Winter/Spring Programs 5785
Want to deepen your skills and your connection to Jewish wisdom and spirituality? Join us for Shabbat programming, weekday learning, special guests, and more. For Zoom links and updated information about all of our classes and programs, please visit the CDT calendar. Unless noted otherwise, all in-person programs take place at 60 Highland Street in West Newton.
Learners Minyan
With Rabbinic Intern Beck
Saturdays, January 11, 25, February 8, and 15, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
CDT (60 Highland St, West Newton)
Back by popular demand! Are you a spiritual person by nature, but don’t feel particularly connected to Shabbat morning services? Do you get lost in the siddur, confused by the flow, feel alienated by the Hebrew or the meaning of the words? Come join us at Learner’s Minyan, as we pull back the curtain on the Shabbat morning service! Learner’s Minyan is a place to bring all your service-related questions and get spiritually oriented to Jewish communal prayer. We will explore what it means to daven or pray, learn about strategies for connecting with communal prayer services, and dive into the details of structure, choreography and meaning of the Shabbat morning prayer service. In the Learners Minyan, you are welcome to join whether or not you are a regular synagogue-goer, know Hebrew, or have any Jewish educational background. No particular God-belief required, and all questions welcome.
Please note, we will likely touch on the words of the prayers themselves, but this class isn't about learning how to say the words of the prayers in Hebrew. All are invited to stay for Kiddush lunch at noon.
Telling Our Stories: A Spiritual Autobiography Workshop
With Rabbi Toba Spitzer
Thursdays, January 30, February 6, 13, March 27, April 2 (please note this is a Wednesday), and 10, 7:30-9:00 pm
Zoom
Registration is required - please go here to register.
Where have we been, and where are we going — as Jews, as human beings? This class is an opportunity to reflect on our personal journeys, and to inquire into the development of our beliefs, values, and commitments. The first three sessions will focus on exercises to help participants begin the writing process, and after a break the class will re-convene to share what people have written. Past participants have found the process of writing a spiritual autobiography to be a powerful and transformative experience, and an amazing opportunity to get to know other CDT members in a new way. No writing experience or expertise needed!
Questions? Contact Rabbi Toba at t.spitzer@dorsheitzedek.org.
Jewish Parenting Workshop Series
Sundays, January 12 and 26, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Temple Reyim (first two sessions); Zoom (final session)
Date TBD: Supporting Meaningful Friendships between Kids with and without Disabilities
Far too often kids with and without disabilities do not form friendships, despite the benefits of having a variety of relationships with a variety of people. This presentation provides suggestions to help parents and caregivers connect their children with others in deep and meaningful ways. Using a Jewish lens, the case is made that we are more alike than different, and that friendship is a necessity for all. Workshop by Jonathan Spiller and Rachel Hayward from Pathways to Friendship Facilitator for the Arc of Massachusetts.
January 12: From Golems to Graphic Novels: The Joy of Jewish Middle Grade Books
From the weekly Torah portion to Leon Uris' Exodus to the current golden era of Jewish romances, reading isn't just a time-honored Jewish ritual practice — it's a powerful way of keeping our stories alive. That's the good news. The even better news is that the new (-ish) genre of middle-grade books is keeping readers ages 8-12 turning pages at an age when they might otherwise stop reading. In this workshop, CDT member Carla Naumburg will share a range of Jewish middle-grade books, including those featuring Jews with disabilities, LGBTQ Jews, Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, Jews of Color, and more. Plus, we'll cover some top recommendations for YA and adult readers as well! In addition, we'll explore tips and tricks to keep teenagers and children invested in reading, especially around the critical "drop-off" ages — often around ages 9–12 and again in the teen years. Learn what you can do to foster a lifelong love of reading!
January 26: G-d as Parent: Blueprint or Cautionary Tale?
Being made btzelem Elohim – in the image of our Creator – can mean a myriad of different things. Join Hadasah Yaqob-Johnson, Rabbi-in-Training at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and explore how understanding G-d as the perfectly imperfect Parent can help us better understand our roles and experiences as caregivers, guides and companions for our children, as we sojourn through the wilderness of Parenthood.
Rediscovering Mazaltob, A Century-Old Feminist Sephardi Novel with Frances Malino
Thursday, March 6, 7:30-9:00 pm
CDT (60 Highland St) and Zoom
Raised in the Juderia or Jewish quarter of Tetouan, Morocco, at the turn of the 20th century, sixteen-year-old Mazaltob finds herself betrothed to José, a man from her own community who has returned from Argentina to seek a wife. In this award-winning poetic novel, Algerian born Blanche Bendahan evokes the two compelling forces tearing Mazaltob apart in her body and soul: her loyalty to the Juderia and her powerful desire to follow her own voice and find true love
Our discussion of Mazaltob (translated and edited by Yaelle Azagury and Frances Malino and published in 2024 by Brandeis University Press) will focus on Bendahan's masterly exploration of the lives of Jewish women in early 20th century North Africa, while also reflecting upon the intellectual milieu of mid-twentieth century France.
The Trouble with Sacred Text with Rabbinic Intern Beck
Tuesdays, March 11, 18, and 25, 7:00-8:15 pm
Location/format TBD
What does it mean to read the Torah as sacred text? Can it still be sacred if we feel troubled by what we read? How do we reckon with the troubling parts that are wholly irreconcilable to our sense of the sacred? Join Rabbinic Intern Beck as we examine the implications of Torah-as-sacred and what it means for how we encounter trouble in the text, and trouble in our world. Together we will explore strategies for engaging with difficult passages, consider the relevance of these texts today, and explore how the shadow side of Torah might yet shape our understandings of faith, justice, and community. Whether you are seeking to deepen your relationship with Torah or confront its contradictions, this workshop series invites you to reflect on the sacred, the troubling, and everything in between. No Hebrew, text study experience, or faith in sacred text required.
Kantika: A Sephardic Journey — Book Talk with Author Elizabeth Graver
Sunday, March 23, 4:30-6:00 pm
CDT Sanctuary
Novelist Elizabeth Graver will discuss her novel Kantika ("song" in Ladino), a multi-generational saga inspired by her grandmother Rebecca, who was born into a Sephardic Jewish family from Istanbul in the early 20th century and whose kaleidoscopic journey took her to Barcelona, Havana, and New York. Kantika explores themes of displacement, endurance, disability and language crossings, as well as the rich, vanishing culture of Sephardic Jews.