Fall/Winter Programs 5784
Want to deepen your skills and your connection to Jewish wisdom and spirituality in 5784? 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.
Lunchtime Study with Rabbi Toba
Wednesdays, October 25, November 1, 8, 15, 29, December 6, & 12, 12:30-1:30 pm
Zoom
Our rabbinic forebears were no strangers to experiences of communal and individual crisis, and they turned to fasting, prayer, and other practices to get them through. In this weekly study, we will explore fascinating stories and discussions from the Talmudic tractate Taanit ("Fasting") for wisdom about how we might respond to the times we find ourselves in. No experience with reading Talmud necessary! Come to one session or come to all.
Reparations: Where Do We Go From Here?
Thursdays, November 2, 9, 16, 30, and December 14, 7:00-8:30 pm Zoom
In the wake of Reconstructing Judaism's adoption of a resolution supporting reparations for historical and ongoing harms done to African Americans and Native Americans, we will gather together to review the case for reparations and explore historical examples of reparations and current proposals and actions for reparations in the U.S. today. What in Jewish tradition supports the case for reparations? What are our personal connections to this issue? How might we as a congregation begin to take action in this realm? The class will combine reading, conversation, and presentations from activists as we move from study to action on reparations.
We invite all who are interested in this topic to join us for exploration and conversation. We will assume some basic understanding of the issues; if you have not read it, we ask that all participants read "The Case for Reparations" by Ta-Nehisi Coates. You can access class materials here.
Zionism and Beyond: Ideals, Debates, and Counter-narratives
With Rabbi Toba Spitzer
Tuesdays, January 16, 23, 30, & Feb 6, 7:00-8:30 pm
Zoom
In this class, we will revisit the expansive debates in the Jewish world about Zionism before the founding of the state of Israel, and explore the ways in which our own lives have been shaped by Zionism and its discontents. What has Zionism meant to each of us? How has our perspective changed? What does it mean to call oneself a Zionist, anti-Zionist, post-Zionist? Starting from the assumption that there has always been complexity to the Zionist project, we will explore the ways in which American Jewish identities have interacted with this epoch-defining development in Jewish history.