A community partnership for adult Jewish learning with
Congregation Bet Ha’am, Temple Beth El, Sha’arey Tphiloh, Etz Chaim Synagogue - Portland, Congregation Etz Chaim – Biddeford, and the Jewish Community Alliance (JCA)
FALL 2018 – SPRING 2019 Courses
Advanced registration required.
Courses are offered with a suggested tuition.
For more information and to register, please visit WWW.SHALOMME.COM or call (207) 879-0028.
Courses subject to change or cancellation pending minimum enrollment.
HOST ORGANIZATIONS:
Congregation Bet Ha’am
81 Westbrook Street
South Portland
(207) 879-0028
www.bethaam.org
Temple Beth El
400 Deering Avenue
Portland
(207) 774-2649
www.tbemaine.org
Jewish Community Alliance
1342 Congress Street
Portland
(207) 772-1959
www.mainejewish.org
Shiva, Ritual and Grief in Judaism
With Jean Berman
Sunday mornings - October 7, 14, Nov. 11, 18
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Congregation Bet Ha’am
Suggested tuition: $48
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 10 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: Friday, Sept. 28
Do you know why simplicity and equality are core values in Judaism's care for the deceased and mourners, or that Jews have been practicing "green burial" for millennia? Jewish rituals over the end-of-life continuum are guided by honor for the deceased and comfort for the mourners. This course is about reclaiming our holistic, wise approach to death and mourning.
Seven Women Prophets of the Bible - Sara to Esther
With Ellie Miller
Tuesday mornings: Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30; Nov. 6, 13, 20, 27
9:30 - 11:00 AM
Location: Congregation Bet Ha’am
Suggested tuition: $96
8 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 10 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: Friday, Sept. 28
In the Talmud (Megillah 14a), we learn that seven women in the Hebrew Bible are identified as prophets. In this course, we’ll delve into each woman’s story as told in the text. Some are better known, like Sarah and Miriam, while others, like Abigail and Huldah, are not as well known. Why are these women singled out? What do their stories teach us? What does it mean to be a prophet, male or female? Are there other women who might have been included in this elite list? What criteria might we use?
Adam to Joseph: A Biblical View of Parenting Challenges and Their Relevance Today
With Ellie Miller
Monday evenings: Oct. 15, 22, 29; Nov. 5, 19, 26 (No class Nov. 12 for Veterans Day)
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Location: JCA
Suggested tuition: $72
6 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 10 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: Friday, October 5
There’s no escaping the fact that our traditional Bible stories are filled with parental angst. From the death of a child, problems of infertility, children seeing us at our worst rather than our best, to sibling rivalry over and over, we learn that our forebears struggled mightily in their role as parents. What are our takeaways from these struggles? What are the lessons we can apply to our own lives and our family situations?
Three American Diasporas in Comparative Poetry and Short Prose: Jewish / African / Irish
With Anna Wrobel and Jim Donnelly
Tuesday evenings: Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6, 13
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Location: JCA
Suggested tuition: $72
6 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 24
Registration deadline: Friday, Sept. 28
This course employs a comparative approach to the stories of three cultural groups whose global dispersal landed many in the United States. Poetry and short prose (fiction and non-fiction) will serve as essential texts for analyzing and assessing the diasporic and acculturating encounters of those who originally arrived in America as immigrants, refugees and slaves. These migrational epics will be explored thematically with guidance as to chronologies and historical contexts. Readings will be provided.
Kosher Supper Club: Fine Cuisine from Around the World (pescatarian)
With Daniel Heinrich
Monday evenings, Nov. 5, 19; Dec. 3, 17
- 5:30 PM – Cooks arrive
- 7:00 PM – Diners arrive
- Dinner: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Temple Beth El
Suggested Tuition: $72 per person
Ingredient Fee: $28 per person
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 12 people /Max. 32
Registration deadline: Monday, October 22
In the first iteration of the Shalom Maine Supper Club, Daniel Heinrich, Administrative Coordinator of TBE and former Sous Chef of Evo Kitchen in Portland, will walk you through four traditions of fine kosher pescatarian cuisine from around the world, with an emphasis on technique and sustainable eating. The Supper Club will be split into four groups; each group will participate in hands-on preparation of one three-course meal; all enrolled students will dine at all four sessions. Bring only your appetite!
Spirituality, Movement and Faith
With Danika Kuhl
Sunday mornings - Jan. 6, 13, 27, Feb. 3
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Location: Temple Beth El
Suggested tuition: $48
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 8 /Max. 15
Registration deadline: Friday, December 28
American Jewish Film
With Anna Wrobel
Tuesday mornings: Jan. 8, 22, Feb. 5, 19, March 5
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: JCA
Suggested tuition: $60
5 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 14 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: Friday, December 28
This film class explores the spectrum of Jewish American life and experience. Themes to be illuminated include migration, adaptation, acculturation, alienation, antisemitism, group diversity and division, Jewish humor, philosophy and more. Jewish roles in the film industry, and American responses to it, will also figure into our discourse.
American Anti-Semitism: Tropes, Memes and History
With Matt Goldfarb
Tuesday evenings, Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29; Feb. 5, 12
6:30 - 8:00 PM
Location: Temple Beth El
Suggested tuition: $72
6 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 10 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: Friday, December 28
Who started anti-Semitism? What do events in Charlottesville, Kansas City and the State of Maine have in common? We will examine current events and identify hostile voices in contemporary America.
Philanthropy Re-Imagined: A Radical Approach To Tikkun Olam & Gifts Of Wealth,
Work, And Wisdom
With Benjamin Gorelick And Others
Monday evenings, January 28; Feb. 4, 11, 25
(No class on Feb. 18 – Presidents Day).
6:30 – 8:00 PM
Location: Congregation Bet Ha’am
Suggested tuition: $48
4 sessions
Enrollment: Minimum 10 /Max. 22
Registration deadline: Friday, January 18
I’ve written three different course descriptions, and my wife keeps saying “It sounds like you’re going to hit people up for money. Also, what does Tikkun Olam have to do with philanthropy? I don’t see the connection.” That, of course, is the problem. Tikkun Olam and Philanthropy, if done right, are one in the same.
What does it mean to be a philanthropist? What do non-profits really need, to do their best work? This course will challenge the existing order of things, inspiring you, the giver, to solve big problems by transforming the organizations in which you invest wealth, work, and wisdom.
This isn’t a class about giving money. Instead, we’re examining a radical philosophy of giving, in many forms, applicable to anyone who wants the world to be a better place.
Welcome to Judaism Led by congregational rabbis
Tuesday evenings - Feb. 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Location: JCA ▪ Free! ▪ Registration deadline: February 12
This free course is for those who are new to Judaism as well
as those looking to renew their connection and deepen their knowledge. Dinner, babysitting (with advance registration) and all course materials will be provided.