Adult Education The adult education program varies from year to year. Requests for specific topics should be addressed to the rabbi or the chair of the Adult Education Committee. Classes are offered both during the day and at night. In addition to the classes offered by Brith Sholom, we also promote classes offered by and through Project Yachad and lectures offered by the Berman Center for Jewish Studies. Please check their websites for details. This is a searchable site on Art of the Bible. You can search by subject, artist, and portion. Jewish immigration. Thematic curriculum guides developed to supplement classroom learning, featuring art from The Jewish Museum's collection. Upcoming Events Event Between Cross and Crescent. Date/Time Part 2 continuing in Fall 2010 What This fall, Congregation Brith Sholom will offer the second half of the DVD series on philosophy and intellectual history, “Between Cross and Crescent: Jewish Civilization from Mohammed to Spinoza” as taught by: Professor David B. Ruderman. The 12 half-hour lectures will be presented, two at a time, over a six week span. The cost for new students is $18 per student. This course will again be moderated by Rabbi Jonathan Gerard who will answer questions and lead discussions on each presentation. This fall, the course will take place on Wednesdays, October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3 and 10, 2010. Topics: Patterns of Jewish Culture – Rabbinic Learning Patterns of Jewish Culture – Kabbalah Patterns of Jewish Culture – German Pietism The Medieval Jewish-Christian Debate Understanding Medieval Anti-Semitism Notes on the Medieval Jewish Family The Decline and Expulsion of Spanish Jewry Italian Jewry in the Early Modern Period Kabbalah and Society in 16th Century Safed Shabbetai Zevi – The Mystical Messiah The Rise of Eastern European Jewry The Sephardim of Amsterdam The course will be offered at two different times each Wednesday: noon and 7:30 P.M. If you are interested, please return this form below to Congregation Brith Sholom, 1190 W. Macada Road, Bethlehem, PA 18017 or register by email to: cbs@fast.net by September 15, 2010. Event Monday Morning Update. Date/Time Upcoming sessions: August 9 and October 4 at 9:15 am at Brith Sholom. What Do you suffer from the Monday morning blues or blahs? Join us for minyan and an update on topics of current interest to the Jewish community. We will discuss items from the Jewish media and study texts on topical matters of interest. The discussion will begin around 9:15 am, after the minyan breakfast. You may join us at any time. There is no need to register – just come and join the discussion. Adult B'nai Mitzvah Ardeth Smackey, Adult Bnot Mitzvah Class of 1979 - Remarks to the Class of 2010. Rabbi Juda, Cantor Guncler, B’nai Mitzvah Class, Fellow Congregants and Guests, Bar Mitzvah --- Bat Mitzvah --- what do they mean? If you look up a definition, you will find “son of the Commandment or daughter of the Commandment.” You have reached a stage of your life when you take on the privileges, obligations, responsibilities, laws, and traditions of the Jewish people. You can now participate in all areas of Jewish community life. But this B’nai Mitzvah Class has already done this. What else can they find to pursue after today? I will speak from my past experiences as a member of Rabbi Juda’s First Bat Mitzvah Class of October 14, 1979 --- almost 31 years ago. Hard to believe, huh? We were a class of ten women coming from different backgrounds to study with Rabbi Juda. As a convert to Judaism in 1966 (so this truly was my Bat Mitzvah) I had studied under two Rabbis before moving to Bethlehem. But Rabbi Juda’s Class was very comprehensive and filled the holes missing in my Jewish education. It was like a seven year Hebrew School curriculum compressed into two years! We really delved into Judaism --- we read books and discussed the themes; we went through the holidays and festivals of the year; we studied life cycle events and how they are observed and celebrated; we learned trope and learned to chant a Haftarah; we learned Birkat hamazon; and we had road trips and field trips. We did it all. So what came after that big day? In our class of ten women we had six members who served as Sisterhood President; all served on the Sisterhood board; one as Hadassah President; two as Leisure Group President; one as President of our Congregation; many served on the synagogue board; one as a Hebrew School teacher; six have served with Chevra Kaddisha; some have served on the JFLV board; and some chanted a different Haftarah. We learned we had a responsibility to our Jewish Community --- a commitment to rituals and customs of a Jewish life (four members of the Class kashered their kitchens and have continued a kosher home for 31 years --- leaving a daily impact on our lives.) Many of us had children in Hebrew School and the Jewish Day School at that time. We were examples and, by doing, showed them the value that we placed on Jewish education. So --- what did the experience of the 1979 Bat Mitzvah Class mean to us? It was a call to commitment, to responsibility and to leadership in the Jewish Community, but especially to Brith Sholom. We experienced a sense of accomplishment --- we were molded, refined and changed in our commitment to Judaism. What can the Class of 1979 say to this Class? Today is not the end of your meeting and your studying with Rabbi Juda. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life,” a common saying, but so true. It is the beginning of renewed commitment, of taking more responsibility, of being a worker, a supporter, and a leader in our community and the extended Jewish community. This is your commencement, your new beginning. May your study of the laws and rituals of Torah and Hebrew be a gift which continues to bring you blessings and joy throughout your life. Mazel Tov to this B’nai Mitzvah Class. Renee Gittler on Behalf of the Adult B'nai Mitzvah Class of 2010. Shabbat Shalom Welcome Rabbi, congregants, family and friends to our B’nai Mitzvah. We are a group of six adults, a new great grandmother, a grandmother, a husband and wife looking forward to the marriage of the eldest of their three children this summer , and two mothers one with three young sons and one with three daughters , the eldest will shortly be graduating Lafayette College. We thank their spouses, Gary and Eugene for taking care of the young children during class time. We are so pleased you could share our special day with us. Rabbi, your patience, dry sense of humor, perseverance and support have made this day possible. Since our first weekly meeting in February 2009, your steady guidance has motivated us all to succeed and reach this day. Thank you!! We were so driven that we met as a group as often as three times a week over the past few months. Rabbi asked us to share why we started on this spiritual and educational journey together. When I posed this question to the group, the first response from the two senior women (you can guess who we are) was that we never had the opportunity our children had so why not now? The mothers of the younger children wanted to be a role model to their children and wanted to be able to help them prepare for becoming a bar and bat mitzvah. Some of us had formal religious school training, one had become a bat mitzvah at thirteen but we lost much of what we learned. We needed to revisit the process in order to participate in services more fully. What it really comes down to, as a member said, is that this group wanted to further their knowledge of Judaism including the reading of Hebrew. We seem to have a desire to learn. We have taken adult Jewish education classes throughout the years and continue doing so. Two of our group are Daf Yomi participants. Some have participated in conversational Hebrew courses. This spiritual and educational journey has made us determined to discover more facets of Judaism. We hope that Rabbi and the community will assist us in this quest. One benefit of taking this course is the friendship and bonding that has taken place between the students and with the Rabbi. The added benefit is the pleasure we experience when we see each other at Shabbat services. A special thank-you to Maur and Doe Levan for shopping and preparing for the Kiddush. Thank you to the Kiddush committee. Thank you Sam for your advice and the recordings on the Brith Sholom Web Site. A final bit of advice to others who would like to achieve this special day. You can succeed and improve your Hebrew under the Rabbi’s encouragement and with your own effort. We all did. Many thanks to all of you who traveled from far and near to help our diverse group celebrate our special day. It means a great deal to us to be surrounded by family and friends. I am so happy that all my children, grandchildren and great grandson are here. Shabbat Shalom!