Come learn with us!
Beth El encourages everyone to engage in lifelong Jewish learning.
Our classes are open to congregants as well as to friends of the community.
Adult Hebrew
Ongoing Programs
The Torah Discussion Group meets every Saturday morning at 9, except when High Holidays fall on Shabbat. We discuss the portion of the week, which can be found on the Beth El website calendar. The Torah Discussion Group has met every Shabbat morning since January 12, 1985. It was the brain child of Diane and John Rothberg, who had attended a study session at the Biennial the previous year and who convinced then-Rabbi Fink to create a similar group at Beth El. The original announcement stated that sessions would be informal and that the purpose was to deepen our understanding of Torah's meaning for our lives today, and we have been true to that promise. Every Shabbat since then (except when a High Holiday falls on Shabbat) the Group has met to discuss the parsha of the week. Some folks come regularly, some drop in when they can. Many have been coming for several or even many years. We have explored alternative translations (Everett Fox, Richard Elliott Friedman, Robert Alter) as well as various contemporary commentators. Currently, we are returning to a close reading of the text, exploring places where things aren't as clear or simple as they look. Lisa Sheldone maintains an email list and sends a weekly message reminding us of the parsha, with a summary and links to internet resources. Contact Gilah Goldsmith for more information.
Beth El hosts Interfaith Bible Study sessions on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Please contact Linda Tolkan if you would like to join the group or be added to the email list.
The BEHC Interfaith Programs
The clergy and lay leadership at Beth El work to ensure that all of our study programs address the needs and interests of the following communities:
- Jews in an interfaith relationship
- Non-Jewish partners of Beth El members
- Children of interfaith families
- Individuals considering or preparing for conversion
Objectives
- To welcome, support, and educate interfaith families and couples at Beth El
- To provide opportunities to the Beth El Community to understand the needs, interests, and value of interfaith families and couples
- To offer information, support, and friendship to those considering or preparing for conversion
Recommended Books
- Choosing a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant
- The Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An InterfaithFamily.com Book edited by Ronnie Friedland and Edmund Case
- Introducing My Faith and My Community: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide for the Christian in a Jewish Faith Relationship by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitsky
- Making a Successful Jewish Interfaith Marriage: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide to Opportunities, Challenges and Resources by Rabbi Kerry Olitsky with Joan Peterson Littman
Many of these titles are available from Beth El's Outreach collection located in the library.
Wed, April 30 2025 2 Iyar 5785