Following Rabbi James’ trip to Israel, come hear personal stories from Israelis and Palestinians doing a range of important work to strengthen democracy, LGBTQ+ rights, shared society initiatives, and human rights more broadly. In each class, we’ll hear from two different people and have time to ask questions and discuss what we hear together. Meet a mix of rabbis, activists, organizational leaders, teachers, and more, all working right now to counter anti-democratic forces and build a healthier society.

This is an introduction to Hebrew with a focus on letters and vowels. We will be using the ‘Aleph isn’t Tough’ textbook series to guide us through the process of phonetic Hebrew decoding. Along the way, we will also learn some basic Hebrew grammar and root words that will help us to understand the words of the Siddur. This beginner level class is for novice Hebrew learners.

This class will use Priya Parker’s The Art of Fighting as a source text (purchase of the book not required for the class) interwoven with Jewish texts about conflict and repair as well. This will be a text and discussion-based class focused on what is uniquely Jewish about argument and how we can use it for the good. 

Before there was a Zionist state, there was Zionist ideology. What inside and outside forces brought Zionism from a set of beliefs held by disparate players to a successfully implemented State of Israel? In this class we will look at the diversity of thought among early Zionists, what they found when they came to Ottoman Palestine, and how their common cause may help us understand Zionism today.