Lifetime Learning
Lifetime Learning
At Agudas Israel we believe that Jewish learning is a lifetime project. Judaism offers a wealth of rich, deep, sophisticated ideas which are most useful for adults. Adults make decisions about raising children, choosing careers, medical care for themselves and loved ones, where to live and whom to love. Adults need the guidance of a religious system to help them through this maze of serious choices. Adults also experience fully the deep sorrow of loss and the great joy of true love. Jewish tradition can guide adults through these emotional highs and lows.
Adult learning at Agudas Israel equips our lifelong learners to face the complexity of their lives armed with Jewish knowledge. Whether taking a Basic Judaism course, or an advanced Talmud seminar, our learners come away from the experience with a greater appreciation of Judaism’s profound depths, and a greater understanding of how to lead an inspired life.
Please join us at any one of our course offerings. Membership is not required.
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Most Wednesdays at noon we gather in the Agudas Israel boardroom and engage in wide ranging discussions. Over the life of this group, we have studied a plethora of topics!
Some of the offerings have included:
Workings of Hebrew Bible
Roots of Reform Judaism
Jewish Holidays
Jewish lens on Secular Holidays
“Hot Topics” such as abortion, assimilation, inter-marriage
Kabbalah/mysticism
Origins of the state of Israel
Anti-Semitism
And many more topics!
Everyone is welcome
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This class would be appropriate for anyone who is seeking to learn the fundamentals of Judaism. It is also a prerequisite for those interested in converting to Judaism. We partner with the Union for Reform Judaism in their online courses, more information can be found here.
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A group of adults who will study with Cantor Labow in preparation for their bar/bat mitzvah. The class studies include Jewish prayer, women in the Bible, Jewish holidays, and reads novels of Jewish interest.
If there is not critical mass for an entire class, but you would still like to go through this process, please contact Cantor Labow to see how the two of you can work out together.
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Within limits, our Cantor studies privately with individuals who have expressed an interest in working on a particular topic or in a particular area.
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Many congregants have taken on the task of selecting a Torah portion or Jewish value and writing a D’var Torah, an interpretation of the portion. This can be done most any Friday night.
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On Thursdays an intrepid group of congregants gathers to discuss current events from a Jewish angle. The basis for this conversation is often the most recent edition of the Forward, America’s most important Anglo-Jewish newspaper.
Our Library
Agudas Israel has an extensive library, which includes many popular books on Jewish topics. Book topics range from scripture to Talmud, from cookbooks to historical fiction. All are categorized and organized for easy use and easy checkout.