Adult Education - Beth Shalom Congregation

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Beth Shalom offers learning opportunities throughout the year, sponsoring speakers, classes, and holiday programs. Highlights of the Adult Education program include:

Scholar-In-Residence: a Shabbat weekend full of lectures and discussions with an invited educator, thinker, speaker, or artist.
Tikkun Leil Shavuot: a full evening of multiple education sessions led by rabbis and educators held during Erev Shavuot, along with dairy desserts and snacks.
Programming for Selichot and Yom Ha’atzmaut: on topics relating to repentance and Israel (respectively), with moderated discussions.
Author speaker series: Jewish authors read excerpts from and discuss their recent novels and non-fiction books. The author series is usually held in the spring.
Lecture and Discussion Series: Stimulating classes are taught by Rabbi Greenspan, Cantor Apt, Rabbi Susan Grossman Emerita, and our congregants.
Shabbat Across America: A national Jewish event to celebrate what unifies all Jews — Shabbat. We celebrate with a dinner and speaker.

Upcoming Classes and Events

The Adult Education Calendar shows all upcoming programs. (Click the arrow on the right for future months.)

Here are the programs coming up soon:

All Events

Sunday ,
OctOctober 27 , 2024

Election 2024: The Chosen People Choose wtih JTA Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas
Sunday, Oct 27th 7:00p to 9:00p
In the run-up to the presidential election, Democrats and Republicans are competing fiercely for the Jewish vote. During this event, veteran journalist Ron Kampeas will strip away the layers of accusations and myths that surround former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to explore how the candidates really stand on issues of importance to the Jewish community. Ron Kampeas previously worked at the Associated Press, where he spent more than a decade in its bureaus in Jerusalem, New York, London and, most recently, Washington. He has reported from Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Bosnia and West Africa. He has led JTA’s political coverage of every election since 2004.
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Thursday ,
NovNovember 7 , 2024

Nusach 101–The Sounds of Prayers and Sacred Time
Thursday, Nov 7th 7:45p to 9:15p
Have you ever wondered where our prayer melodies come from? Why can’t we just sing them the same way every day? Come to explore more about the way our melodies enhance the experience of praying. Note: this class is virtual.
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Thursday ,
NovNovember 14 , 2024

Nusach 101–The Sounds of Prayers and Sacred Time
Thursday, Nov 14th 7:45p to 9:15p
Have you ever wondered where our prayer melodies come from? Why can’t we just sing them the same way every day? Come to explore more about the way our melodies enhance the experience of praying. Note: this class is virtual.
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Thursday ,
NovNovember 21 , 2024

Nusach 101–The Sounds of Prayers and Sacred Time
Thursday, Nov 21st 7:45p to 9:15p
Have you ever wondered where our prayer melodies come from? Why can’t we just sing them the same way every day? Come to explore more about the way our melodies enhance the experience of praying. Note: this class is virtual.
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Sunday ,
DecDecember 1 , 2024

Israel in the Mideast Strategic Landscape With Assaf Orion, IDF Lieutenant General (Reserve) Liz
Sunday, Dec 1st 7:00p to 9:00p
The strategic landscape of the Middle East has shifted considerably since the tragic events of October 7, 2023. During this program, General Assaf Orion will discuss Israel’s military position in the wake of its war with Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxy groups. Gen. Orion is the Liz and Mony Rueven International Fellow at Liz and Mony Rueven International Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. As the head of the Strategic Division in the Planning Directorate of the IDF General Staff, he was in charge of communication with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army, led staff meetings with counterparts from the Pentagon and from other Western militaries, took part in the U.S.-Israel security dialogue, and represented the IDF in talks with the Palestinian Authority.
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Tuesday ,
DecDecember 3 , 2024

The Oldest Hate II
Tuesday, Dec 3rd 7:00p to 9:00p

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Tuesday ,
DecDecember 10 , 2024

The Oldest Hate II
Tuesday, Dec 10th 7:00p to 9:00p

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Tuesday ,
DecDecember 17 , 2024

The Oldest Hate II
Tuesday, Dec 17th 7:00p to 9:00p

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Sunday ,
JanJanuary 5 , 2025

America in the Middle East: What Washington Gets Wrong with Roy Gutman, President and CEO, Blatimore Council on Foreign Affairs & Pulitzer prize-winning journalist
Sunday, Jan 5th 7:00p to 9:00p
America’s involvement in the Middle East is pockmarked with failures, including the deployment to Lebanon in the 1980s, the 2003-2011 Iraq War, and the 2011 intervention in Libya. What does America consistently get wrong about the Middle East? As a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Roy Gutman has seen U.S. foreign policy up-close as it has played out in the countries he covered. During this program, Mr. Gutman will focus on the Middle East and, particularly, on the U.S. role during the recent Syrian civil war. Before his appointment as president and CEO of the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs in March 2022, Mr. Gutman reported from Germany, Britain, the former Yugoslavia, Europe at the end of the Cold War, and, more recently, Iraq and Turkey. The author of numerous books, his reporting on ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina won the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting and other awards.
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Sunday ,
JanJanuary 19 , 2025

Israel and the Palestinians Before and After October 7 with Neomi Neumann, visiting fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Sunday, Jan 19th 7:00p to 9:00p
The Hamas-Israel war has thrust the fraught relationship between Israel and Palestinians to the forefront of global affairs. What led up to the Hamas attack of October 7, what is the status of Israeli-Palestinian affairs, and what does the future hold? Neomi Neumann formerly served as head of the research unit at the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Sat, October 12 2024 10 Tishrei 5785