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Bestselling author A.J. Jacobs will discuss his most recent book, The Year of Living Biblically, in which he recounts his fascinating, enlightening and delightfully strange year trying to follow all 613 commandments in the Bible. This lecture is an eye-opening lesson in the wisdom of rabbis, religion in America today, Bible history and the dangers of literal interpretation. Thou shalt not miss it! Jacobs is the editor at large at Esquire magazine. He has written for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, New York magazine and Dental Economics magazine, one of the top five magazines about the financial side of toothcare. The book, which has already garnered positive reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, was optioned by Paramount Pictures and Plan B productions. Classes Beginning in MarchMarch CBI Book Club
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King Saul, first King of Israel, ruled about 3,000 years ago. His erratic behavior, so carefully documented in the Bible (First Samuel), has led many to believe he was afflicted by a mental disorder. Today would he be diagnosed as bipolar? Schizophrenic? Paranoid? What could have affected the king, whose demise resulted in the rise of the Davidic dynasty? What can we learn from the text, and how does it affect our lives today?
We are honored to have Rabbi David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College, visiting us on this special Shabbat service. Rabbi Ellenson comes to pay tribute to our own Cantor Bernstein and to talk about the special partnership between the College and our congregation.
CBI Book Club will be discussing 
"The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" is the story of Baseball Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg. The story is told through archival fil footage and interviews with Jewish and non-Jewish fans, his former teammates, his friends, and his family. As a great first baseman with the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg endured antisemitism and became a hero and source of inspiration throughout the Jewish community, not incidentially leading the Tigers to Major League dominance in the 1930's.
Two young women — one an Orthodox Jew, the other Muslim — meet and become friends as first-year teachers at a public school in Brooklyn. Over the course of the year they learn they share much in common, not least of which is that they are both going through arranged marriages.
CBI Book Club will be discussing 
Join us as we continue our second season of thought-provoking and entertaining programs from New Yorks renowned 92nd Street Y. Audiences have reacted very enthusiastically and positively to viewing the New York-based broadcast.
CBI Book Club will be discussing 
 | An Evening with Dennis Prager |
- $5 formembers, $10 for nonmembers
- Dorothea & David Garfield Social Hall
- The broadcast will be followed by a Q and A with the clergy
- Light refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the program
Join us as we continue our second season of thought-provoking and entertaining programs from New Yorks renowned 92nd Street Y. Audiences have reacted very enthusiastically and positively to viewing the New York-based broadcast.
Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Dennis Prager described in Jewish Week as one of the three most interesting minds in American Jewish lifeoffers compelling arguments in favor of Judaism, developed over many years of speaking to people from virtually every religion and culture. Prager, a popular radio talk show host since 1982, is the author of The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism, Why The Jews?, The Reason for Antisemitism and Happiness is a Serious Problem. He has been a columnist for Moment magazine for 20 years.
Jewish Ethical Values: An Online Dialogue
Sun., March 2 – Sun., April 6
- A Six-Week Online Study Course
- Instructor: Irv Kass
- No Fee
- Class size limited to 12; nonmembers welcome as space allows
Using the book Jewish Moral Virtues, by Eugene Borowitz and Frances W. Schwartz, as a guide, this online course will explore various Jewish values and the sources from which they are derived.
Students must purchase the book. Used copies may be found online at Barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com. The book is broken into eight sections with two to four “values” in each section. We will cover the first six sections in five weeks, and the last two sections will be saved for the final week.
Students will be expected to read approximately 30 to 50 pages a week; additional reading will be optional. Participants may find it advantageous to read the entire book before the class begins. The instructor will promote an email dialogue with questions to consider.
This course will be available via Moodle, a dynamic, easy to use, online learning environment that allows participants to login to a website to access their course materials at any time of the day – or night.
Irv Kass is a media consultant with more than 30 years of experience in television and Internet news. From 1989 until 1998, Kass led the news operation at San Diego's KNSD-TV as vice president and news director. When NBC began an ethics initiative within the television stations group, Kass was one of the news directors who helped define standards and measurements for fairness, accuracy, and balance.
Classes Beginning in February
February CBI Book Club
Thurs., Feb. 28 at 7:00 p.m.
- CBI Sophie & Arthur Brody Library
CBI Book Club will be discussing Kabbalah, a Love Story by Lawrence Kushner. Even if you haven't attended yet, all are welcome.
Israel at 60 - Through Our Eyes
CBI is creating photo displays to honor Israel’s 6oth birthday. Give us your best shot(s) – from Palestine days to the present. A variety of displays are being considered:
- Fine Art Exhibit
- Continuous-loop slide show
- Virtual photo show on the CBI Website
- Photocollage
If your pictures are digital, please submit preview copies for the selection review: JPEG files (72 dpi resolution and 700 pixels for the longest side); either email to , or mail CDs to Bonnie Graff at CBI. Label each JPEG as "lastname_firstname_number" (e.g. graff_bonnie_01).
If your pictures are photographs or slides, bring them to CBI for review either Sun., Feb. 17 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., or Wed., Feb. 20 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Final selections will be made on February 22, so whether your pictures are physical or digital, please submit them before then.
SHABBAT KALEIDOSCOPE:
Interfaith Dialogue
Fri., Feb. 15
- Immediately following a brief 7:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat service
- with Rabbi Michael Berk and Msgr. Dennis Mikulanis
In Genesis we read Gods reaction to the world He created: "God saw that it was good." If God is good, and created all, why is there suffering in the world? Is our suffering part of Gods plan? How are we to interact with suffering in the world? How do Christianity and Judaism view suffering? These questions will be explored in the dialogue between Rabbi Michael Berk and Monsignor Dennis Mikulanis in our annual interfaith dialogue. Irv Kass will moderate the Q&A session that follows. No RSVP is necessary.
Classes Beginning in January
Christopher Hitchens and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
in Debate: Does God Exist?
Wed., Jan. 30 at 5:00 p.m.
- Dr. Neil Gillman, moderator
- No fee for CBI members; $10 per nonmember
Using satellite technology this program is broadcast to community organizations across America. This series features, newsmakers, political figures, opinion-shapers and authors. Some of the world’s most fascinating people gather for compelling and interactive discussions on issues that affect our lives.
Join us as we continue our second season of thought-provoking and entertaining programs from New York’s renowned 92nd Street Y. Audiences have reacted very enthusiastically and positively to viewing the New York-based broadcast.
Join two of today’s most provocative voices as they debate the ultimate religious question: Is there a God? Bestselling authors Christopher Hitchens and Shmuley Boteach pull no punches as they discuss organized religion and religion’s place in American life. Christopher Hitchens is a British-American author, journalist and literary critic. He has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, The Nation and Slate. His latest book is God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Shmuley Boteach is an American Orthodox rabbi, who achieved worldwide recognition from the publication of his international bestseller, Kosher Sex. Boteach currently hosts his own series Shalom in the Home, a reality television show where he facilitates family members to overcome their problems. Neil Gillman teaches philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
All The World’s a Jewish Stage:
Exploring the Impact of Jews in Theatre and Beyond
Thursdays, Jan. 31 – Feb. 21 at 7:00 p.m.
- Feuerstein Family Activity Center
- Instructor: Rabbi Glenn Ettman
- No fee
In this class, we will explore the history of Jews in the theatre, from biblical storytelling through the twenty-first century. Learn the many ways Jewish culture and societyare reflected in the world of the theatre. Discover the impact Jewish playwrights have had on the theatrical world, far beyond Fiddler on the Roof.
Join Rabbi Ettman as we see that, in fact, the entire world really is a Jewish stage, on which playwrights express the struggles and ultimate integration of Jews into the larger society.
There is no fee for this course.
Scholar-In-Residence Weekend
Journeying Through the Desert to the Promised Land:
The Leadership Legacies of Moses and Martin Luther King Jr.
Jan. 18 – 20
- Rabbi Nathan Laufer
- Patrons: $75 members, $100 nonmembers
- General: $30 members, $50 nonmembers
- 6:00 p.m. – Patrons Dinner
- 7:30 p.m. – Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Sermon: The Leader as Healer
Rabbi Nathan Laufer
Sat., Jan. 19
- 8:30 a.m. – Torah Study
- 10:00 a.m. – Minyan Service
- 12:00 p.m. – Lunch and Lecture - $15 members, $25 nonmembers
- 7:00 p.m. – Havdalah, Lecture, Dessert Reception - $5 general admission
Sat. noon: The WHY of the Jewish Holidays:
A Unified Field Theory of Judaism
All of us have some knowledge about how to celebrate the Jewish holidays. No matter how good our education, though, we often do not connect the dots between our people's foundational stories, the holidays we are supposed to celebrate and the deep values that are at the center of Judaism. In this original understanding of the holidays, we will discover how each holiday gives expression to the Jewish people's peak experiences and provides the ground for the essential values that we call Judaism today.
Sat. Evening:
Israel: The Perils and Promise of Being a Leadership Nation
Throughout our people's long history in the Diaspora, Jews were often singled out for special enmity by their non-Jewish hosts. Indeed, the long history of anti-Semitism culminating in the Dreyfus trial of 1895 was the transformational moment in Theodore Herzl's life that led him to envision and create the Zionist movement in 1897. Herzl wished to normalize the Jewish people and to remove their physical vulnerability. More than 100 years later, Israel, the state that he helped found, remains under continuous threat of physical attack and even annihilation, and accused, like Dreyfus, of "crimes" that it has not committed. What did Herzl, the founding father of Zionism, not understand about the Jewish condition, and what can we, with the benefit of hindsight, deduce from Herzl's error that will help us make sense of Israel's and the Jewish people's place in the world?
Sun., Jan. 20
- 9:30 a.m. – Brunch and Lecture - $15 members, $25 nonmembers
What Moses taught Martin Luther King Jr. About Leadership
and What Martin Luther King Jr. Can Teach Us
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was often called "the new Moses." This appellation was not serendipitous: until his dying day (literally) Dr. King consciously modeled himself after the Biblical Moses. By examining Moses’ leadership in the Bible, we will learn what animated Dr. King to pursue historical greatness and what can inspire us to pursue greatness in our own lives as well.
For more information or to RSVP contact Program Director at (858) 535-1111, extension 3800.
Rabbi Nathan Laufer is President Emeritus of the Wexner Heritage Foundation. In his seventeen years of leadership of the Foundation, including nine as President and CEO, Rabbi Laufer developed and brought the Foundation’s intensive program to 31 cities across North America.
For the past two years Rabbi Laufer has been on sabbatical in Israel. While there, he authored two books, “Leading the Passover Journey,” published in 2005, and “The Genesis of Leadership: What the Bible Teaches Us about Vision, Values and Leading Change,” published in 2006.
Before joining Wexner Heritage Foundation, Rabbi Laufer was Director of East Coast Educational Programs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Director of Legal Affairs for the Coalition to Free Soviet Jews. Rabbi Laufer received his Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, his Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University, and his Leadership Educator Certificate from Harvard University. Rabbi Laufer is married to Sharon Laufer and is the father of four children, including triplets.
January CBI Book Club
Thurs., Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m.
- CBI Sophie & Arthur Brody Library
CBI Book Club will be discussing A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz. Even if you haven't attended yet, all are welcome. The Feb. 28 book will be Kabbalah, a Love Story by Lawrence Kushner.
Classes Beginning in December
92nd Street Y Global Broadcast Events
Join us as we initiate our second season of programs from New York’s renowned 92nd Street Y. Audiences throughout the country have reacted very enthusiastically to these thoughtprovoking and entertaining broadcasts. Using satellite technology this program is broadcast to community organizations across America. This series features newsmakers, political figures, opinion-shapers and authors. Some of the world’s most fascinating people gather for compelling and interactive discussions on issues that affect our lives.
4:30 p.m. in the David and Dorothea Garfield Social Hall. Reception to follow. $5 per CBI member; $10 per nonmember.
Tom Brokaw: Aftershock of the Sixties
Sun., Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m.
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A distinguished broadcaster and author describes how famous people, ordinary citizens and the national mindset were all affected by the turbulence and change of the 1960's.
Steve Martin: Born Standing Up – A Comic's Life
Sun., Dec. 9 at 4:30 p.m.
 |
A celebrated writer, actor and performer who has won an Emmy for his television writing and three Grammy Awards talks about his life as a comic.
SHABBAT KALEIDOSCOPE:
West Bank Story Film Presentation
Fri., Dec. 21
- Immediately following a brief 7:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat service
A 20-minute musical comedy set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands on the West Bank. An Israeli soldier falling in love with the competitor’s beautiful Palestinian cashier. Can the couple’s love withstand a centuries old conflict?
Classes Beginning in November
SHABBAT LUNCH AND LEARN
Our House or Our Home?
with Rabbi Berk
Sat., Nov. 10 at 12:00 p.m.
 |
Take advantage of this great opportunity to get to know our new senior rabbi, Michael Berk, and think about our dreams and hopes for CBI. In the morning liturgy we chant 'Ma Tovu,' which presents us with four different words to describe a synagogue: tent, tabernacle, house and temple. Together we will study texts from our tradition, which offer different visions the rabbis had about our houses of worship. We will also look at some current texts and consider what we are looking for in our own synagogue.
The event follows the morning Minyan service in the Feuerstein Family Activity Center. No fee; bring your own lunch.
SHABBAT KALEIDOSCOPE
Social Action Shabbat with Rabbi Leonard Beerman
A Vision for a Bewildering Time
Fri., Nov. 16
- Immediately following a brief 7:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat service
Join us for our annual Social Action Shabbat as we welcome Rabbi Leonard Beerman back to CBI. The founding rabbi of Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, Rabbi Beerman, was a cofounder of the Interfaith Center to Reverse the Arms Race, which became a joint project of his temple and All Saints Church. Always a provocative and compelling speaker, he has lectured widely in academic institutions, synagogues, churches and mosques on issues of peace and justice and has been honored with numerous awards. A lively "Q and A" will follow this not-to-be-missed lecture.
*Shabbat Kaleidoscope is a monthly program exploring the Jewish and secular world, that immediately follows a brief 7:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat service. No fee or RSVP needed.
Mysteries, Mechanics and Minyan:
An Advanced Workshop in the Ritual of Worship
Sat., Nov. 17 at 12:00 p.m.
Rabbi Glenn Ettman invites all current, prospective and curious worship leaders, Torah readers or Dvar Torah writers to a special hands–on advanced workshop on ritual after Minyan.
This workshop is open to everyone, but especially designed for those who have or are seeking an active role in leading worship and are curious about the intellectual nuances of Ritual Studies. Explore the whys, hows and traditions of ritual in depth. Bring a brown bag lunch for the discussion before the workshop.
Classes Beginning in October
Life After Moses
Wed., Evenings (7 Weeks)
Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Nov. 7, 14 at 7:30 p.m.
- Feuerstein Family Activity Center
- Instructor: Sydney Wexler
- Members: $30; Nonmembers: $50.
A Wednesday night series of Biblical readings and class discussions on how Israel came to be established in the land of Canaan after the death of Moses. We'll read from the Books of Joshua and Judges and learn about the exploits of Joshua, the warrior, as he captures the cities of Jericho and Ai, and how the 'promised' land is distributed and the covenant renewed.
You will be introduced to the Judges: Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. Enjoy this informal interactive class where you’ll gain new insights into ancient Israel and the Biblical world. This is a 'must' class that will provoke you to think about your relationship to early Israelite history. Come and enjoy. The only text required is the Hebrew Bible (any translation).
New Book Club Forming
Thurs., Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m.
- Organizational Meeting
- David & Dorothea Garfield Social Hall
If you've been searching for a book club, your quest is over. This organizational meeting is open to all men and women who like to read and discuss. We'll consider your book suggestions as well as ideas for group format, future meeting time, location and frequency.
Installation Weekend with Rabbi Lewis Barth:
A Rabbi's Tale of Spiritual Development
Sat., Oct. 20 at 12:00 p.m.
This Lunch and Learn will be a highlight of our Installation Weekend activities. Visiting Scholar, Rabbi Lewis M. Barth is Professor of Midrash and Related Literature and the immediate past Dean of HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. He studied at UCLA, HUC-JIR and the University of Chicago, and was ordained at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, where he also earned his doctorate. Rabbi Barth specializes in Rabbinic Biblical interpretation and the study of manuscripts of Midrash texts. He is also interested in the application of computer technology to the study of Hebrew manuscripts.
This event f ollows the morning Minyan service. No fee. Luncheon sponsored by ALEINU, Men's Club and WBI.
Classes Beginning in September
Jewish Wisdom and the Aleph Bet
Various Sundays from Sept. 9 to April 27 at 9:00 a.m.
- Rotunda Conference Room
- $60 per CBI member; $90 per nonmember
- Instructor: Dr. Al Ray
Mix a helping of language, a tad of history, a dash of tradition and you have popular teacher Dr. Al Rays fascinating recipe for learning. Half the content focuses on learning the Hebrew letters and ultimately words, used in our prayers. The other half is sprinkled with tastes of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism); Gematria (analysis of the numeric equivalents of Hebrew letters); Jewish history; explanation of Jewish rituals, liturgy and moreall in an informal "ask your teacher" ambiance.
Basic Judaism: Fundamentals of Belief and Practice
Every other Tuesday until April 29, 2008 and will continue again in Sept. 2008
- Members: $200, individuals or couples*
Nonmembers: $250, individuals or couples*
*Couples are two people who register together and share a set of books. - There is a $25 surcharge per couple for Shabbat dinner.
For Jews and non-Jews who want to know more about Judaism, this course focuses on the essentials of Jewish belief, religious practices, celebration and observance, as well as contemporary Jewish issues. Students will feel considerably more at ease participating in worship and ceremonial life thanks to a key how to observe component of this course.
This course is a prerequisite for: conversion candidates; couples planning an interfaith marriage with a CBI officiant; and those preparing to become Bnai Mitzvah in future years.
SHABBAT KALEIDOSCOPE SCHEDULE
The third Friday of each month brings a new, ever-changing experience to CBI, presented by the ALEINU/Adult Learners Network in conjunction with synagogue committees. See chronological schedule below for a description of each program. The programs take place immediately following a 7:30 p.m. abbreviated Kabbalat Shabbat service.
Nov. 16 – Rabbi Leonard Beerman (Social Action Shabbat)
Dec. 21 – Film Presentation West Bank Story
Jan. 18-20 – Rabbi Nathan Laufer: Scholar in Residence Weekend
Feb. 15 – Interfaith Dialogue with Rabbi Berk and Msgr. Mikulanis
March 21 – The Music of Andrew Mayer
April 18 – Torah with a Twist: The Arts in Judaism
May 16 – Outreach Shabbat: Journeys Toward Judaism
ADDITIONAL ALEINU INFO:
2007-2008 ALEINU Postcard
If you are a CBI member you should have received this year's postcard in the mail. In case you lost it or want to pass on a complete list of this year's great class offerings, feel free to download the postcard (PDF).
Financial Assistance
We offer reduced fees or scholarships to assist in attending ALEINU classes. Please call , CBI Program Director, at 858-535-1111 ext. 3800, for further information.
Outreach to Interfaith
We welcome people who are not Jewish to attend our classes and programs. In addition to the extensive selection of classes, we offer programs especially designed for interfaith couples and families. Please call , CBI program director, at 858-535-1111, ext. 3800, to receive a separate Outreach to Interfaith brochure.
Limited Enrollment and Cancellation Policies
Some classes and programs have limited enrollments. Register early to avoid disappointment. If enrollment is too low, an event or class may be canceled. To be notified of schedule changes or cancellations, you must be preregistered. Check Tidings, CBI's monthly newsletter, our weekly email newsletter, and here for updated information and additional ALEINU classes and programs.