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RECENT ALN PROGRAMMING

Classes Beginning in May

CBI Book Club
Thursday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m.

• CBI Library
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)

This monthly evening book club is starting again now. New members are always welcome. We will be discussing Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry, by Samuel G. Freedman

Hot Topics And Jewish Text:
Downtown Kallah (Study) with Rabbi Berk
Every Third Wednesday, our next meeting is on May 20 at 12:00 p.m.

• At the Law Office of Hecht Solberg Robinson Goldberg & Bagley LLP
      600 West Broadway #800
      San Diego, CA 92101

Each session of our meetings will focus on a "hot topic" of contemporary interest. We will study from traditional rabbinic texts, mostly the Babylonian Talmud and other rabbinic sources. In our discussions we will apply the teachings of our sages to our lives. No experience studying Talmud is required. The sessions are designed to allow for participants to join us in study whenever they can attend. Luncheon will be provided at our first session. Space is limited so RSVPs are required.

Shared Roots: Interfaith Grandparenting
Sunday, May 17 at 10:00 A.M.

Are you a Jewish grandparent with interfaith grandchildren? This workshop will help you nurture your relationships with your adult children and your grandchildren. Discover how to balance sharing your heritage with being respectful of the choices of your interfaith family. You'll learn fun, Jewish-themed activities that can be used to create meaningful experiences and wonderful memories with your grandchildren. There is no fee.

Eisman Israel Scholar-in-Residence Weekend:
Israel and the Challenges of Jewish Identity

• Friday & Saturday, May 8-9
• Speaker: Rabbi Donniel Hartman

CBI is honored to present the inaugural Eisman Israel scholar-in-Residence Weekend featuring Rabbi Donniel Hartman, co-driector of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.

Rabbi Hartman is the founder of some of the most extensive education and enrichment programs for educators and rabbis in Israel and North America. He earned a doctorate in Jewish philanthropy and two Master of Arts degrees in political philosophy and religion.

Details will follow about the first in a series of biennial learning weekends led by Israeli scholars and artists, all made possible by the generosity of Al and Naomi Ruth Eisman.

Schedule of Events

Friday, May 8

• 7:30 P.M. -- Erev Shabbat Service
  Israel Update: Current Times and Challenges
  Rabbi Hartman will discuss the state of the State of Israel, reflecting on the elections, the situation in Gaza, and other matters of immediate import to Israel.
  

Saturday, May 9

• 8:30 A.M. Torah Study
• 10:00 A.M. Minyan
• 11:15 A.M. Kiddush
• 11:30 A.M. Shabbat Study Session One:
  The New Tribes of Israel and the Challenges and Opportunities for Reform Judaism
  For much of modern Israel’s history, the key categories for depicting Israeli Judaism have been "religious" and "secular." These categories are no longer operative as Israelis embrace more diverse and complex religious identities and understandings, and affiliate into new and different "tribes." To understand the future of Israeli society requires knowledge of this new reality and a vision of its challenges and opportunities.
  
  
• 12:30 P.M. Luncheon
• 1:30 P.M. Shabbat Study Session Two:
  Israel and Zionism: The Challenges and Foundations of Religious Pluralism
  The State of Israel is the Jewish people’s experiment in society building—we do not live vicariously off other’s values but construct national policies based on our own values and ideals. In this discussion, two challenges facing Israel will be analyzed: its ability to assimilate and respect the Jewish diversity which personifies contemporary Jewish identity and to develop a coherent policy on issues of state and religion.
  

This program was made possible by a grant from the Al and Naomi Ruth Eisman Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation.

Classes Beginning in April

SUNDAY BRUNCH AND LEARN: You Shall Be Holy - THe How and Why of Personal Jewish Values

• Sunday, 26, 9:00 a.m.
• Instructor: Rabbi Lenore Bohm

Rabbi Bohm will discuss cultivating character through knowing ourselves, expressing gratitude, living with good manners, being truthful, and managing anger and envy.

Interfaith Panel

• Wednesday, April 22, 7:00 p.m.
• Panel: Msgr. Dennis Mikulanis, Imam Taha Hassane, Rev. Jim Standiford, Rabbi Michael Berk
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU) and the Outreach Committee

Catholic, Muslim, Protestant and Jewish clergy will engage in a spirited panel discussion on the topic "Abraham and the Journey of Faith." There will be a Q&A session, moderated by Irv Kass, and a reception that follows.

God and Freud: Can the Two Coexist?

• Saturday, April 18, Noon
• Speakers: Amy Hirschberg Lederman and Ray Lederman

What is the importance of ritual? Is Jewish observance an obsession or the key to spirituality? What does psychology have to say, or not say, to those who struggle with the concept of God? What aspects of ritual or traditional observance lead to our discomfort, and why? Is it possible to accept a psychological understanding of belief systems and still believe in God? Please join us for a lively discussion with our special guest speakers

AMY HIRSHBERG LEDERMAN is an attorney, Jewish educator and an award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist and author of "To Life! Jewish Reflections on Everyday Living" (2005) and "One God, Many Paths: Finding Inspiration and Meaning in Jewish Teachings" (2008).

DR. RAY LEDERMAN has spent the past 25 years in academic, clinical and administrative psychiatry and is an expert in systems of care for children and families. He currently serves as the Associate Medical Director for Southern Arizona's Regional Behavioral Health Authority.

Classes Beginning in March

"The Moral Courage Conversations" with Irshad Manji:
92nd Street Y Broadcast featuring Salman Rushdie

• Sunday, March 15 at 4:30 p.m.
• David and Dorothea Garfield Social Hall
• Fee: $5 for CBI members; $10 for nonmembers.

Join us for this broadcast from New York City with author Salman Rushdie. His ten novels have been critically acclaimed including Midnight's Children which won the Booker Prize and the "Booker of Bookers"; The Satanic Verses, which won the Whitbread Book Award; The Moor's Last Sigh, which won the Whitbread Book Award; and most recently The Enchantress of Florence. In 2007, the British Crown appointed him a Knight Bachelor for "services to literature."

Jewish Medical Ethics

• Thursdays, March 5, 19, 26, at 7:00 p.m.
• Feuerstein Family Activity Center
• Instructor: Janine Feldman, M.D.
• Fee: $25 for CBI members; $40 for nonmembers

This class covers fundamental principles of Jewish ethics and values that can be used to bring clarity to controversial issues in contemporary medicine.

Classes Beginning in January

What They Should Have Taught You in Hebrew School (and Probably Didn't)

• Thursdays, January 22, 29; February 5, 12, 7:30 p.m.
• Feuerstein Family Activity Center
• Instructor: Sandy Feldman
• Fee: $25 for CBI members; $40 for nonmembers

If just about all you liked in Sunday School was "snack time," this course is for you! Dr. Sandy Feldman puts an irreverent but informative spin on the traditional Sunday School curriculum in four classes: 1) 4000 Years of Jewish History in 30 Minutes -- and Why Any of It Matters; 2) If It's Tuesday, This Must be a Jewish Holiday -- Why So Many?; 3) The Bible - Really, Really Abridged and 4) The Whole God Thing.

LUNCH AND LEARN: Abraham Lincoln and the Jews Saturday, January 17, Noon

• Feuerstein Family Activity Center
• Instructor: Joe Oppenheimer
• No fee

On February 12 our nation will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, one of our most highly regarded presidents. His historic relationship with Jews will be explored in this class. Several of Lincoln's closest friends and supporters were Jews. A Jew nominated him for president at the 1860 Republican Convention. He revoked the first official anti-semitic law in the U.S. and opened the way for rabbis to become military chaplains.

Instructor Joe Oppenheimer has done extensive research on Lincoln's relationship with Jews and spent five days last summer in a workshop on Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, site of the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AND LEARN: "Yetzer Tov and Yetzer Ha-Ra: Our Good and Evil Inclinations"

• Sunday, January 11 at 9:00 a.m.
• Instructor: Rabbi David Katz
• No fee

How do these concepts from Jewish tradition fit into modern Jewish parenting?

Classes Beginning in December

Scholar-in-Residence Weekend with Dr. Dvora E. Weisberg
December 5 – 7

• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)
• Patrons: $75 for CBI members, $100 for nonmembers
  

Friday, December 5
6:00 p.m. – Patrons Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Erev Shabbat Service

Friday Erev Shabbat: Can You Say That? The Audacity of Prayer
We all know that prayer is a central component of Judaism, but we may not be sure what makes prayer "appropriate." Can we ask God for things that we want or need? How hard can we "push" God when we pray? Dr. Weisberg will present passages from the Talmud that consider audacity as a tool for effective prayer.

Saturday, December 6
8:30 a.m. – Torah Study
10:00 a.m. – Minyan Service
12:00 p.m. – Lunch & Text Study
– $15 members, $25 nonmembers

Saturday Lunch: Imagining God, Imagining Ourselves: God-Language as a Reflection of Values
Take a quick glance into the Torah or our Movement's new prayer book, Mishkan T'filah, and you will see that there are many ways in which Jewish tradition describes God. Each description offers us an insight into how our tradition understands God, and it also teaches us how we should strive to live our lives. Together with Dr. Weisberg, we will explore how descriptions of God in biblical and rabbinic texts and in contemporary liturgy help us understand core values in Judaism.

Sunday, December 7
9:30 a.m. – Brunch & Lecture
- $15 members, $25 nonmembers

Sunday Brunch: Do We Speak a Common Language? Rethinking Jewish Dialogue with Those of Other Faiths
Constructive interfaith dialogue requires mutual respect and some degree of understanding of the other. One obstacle is the absence of a shared religious vocabulary; different faiths can use the same words to mean different things. Working from her experience teaching about faith origins to non-Jews and to Jews, Dr. Weisberg will discuss ways in which we can understand one other while acknowledging our differences.

Dvora Weisberg's Biography
Dvora Weisberg is Associate Professor of Rabbinics and Director of the Beit Midrash at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.

She received her B.A. summa cum laude from Brandeis University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Her undergraduate thesis, for which she was awarded highest honors in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, was entitled "Can the Demands of Jewish Feminists Be Met Within the Halakhic System?" She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Talmud and Rabbinic Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Dr. Weisberg taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary, The College of William and Mary and the University of Pittsburgh before coming to HUC-JIR. She also has extensive experience in the field of adult education and has taught at the Union for Reform Judaism's summer Kallah for many years.

Classes Beginning in November

Jumpstart Hebrew Parts 1 & 2
Sunday mornings, November 16 & 23, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.

• Epstein Family Conference Room
• Instructor: Cantor Arlene Bernstein
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)
• Fee: $25 for CBI members; $40 for nonmembers (for both sessions)

Interested in learning basic Hebrew in just two mornings? Cantor Bernstein will utilize the whole word language method to make learning to read Hebrew fast and fun. The fee includes materials. There is no charge for those enrolled in CBI's Basic Judaism course.

Jewish Art: Digital Photography
Wednesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

• November 5, 12, 19, December 3, 10, 17
• Computer Lab
• Instructor: Joe Nalven
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)
• Fee: $30 for CBI members; $45 for nonmembers (as space allows)

Do you own a digital camera and want to use it more thoughtfully in exploring the world around you? Join Joe Nalven for discussion and exercises in using your digital camera. We'll meet in CBI's computer classroom to practice image editing using Picasa (a simple program available as a free download from the Internet). Bring the camera's cable to get your images onto the computer as well as a portable drive to take your edited images with you.
In this class, Joe will aim for simplicity in terms of the new digital technology in order to keep the focus on capturing good images. He is the co-author of "Going Digital: The Practice and Vision of Digital Artists" and the Vice-President of the San Diego Photoshop Users Group. Classroom capacity: 16.

Classes Beginning in October

Basic Judaism: Fundamentals of Belief & Practice
Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

• October 28; November 4, 18; December 2, 9, 16; January 6, 13, 20, 27; February 3, 10, 17, 24; March 3, 10, 17
• Feuerstein Family Activity Center
• Instructor: Rabbi Lenore Bohm
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)
• Fee: Members - $200 per individual, $225 per couple*; Nonmembers - $250 per individual, $275 per couple*. Fee includes Shabbat dinner for registrants.
  

*Couples are two people who register together and share a set of books. There is a $25 fee per guest for Shabbat dinner Friday, March 27 before the 7:30 p.m. Outreach Shabbat service.

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 pre-requisite for conversion candidates and couples planning an interfaith marriage with a CBI officiant.

Shabbat dinner will take place on Friday, March 27 before the 7:30 p.m. Outreach Shabbat service.

In preparation for the High Holy Days and the Basic Judaism course, we encourage participation in "High Holy Days: Prepare to be Awed" on Tuesday, September 23.

Complimentary High Holy Day tickets will be available to those who register and pay for Basic Judaism before September 29.

Sunday Brunch & Learn with Rabbi Michael Berk: Zionism 101
Sunday, October 26 at 9:00 a.m.

• David & Dorothea Garfield Social Hall South
• Instructor: Rabbi Michael Berk
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)
• No Fee

Join us for our new Sunday Brunch and Learns with our Rabbis, Cantor and other teachers. We will nourish you with bagels as well as "food for thought."

For 2,000 years the Jewish people longed to return to our homeland in the Land of Israel. In 1948 that dream was realized with the establishment of the modern State of Israel. Zionism is the word which describes our yearning for return. In this Brunch and Learn we will learn from Rabbi Berk about Zionism, its roots, its modern manifestations, and what it means to you.

"You've come a long way, Baby":
Another Look at Women in the Bible.
Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.

• October 23, 30; November 6, 13, 20; December 4, 11
• Feuerstein Family Activity Center
• Instructor: Sydney Wexler
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)
• Fee: $35 for CBI members; $60 for nonmembers
• Required Text: The Hebrew Bible (any translation)

A course for men AND women. Do men and women read the Bible differently? Can the biblical stories relating to women give ALL of us spiritual nourishment? Can the text be reclaimed? Together we will read the stories of women as victims, as faithless, as upholders of the faith, as heroines and as those who broke the moral and social code. They are all there in the Bible. If you enjoy interactive discussion, come and join the class.

This class is BYOB (Bring Your Own Bible).

Classes in September

92nd Street Y Broadcast
Former President Bill Clinton discusses "The Business of Giving in the 21st Century"

• Sunday, September 28 at 5:00 p.m.
• David and Dorothea Garfield Social Hall
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network
• Fee: $5 for CBI members; $10 for nonmembers

In the first of a series of conversations focused on the themes of his new book, Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World, The Economist's Matthew Bishop hosts former U.S. President Bill Clinton in a one-on-one discussion about The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and the role that philanthropy plays in addressing the world's pressing challenges.

GUEST BIO'S

Former President Bill Clinton

served as the forty-second President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in 2005 as a non-partisan catalyst for action to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.

Matthew Bishop

is Chief Business Writer/US Business Editor of The Economist, based in New York. Matthew is the author of "The Business of Giving," which looks at the industrial revolution taking place in philanthropy; "Kings of Capitalism," which anticipated and analyzed the recent boom in private equity; and "Capitalism and its Troubles," an examination of the impact of problems such as the collapse of Enron.

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92nd Street Y Broadcast

Thomas Friedman discusses "Hot, Flat, and Crowded"
Sunday, September 21 at 4:30 p.m.

• David and Dorothea Garfield Social Hall
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network
• Fee: $5 for CBI members; $10 for nonmembers
  

Broadcast from the 92nd Street Y in New York, New York Times foreign-affairs columnist Thomas Friedman discusses "Geo-Greenism," an ambitious national strategy he claims can help to save the planet from overheating, and make America healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive and more secure. Friedman is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem; The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization; Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World after September 11; The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century and now, Hot, Flat, and Crowded.

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JEWISH WISDOM & THE ALEPH BET
Sunday mornings, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. September 14, 28; October 12, 19; November 2, 16; December 14; January 11; February 8; March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

• Rotunda Conference Room
• Instructor: Al Ray
• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)
• Fee: $60 for CBI members; $90 for nonmembers

This is the Israeli breakfast buffet approach to learning. Mix a helping of language, a tad of history, a dash of tradition, and you'll leave each session filled with Hebrew skills and Jewish knowledge.

Half the content focuses on learning the Hebrew letters, starting with their stand-alone sound and gradually evolving into words used in our prayers. Dr. Ray fills the remainder of each session with a unique array of Judaic knowledge: tastes of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism); Gematria (analysis of the numeric equivalents of Hebrew letters); Jewish history; explanations of Jewish rituals, liturgy and more...all in an informal "ask your teacher" ambiance.

Al Ray, was raised as an Orthodox Jew but has long been affiliated with the Reform Movement. A CBI member, he brings extensive knowledge to these popular classes.

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Café ALEINU
Thursday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Registration begins at 6:30 p.m.

• Sponsored by the Adult Learners Network (ALEINU)
• No Fee

The Adult Learners Network (ALEINU) at CBI is offering its first "Café ALEINU" on Thursday, September 11. We will offer two sets of classes that evening, and each participant will be able to choose one class from the first set of three and one class from the second set of three. Between these sets we'll have a break for coffee and refreshments, with an opportunity to socialize and enjoy live musical entertainment

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6:30 p.m. REGISTRATION BEGINS

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7:00 – 7:50 p.m. FIRST CUP: Choose one of the following:

"What a Difference a Jew Makes!" with Sheldon Bleiweiss
Daniel J. Epstein Family Conference Room
Most of the Jews who immigrated to America could not speak or read English. Yet, despite anti-Semitism, they or their children became some of this country's most distinguished writers, scholars, composers and entertainers. Almost single-handedly they created the Broadway musical and motion picture industry. One third of America's Nobel Prize winners have been Jews. How could a group of people who are less than 3.5% of the American population become so successful? And who are some of these Stars of David?

Or

20 + Ways to Enhance Shabbat with Joe Oppenheimer
Foster Family Chapel
Would you like a vacation every week? Do you want to escape your pressure-filled world and have time for family, friends, spirituality and relaxation? In this class you will receive a copy of the 20+ Ways to Enhance Shabbat, and we will spell out how, over a period of time, you can easily learn to enjoy "a taste of heaven" every Shabbat.

Or

Drumming Class with Mary Marshall
Feuerstein Family Activity Center
Join in the fun as Mary leads a lively drumming class. You'll learn how to make basic sounds on the drum, and then everyone will play along with classic melodies such as Hineh Ma Tov, Tzadik Katamar and Mi Chamocha. No experience is required. Bring your own drum if you have one, but we'll provide a drum for those who RSVP. Space is limited as are the number of drums, so RSVP is a must.

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7:50 – 8:20 p.m. – CAFÉ CHASER (Price Family Courtyard)
Relax and enjoy coffee, pastries and live entertainment.

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8:20 – 9:10 p.m. – REFILL/SECOND CUP: Choose one of the following:

The Jews of Cuba with Joe and Sima Oppenheimer
Foster Family Chapel
Jews arrived in Cuba sometime after the expulsion from Spain in 1492, and well before Jews arrived in New York Harbor in 1654. By the 1920's the Jewish population was about 24,000. Cuban Jews were involved in all aspects of Cuban society and economy. After the Castro regime came into power, the majority left, mostly for Israel.

Joe and Sima visited Cuba last December as part of a humanitarian mission which brought 1,800 pounds of medicines and Judaica for the approximately 1,500 Jews remaining there today. They will report on their life, their activities and their institutions and present a slide show on Jewish Cuba.

Or

Women's Midrash with Vicki Raun
Daniel J. Epstein Family Conference Room
Based on a sentence or even a word, Midrash writers can create a back-story, highlight a moral issue, or add a missing voice. We'll take a brief look at a few highlights of Midrash by and about women, and maybe even craft a beginning sentence for our own contributions to this Jewish tradition.

Or

Israeli Dancing with Mary Marshall
Feuerstein Family Activity Center
Mary Marshall will teach some classic Israeli folk dances, including Zemer Atik, Hineh Ma Tov, and Tzadik Katamar. No experience is necessary, and beginners are welcome. The dances that will be taught are low-impact and the focus will be on having fun!

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