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Adult Education

 

Adult Education Programs

At B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation we believe that Jewish learning is a lifetime project. Throughout the year Adult Education presents a range of programming, including classes, lectures and movies. We also offer weekly Torah Study and an ongoing discussion of Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Weisbrot. Committee volunteers are always welcome.

Torah Study (Via Zoom) – Saturdays, Open to all

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.

SHALOM RETIREMENT: CREATING BALANCE, CULTIVATING WHOLENESS (Via Zoom)

Tuesdays, September 16 & 30, October 21 and 28, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. 

$90 ($80 B’nai Sholom member)

“…In retirement, when we become unmoored from our normal structures and we don’t have to live according to rigorous schedules, mindful living can help reacquaint us with the joys that went unrecognized for so many decades.”   — Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, From Age-ing to Sage-ing

Join with others to pause and contemplate how your transition process is reflected in the multiple meanings of the Hebrew word shalom: hello, goodbye, peace and wholeness. This highly participatory, four-session program will help you to:

  • explore your internal images of “retirement”;
  • understand the process of transition as a series of endings, unknowns and  beginnings;
  • draw from the practices of “spiritual eldering” including gratitude and forgiveness;
  • consider ongoing shifts in identity and life balance;
  • identify the steps you can take to cultivate your next phase of life – and legacy – with purpose and meaning.

The class will be led by Audrey Seidman,  a Sage-ing Mentor®. Since 2016 Audrey has offered workshops, keynote addresses and panel presentations on conscious aging and cultivating a meaningful retirement for many local organizations including B’nai Sholom. Please register on-line at www.bnaisholom.org

Registration Form                       

                                                                                                Film Discussion

THE JEWISH CARDINAL

Thursday, June 19 @ 7:30 PM (via Zoom)

The next Chaiflicks film for discussion is the “The Jewish Cardinal”, a 20213 drama about Jean-Marie Lustiger, the French Catholic cardinal who served as the Archbishop of Paris. The film portrays his life, including his childhood as the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, his conversion to Catholicism, and his rise through the Catholic Church hierarchy and his close relationship with John Paul 11, all while exploring his unique identity as both a Catholic and a Jew.  He faced challenges and criticisms from both Jewish and Catholic communities due to his dual identity, and the film explores his efforts to reconcile these two aspects of his life.

This film is available on multiple other platforms including for free on Tubi. All are welcome to the discussion and contact Barney Horowitz , for the link SHALOM RETIREMENT: CREATING BALANCE, CULTIVATING WHOLENESS (Via Zoom

Contact Us

420 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY 12208
518-482-5283|Email Us

Office Hours

Tuesday through Friday 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Closed Mondays

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