thrive to this day.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

“A Revolution in Jewish Learning: Lehrhaus — Then and Now”

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bruce Phillips
Using the new Pew 2020 survey, Bruce Phillips argues that current discourses about Jewish intermarriage are outdated.

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.

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.

David and Rachel Biale
Sexuality in the Jewish tradition
Session 4: Mysticism & Hasidism

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.

Rabbi Judy Shanks

Steven Zipperstein
Revisit one of the most explosively controversial—and intriguing—of all contemporary American voices.

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.

Rabbi Judy Shanks

David and Rachel Biale
Sexuality in the Jewish tradition

Professors Robert Alter and Ron Hendel present historical and literary readings of the Bible.
Conclusion

Rabbi Judy Shanks

Dawn Kepler
Essential tools for multi-faith and dual-tradition families and households

David and Rachel Biale
Sexuality in the Jewish tradition
Session 2: Onah and homosexuality

Professors Robert Alter and Ron Hendel present historical and literary readings of the Bible.
The David Stories
The Song of Songs

Steven Zipperstein
Revisit one of the most explosively controversial—and intriguing—of all contemporary American voices.

Professors Robert Alter and Ron Hendel present historical and literary readings of the Bible.
Myth and Narrative: Genesis 1 -11

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

Professors Robert Alter and Ron Hendel present historical and literary readings of the Bible.
The David Stories