Programs and Events:

Adult Education

Mini-Series

Children's Program

5769 Fall Adult Education Program

Our Program offers exciting courses to help deepen our understanding of and connection to our rich Jewish heritage. In support of our Emet Center's theme for the year – "HEMSHEKH ! The Challenge of Jewish Continuity," we will explore how Jewish civilization has managed to survive against all odds.
We invite you to enjoy the rewards of learning in a warm and engaging environment as local scholars share their insights and enthusiasm on subjects central to our present-day concerns. Classes begin in October after the holidays. Please check the Synagogue's weekly email to find the latest updates to our Fall Program.

Touchstones of Jewish Civilization

This class is part of a year-long course led by Rabbi Ron Aigen. It is designed for new members and those who have questions about the basic tenets of Judaism, and it explores how Reconstructionism fits into the world. It is the perfect course for those seeking a deeper understanding of our heritage, as well as for those exploring Judaism as a personal spiritual path for the first time. Topics for the Fall semester include:
Oct 27: God, Torah and Israel: What do we believe about basic Jewish beliefs?
Nov 3: Who wrote the Bible and what were they trying to say? Overview of Biblical history and the message of the Bible
Nov 10: Jewish Pathways I: Shabbat and the spirituality of rest
Nov 17: Jewish Pathways II: Kashrut and the spirituality of food
Nov 24: Jewish Pathways III: Tzedakah and the spirituality of money
Dec 1: From Animal Sacrifices to Torah Study: The Radical Revolution of Rabbinic Judaism
Dec 8: The Messiah and the World to Come: How Judaism and Christianity Differ
Dec 15: The Story of Hanukkah through Song

Although you are encouraged to register for the entire semester of classes, you are also most welcome to attend, without charge, any class of particular interest.
Mondays from 7:00-9:00pm, 8 classes beginning Oct 27th.
Fees per semester $50 and $100 for non-members.

Issues in Jewish Continuity: The Rabbinic Heritage
We will continue our exploration of Jewish history, moving from the Biblical and Temple period to the Rabbinic period. Following the destruction of the second temple in 70CE, the Rabbis were forced to reinvent Jewish faith and life. The course will take a close look at this remarkable period of revolutionary change. The Rabbis developed a sophisticated theology with a new worldview, which was so meaningful and real that it sustained us for centuries despite horrendous suffering and oppression. The course will be led by Professor Calvin Kalman from Concordia University.
Tuesdays from 7:00-9:00pm, 5 classes beginning Oct 28th.
Fees per semester $36 and $50 for non-members.

History of Israel through Documentary Film: 1948-1967
This course will be led by our very own and popular Neil Caplan. Using episodes from PBS and Israeli television series ("50 Years' War", "Tkuma", "The Kasztner Trial"), this course explores the first decades of the re-born state of Israel, attempting to explain how a generation devastated by the Holocaust triumphed against all odds. Archival film footage, eyewitness interviews and docudrama will be used. Class discussions will follow the film showings, and will be supplemented by Internet resources and printed documentation.
Wednesdays from 7:15-9:30pm; 4 classes beginning Oct 29th.
Fees $36 and $50 for non-members.

Israel at 60: The Challenges of Sovereignty
The Shalom Hartman Institute's Global Beit Midrash Pro-gram offers monthly sessions which combine on-site study and discussion here in Montreal with videoconference seminars led by Hartman scholars from Jerusalem, followed by a question period that includes participating congregations of all denominations in eastern North America. We will explore critical issues in modern Jewish life through the lens of pluralism, and expand our appreciation of the meaning of Judaism in contemporary society. Monthly sessions will cover:
Oct 26: From Sinai to Zion: The Significance of Israel
Nov 23: The Holiness of the Land
Dec 14: The Jewish Democratic State & the Challenge of Religious Pluralism
Jan 18: The Tension between Political Fulfillment & Messianic Expectations
Feb 15: Jewish Nationhood & the Welfare State
Mar 22: New Israeli Jewish Spirituality
Apr 19: The Requirements & Limits of Self-Defense
May 3: Israel and World Jewry: New Possibilities for a Complex Relationship

Monthly Sunday sessions, 9:15 to 11:30 am; suggested donation $400 (scholarships available).

Shabbat Morning Study Group
Shabbat mornings will again begin with Carmela Aigen's inspirational classes. With Carmela's broad, intimate knowledge of our Mid-rashic tradition, and through discussion, reading and hevruta study, these classes are an ideal way to prepare for our Shabbat prayers.
Shabbat mornings, 9-10 am; please check the weekly email for more details. There is no charge for this class.

JRF ~ Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century

Register for the 42nd JRF Convention in Boston,
November 13-16, 2008! at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel

Join the largest gathering of Reconstructionists in North America for four enriching days of learning, building connections, and sharing best practices to strengthen and grow our Reconstructionist communities and ourselves. Workshops will be offered on just about every imaginable area of Jewish communal life, including education, congregational development, tikkun olam, leadership, ritual and liturgy, youth, Israel, spirituality, and the arts. There's something for everyone!

Convention Highlights

A Plenary Session on Identity, Community and Leadership is a dialogue between the generations — those involved today in creating "emerging communities" and those who were shapers of the Havurah movement in the '60s and '70s, now serving as leaders of the Reconstructionist Movement. Participants will include Rabbi David Teutsch, Zachary Teutsch, and Rabbi Michael Strassfeld.

Four special Forums will immediately follow the opening plenary, giving us an opportunity to explore the themes raised as we engage in conversations with leaders in their fields:

¨ Building the Jewish Identity of the Next Generation with Jonathan Woocher and Jerry Silverman

¨ Strengthening and Transforming Congregational Life with Rabbi Hayim Herring and Amy L. Sales

¨ Rethinking the Role of Movements in the 21st Century with Rabbi Joy Levitt and Rabbi Sid Schwarz

¨ What is the Forefront of Tikkun Olam? with Rabbi Toba Spitzer and others

Jonathan Sarna, the foremost expert on American Jewish history, will join us on Thursday evening with a talk entitled American Judaism at a Crossroads: A Perspective on Reconstructionism from a Jewish Historian.

Noah Feldman, recently named by New York Magazine as one of "the influentials" in ideas, will be our special guest speaker during Shabbat lunch. Feldman's expertise is on the relationship between law and religion in the West and Middle East.

Shabbat services filled with ruach (spirit) and kavannah (intention) will bring us together as an extended Reconstructionist family.

Beit Midrash sessions on Shabbat afternoon include informal text study, creative exploration of Reconstructionist liturgy, and a celebration of the arts.

A special screening of Praying with Lior, an award-winning film by Ilana Trachtman. The film celebrates the Reconstructionist Bar Mitzvah of Lior Liebling, who has Down's Syndrome, and explores themes of disability and spirituality.

Networking opportunities throughout the Convention will facilitate connections between our communities, such as break-out sessions, affinity group meetings, and receptions. Come and contribute your questions and your congregation's best practices to the conversations!

Harmoniyah--the Reconstructionist Music Network and RENA (Reconstructionist Educators of North America) will be participating in our Convention again this year.

Visit sights of Jewish interest in Boston or participate in a tikkun olam service opportunity on Sunday.

And much more!

Get all the details and register now at www.jrf.org/convention.

CHILDREN"S PROGRAM