Winter Offerings (December - March)
The Basics of Yiddish
Eight Wednesdays, beginning Jan 9th, 7:30 – 9 pm. We will learn the basics of the universal Jewish language (Jews spoke Yiddish in China): the letters, a glossary of words, basic grammar, & constructing sentences. We will become familiar with beloved Yiddish sayings from the humorous to the heartfelt. Taught by Sylvia Morey, who lived amongst Yiddish speakers throughout most of her earlier life. She has read & studied most of the great Yiddish writers & still reads The Sunday Forward (a weekly English/Yiddish newspaper started by Jewish immigrants from New York). Register Online and/or Ask Question
Riddles in Torah, or The DaVinci Code of Torah!
Shabbat afternoon, Dec 22nd, 2–4 pm. Torah is filled with hidden teachings that are the source of our ancient & modern mystical traditions. We will explore some of these riddles & seek their meanings in the text & in our own lives. About 2000 years ago, rabbis developed a way of thinking of Torah called PaRDeS, an acronym for these Hebrew words: Pshat, Remez, Drash and Sod. Pshat means the straightforward plot of the text. Remez literally means “hints” & is about studying the text for what it is hinting at or pointing towards. Drash means the ethical or moral teachings of the text, & Sod means the mystical level of teachings to be found in Torah. By way of Remez & Sod, we will explore some of the hidden riddles of the text that speak to our spiritual lives. Taught by Rabbi Alan Ullman who travels around New England teaching Torah as a spiritual path. Alan was ordained by the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1985 & served as Assistant Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Worcester, Massachusetts for three years. In 1988, he founded the School for Jewish Studies, dedicated to teaching Torah to adults, which served as the foundation for his current work. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Basic Judaism
Four Sundays: Feb 10 & 17, March 2 & 9, 5-6:30 pm. This high-energy, discussion-based series provides a basic introduction to Jewish philosophy & observance & includes the following topics: belief in G-d, prayer, the Sabbath, Jewish observance, life style & social action. The course accents the upbeat & positive aspects of Jewish life, & identifies directions for further study & participation. Taught by Jim Levinson, BAJC Spiritual Leader & a leader of Jewish communities for the past eighteen years; also active in university teaching & international efforts to combat maternal & child malnutrition. Jim participates in the Brattleboro interfaith community, & together with his wife Louise, officiates many interfaith weddings. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Kabbalat Shabbat: Welcoming the Sabbath
Three Sunday evenings: Jan 20 & 27, Feb 3: 7–8:30 pm. In-depth discussion & analysis of the Friday night service for learners of all stages & backgrounds. Taught by Ari Reis, a dedicated informal Jewish educator. Ari devotes himself to providing interactive, creative, & stimulating programs for students from every age group, ability level, & background. Ari’s intellect & captivating style have made him a favorite addition to a wide variety of Jewish communities throughout the United States & Canada. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Conversational Hebrew
Four Wednesdays: March 12, 19, & 26: 7–9 pm. This course will focus on building practical conversational Hebrew skills, and is open to community members in all levels of Hebrew language skills. Each lesson will be dedicated to a different topic such as current events, shopping, and meeting & greeting Israelis. The instructor is open to participant suggestions. Rebecca Sullum is an Israeli graduate student studying Conflict Transformation at SIT. She received her undergraduate degree in Jewish Folklore from Hebrew University. She has been working in informal Jewish education for the past seven years. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Study of the Te’amim (Trope, for the reading of the Torah)
Eight weeks beginning January 28th, (time & place TBD with participants). The cantillation symbols are the keys to understanding how to pronounce, punctuate & chant our sacred texts. Anyone with solid Hebrew reading skills can learn this system. By the end of the class series you will be able to chant Torah: both an exhilarating personal experience & a valuable service to be able to offer your Jewish community. Taught by Johnny Lee Lenhart, BAJC member, Torah reading organizer & inspiring B’nai Mitzvah teacher. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Chanukah: A Festival of Freedom
(But what am I supposed to do for eight days?)
Sunday, Nov 18th, 2-4 pm. This class will present ideas to for rededicating ourselves to our families, our friendships, our communities, & our G-d. Concrete suggestions to follow candle lighting, to help us take steps towards a joyous, significant holiday, bringing Torah & Talmud to our Vermont tables & out into our actions. Taught by Wendy Bayliss, who has celebrated Jewish holidays in Philadelphia, Hartford, Boston, & Springfield, among family, friends & fellow congregants. She has taught Chanukah’s meaning in Hebrew & secular schools. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Four Amazing Women & The State of Israel
Four Tuesday evenings: January 8, 15, 22, & 29: 7–9 pm. We will explore the lives of four outstanding Jewish women: Golda Meir, Chanah Senesh, Sarah Aaronsohn & Henrietta Szold—women who helped create the State of Israel in various ways—through physical endurance, intrigue, politics, organization & art; they broke barriers in a world dominated by men, took brave risks, astonishing for women in their time. All had shortcomings & inconsistencies, all were passionate & determined. We will be introduced to these women, & the times in which they lived. What was going on politically? What was their paradigm? What was their history? Their legacy? How did they influence history, women and Israel? How do they help us understand where we are, who we are & where we want to go? The class will be facilitated by Vikki Dunn, who hopes to be joined by others who want to study on four cold, winter evenings. Please come to class with some reading or information to share with the others—we will all learn together! Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Spring Offerings (March - June)
Learn-To-Read-Hebrew
Ten Wednesday evenings beginning March 5, 6:00 pm. If you don’t know an aleph from a bet & would like to be able to read Hebrew, this is the class for you. In ten sessions, you will learn to decode Hebrew letters, put sounds together, & read the prayers & songs in our siddur (slowly!). Although you will learn some vocabulary & a tiny bit of grammar, the emphasis is on reading prayer-book Hebrew. Catch up with your children in Hebrew school; refresh rusty skills from long-ago; be able to read prayers you have been reciting by rote! A $20 book purchase is required. Taught by Faith Schuster, teacher for 20+ years who successfully taught many of the Hebrew readers in our synagogue. Faith is a past president of BAJC and is currently a trustee and our administrator. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Prayers Upon Rising and Going to Bed
Two Sundays: April 6 & 13, 6–8:00 pm. The Jewish practice of reciting blessings in the morning and evening originates in the Torah, “You shall speak of them…when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Deut. 6:5) These blessings are said privately, at home, with loved ones, or in solitude. They communicate a sense of life’s fragility, urging us to be appreciative of every day. Nighttime blessings address the fear and uncertainty that darkness evokes. Morning prayers express the relief, thanks and wonder at having reached another day. We will explore these prayer traditions and the richness that these simple prayer practices can bring to our lives. Taught by Andi Waisman, BAJC member & lay prayer service leader, with background in the Jewish Renewal movement. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Pesach… From Two Perspectives… The Details to The Deep Ecology
Sunday, March 30th from 2-5:00 pm. We will celebrate the gift of exploring this holiday with two teachers, in two ways. The Details from 2–3:30 pm: We will discuss the rituals of Passover, the food, the story & ways to make the meaning of this holiday come alive for families. Taught by Susan Auslander, who has been a facilitator of Rosh Chodesh & Torah study for years, & who is a beloved member of the BAJC community. The Deep Ecology, from 3:30–5:00 pm. We will explore how the themes for Passover apply to the modern day problems of hardening of our heart towards the other-than-human world as well as the ecological plagues we are facing and enslavement to polluting technologies. Without getting too gloomy (Pesach already has lice, beasts, darkness et. al.), we will explore some fascinating Passover midrashim and focus our energy toward the positive transformative power of the Passover story at a time when we really need it. Taught by David Cohen, an eco-entrepreneur, Jewish student & teacher, musician, & all-around admirer of this planet. He has led numerous seminars, workshops & programs on Judaism & ecology & is currently engaged in studying Hebrew commentaries on the ancient Earth Torah text Perek Shira. He & his family moved to Brattleboro, VT in June 2007 and are now enjoying being here. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Jewish Rituals for Death and Dying, A Jewish Perspective on Death
Three sessions in May, beginning the week of May 5th, other dates to be decided by registered participants. As far as we know, we all die eventually. How do we frame this as Jews? By looking at our traditions, laws & personal experiences, we can create meaning for ourselves out of the dying of those we care about, as well as out of our own dying. We will explore some history, some halacha, Jewish practices around death and grieving, and hear from one another about what death teaches us about how to live. Taught by Johnny Lee Lenhart. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Miracles, Mayhem and Murder:
The Talmud Your Rabbi Never Told You About
Two Sunday mornings: June 15th and 22nd, 10 am–12 noon. Who were the rabbis of the Talmud? What were their issues? How did they dispute Jewish law, and why, on the odd occasion, did they kill each other? We will explore the story of the oven of Akhnai, a story of disputation & miracles, voices from Heaven & strolling carob trees; it is a story told many times to justify rabbinic interpretation of law. But part two of the story—which is usually not told—is one of anger, excommunication & murder. Using the exploration of this story the class will be introduced to the Talmud, its history, some basic terminology, & the pure fun of Talmud study. Taught by Rhonda Shapiro-Reiser, who has a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology & certified training as a Spiritual Director. She is a D.Min candidate with the Graduate Theological Foundation & is a rabbinical student with the Aleph Simcha Program. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
A History of Anti-Judaism & Anti-Semitism
Sunday, May 25th, 1-3:00 pm. An overview of the history of anti-Semitism from pre-Christian anti-Judaism to Christian anti-Judaism to modern anti-Semitism. This history is critical to understanding of the origins of anti-Judaic thought, its pernicious persistence, & its current resurgence. Taught by Thomas M. White, currently the coordinator of educational outreach for the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies. Tom, with a Masters in History Education, taught for 16 years at Keene High School before receiving a fellowship to create his current position. He is a long-term member of the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies Advisory Board & currently serves on the Diocese of Manchester’s Diocesan Ecumenical Commission for Interfaith Relations. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
A Wild Earth Torah
Two Sunday mornings, April 27th & May 4th, 10 am–12 noon. This workshop will explore Judaism’s unique wisdom tradition encouraging us to deeply listen to the song of the Earth. Our primary guide will be Perek Shira (Chapter of Song), an ancient Hebrew text that ascribes Torah verses to 84 of our world’s natural phenomena, plants & creatures. Perek Shira teaches us that within every drop of water, tree, or ant there is a profound spiritual message to enable our connection to all beings, and ultimately to God. We will examine ways to utilize this planetary wisdom to revitalize our spiritual practice, enhance our enjoyment of the natural world, reflect on our lifestyles, & to feel wilder in this world. Including selections from some of the great Hasidic & present-day Jewish masters, as well as the finest modern ecological thinkers & artists, we will engage in hands-on activities, mediations, creative projects, discussion, laughter, some text study, & a field trip to test our enhanced sensitivity to our world & the interrelationships of all beings. Taught by David Cohen, an eco-entrepreneur, Jewish student & teacher, musician, and all-around admirer of this planet. Register Online and/or Ask Questions
Ongoing Monthly Gatherings
(no registration necessary)
Torah Study
Usually held the second & fourth Saturday of each month (please check the online calendar), 10 am–12 noon. A lay-lead discussion of the week’s parashah allows for wonderful insights. Discussion is in English and no previous experience is necessary. Study guides can be found on our website. A short morning service precedes study.
Torah Study Resources >>
Israeli Film Club
Held on the fourth Sunday of every other month, 4 – 6:00 pm. Following on the success of our Israeli Film and Food Festival, a bi-monthly showing of an Israeli film will take place at our shul. Popcorn and soft drinks will be provided with ample time for discussion. Next film: May 25, Nina's Tragedies. Read a review of Nina's Tragedies [pdf].
Singing is Like Praying Twice
Held before the first Shabbat Shacharit of the month at 9:00 am,. Learn about the joyous path to Jewish experience through song. Our hope is to host a different song leader each month (let us know if you want to be one of these leaders) and focus on various musical themes (Hebrew songs, Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat Morning, Sephardic traditions, etc…) in order to just get together & sing, increase our confidence & ability to lead Jewish experience with song at synagogue & at home, and build spirit & community with music.
Check calendar for theme & leader each month.
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