Today is October 8, 2024 ()
Today is October 8, 2024 ()
At B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation we believe that Jewish learning is a lifetime project.
Please join us at any one of our course offerings this year. Membership is not required, and many of the classes have a nominal charge, suggested donation, or are free!
Contact us to sign up or with any questions!
Join our study group at 10 am Saturdays for a continuation of our 20-year tradition of sacred text study. We closely examine the weekly Parashat with the first Shabbat of the month devoted to the Prophets and the Writings. On Saturdays where there is a Shabbat Service at B’nai Sholom, we meet at 9:30 am.
All are welcome to participate and learn, reading sections aloud (if you desire) and discussing the context of the history of the Bible, including the sociology, archaeology, and politics of the land. No prior registration or experience is necessary! Sessions generally last 90 minutes with the Prophets and Writings often taking 2 hours.
These sessions are open to all on a drop-in, occasional, or regular basis. BYOB – Bring your own Bible (Having a variety of translations/interpretations increase the scope of our discussions.) Contact the office to receive the ZOOM link.
Rabbi Weisbrot will be leading a discussion of Pirkei Avot, or Ethics of our Fathers, one of the best known and most cited of Jewish texts. The next session will be on Thursday May 16 7:30 PM via ZOOM.
ZOOM WITH AUTHOR
Jessamym Hope
September 24th 7:15 PM
B’nai Sholom will be virtually hosting author Jessamym Hope as she discusses her novel Safekeeping. This debut work is largely set in a secluded kibbutz in 1994, with a disparate cast of characters. Hope’s novel, written from multiple perspectives, makes the reader feel a part of the tightknit and at times stifling community. In skillfully executed dramatic irony, Hope leaves the readers in a position of understanding far more about the residents than they do about each other. The Boston Globe called it “luminous , irreverent and ambitious” while The Toronto Globe and Mail characterized it as “a page turner that satisfies all the cravings of escapist reading while meeting the real world head on.”
Hope’s short stories have been widely published and have received two Pushcart Prize honorable mentions, , and have been anthologized in Best Canadian Essays, and The New Spice Box: Contemporary Jewish Writing. She grew up in Montreal, has long lived in New York City, and is spending the year in Tel Aviv.
More information will follow but multiple copies of her books are available in both the Synagogue library and that of the local library system.
“MY FATHER THE ARMS SMUGGLER” – A TALK BY PHIL TEUMIM
NOVEMBER 1, 2024 (after Shabbat service)
What do these things have in common: an Ashkenzi kid growing up
thinking he’s Sephardic, a song of Israeli freedom fighters, a radiant panel
heater, and a couple of boxes in the basement filled with dummy ordnance and
disarmed munitions?
Come to B’nai Sholom to learn the answer. Long time congregant Phil Teumim will talk about his father’s role in smuggling weapons manufacturing machinery and technology to a defenseless Israel in the months immediately preceding and following Israeli Independence Day in May 1948, while British and US arms embargos were in place. Phil’s father, Mota Teumim, then traveled undercover to Israel to set up a munitions factory using the smuggled machinery, only returning home to his wife and young children once the factory became operational.
The presentation will take place after the evening’s Kabbalat Shabbat service.
DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENING: “ABOVE AND BEYOND”
In conjunction with Phil’s talk we are making available to watch via stream the documentary “Above and Beyond”. The film recounts the story of Jewish American pilots who, beginning in 1948, secretly fought for Israel in its war of independence, when the Israeli military was nascent.. Produced by Nancy Spielberg, younger sister to Steven, this film celebrates the pilots who laid the foundation for the Israeli Air Force. Men of incredible bravery they helped turn the tide of the war. It will be available to stream the last week of October and details to follow.
HISTORY OF THE ARGENTINE JEWISH COMMUNITY
A two session course – Wednesday, December 4 and December 11 @ 7 p.m.
How did Argentina, a country nearly 8,000 miles from Israel, become home to the sixth-largest Jewish community in the world? And what stories of resilience lie behind this remarkable community? From the secret Jews who escaped the Inquisition and laid their foundations in a foreign continent, to the Jewish Gauchos, to a thriving and proud community in modern times, it’s time to explore the past, present, and future of the Argentinian Jewish community.
Join us for a two-part series that explores the history and culture of the Argentinian Jewish community from the 16th century to the present day. Discover the fascinating history of how Jewish immigrants first settled in rural areas before moving to the cities, and how South America, especially Argentina, provided a safe haven for those fleeing persecution. Learn about the political, economic, and social challenges Argentina faced, including the impact of the Holocaust and the two devastating terror attacks on the Jewish Community in Buenos Aires. We will also explore the current state of Jewish life and how the attacks of October 7, 2023 sparked new challenges for Argentinian Jews.
Claudia Hercman is an Argentinian tour guide and translator. She is also a sculptor and painter, whose main subjects are Memory and Uprooting, in honor of her four grandparents who emigrated from Poland to Argentina in the ´30s. She has presented at synagogues and community groups across the United States.
Look for registration information in upcoming bulletins.
420 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY 12208
518-482-5283|Email Us
Tuesday through Friday 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Closed Mondays
