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
Taught by Lisa Sheldone.
Ongoing Programs
Torah Discussion Group – Saturdays at 9:00 AM
The Torah Discussion Group meets every Saturday morning at 9:00 AM, except when a High Holiday falls on Shabbat. Each week, we dive into the weekly Torah portion, which is listed on the Beth El website calendar.
This beloved tradition began on January 12, 1985, thanks to Diane and John Rothberg, who were inspired by a study session at a URJ Biennial. They returned to Beth El and convinced then-Rabbi Fink to launch something similar. From the start, the goal was clear: to create an informal, welcoming space to explore Torah’s relevance in our lives today—a vision we continue to uphold.
Some participants attend regularly; others drop in when they can. Many have been part of the group for years. We've explored a variety of translations and commentaries, including Everett Fox, Richard Elliott Friedman, and Robert Alter. Currently, we’re focused on close readings of the text, especially those passages that are more complex or surprising than they first appear.
When technology cooperates, participants are welcome to join via Zoom. That said, we gently encourage attending in person whenever possible—it’s always a richer, more engaging experience when we can learn and connect face to face.
Lisa Sheldone maintains our email list and sends out a weekly message with a summary of the parsha and links to online resources.
For more information, contact Gilah Goldsmith.
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.