Lifelong Learning
Voted "Best Adult Education" program in Seattle by the readers of the magazine Jewish in Seattle in 2016, Temple Beth Am promotes lifelong learning and is committed to being a center of Jewish life for people of all ages. Our classes, discussions, and lectures offer many opportunities for our adult community to learn at a variety of levels. The program listings below are updated frequently with a wide variety of offerings.
For our additional selection of Torah Study classes, including Introduction to Judaism and Adult B'nai Mitzvah, visit our Torah Study page.
Please contact our Director of Community Engagement, Alexis Kort, or call 206-525-0915 x 210 with any questions.
Upcoming Events:
Rabbi Michael Lerner's “Revolutionary Love: A Political Manifesto to Heal and Transform the World”
Wednesday, December 11, 7:00 PM
Temple Beth Am Sanctuary
Social theorist and psychotherapist Rabbi Michael Lerner will speak about a strategy for a new kind of society built on love, kindness, and compassion for each other. In his new book, Revolutionary Love, Rabbi Lerner proposes a method to replace what he terms the capitalist globalization of selfishness with a globalization of generosity, prophetic empathy, and environmental sanity.
In this talk, Rabbi Lerner will take a spiritual approach to challenging liberal and progressive forces to move beyond often-visionless politics and a materialist reductionist view of human beings that ignores their hunger for a higher meaning in life than the accumulation of money and power. He will expand on how a movement that speaks to the mind and heart can reverse the environmental destructiveness and social injustice caused by the relentless pursuit for economic growth and profits.
Rabbi Michael Lerner is the editor of Tikkun magazine and is the author of 11 books, including two national bestsellers, Jewish Renewal and The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right.
Israeli Authors Book Club Part Bet
Once a month-ish on Tuesdays, September 2019 – May 2020, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
Beth Am K’hilah Rm. 226
To get ready for our next congregational trip to Israel February 15-26, 2020, we are going to read another round of Israeli Authors for our 2019-2020 member-facilitated evening book discussion group. For a new twist, we will be reading fiction, non-fiction, poetry, a memoir, and even a cookbook! If you are interested in leading a book discussion or have suggestions for a topic/books for next year, please be in touch with Sandy Berger.
January 14: If All the Seas were Ink by Ilana Kurshan (memoir)
February 11: Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore (non-fiction)
April 14: The Hilltop by Assaf Gavron (fiction)
May 19: Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious by Michael Solomonov (cookbook)
Union for Reform Judaism: Introduction to Judaism
Union for Reform Judaism: Introduction to Judaism
Sundays, October 20, 2019 – April 19, 2020, 9:00 - 10:45 AM
Beth Am K’hilah Rm. 226
This class is now full.
$180 for members of URJ Congregations; $250 for non-members
Tuition allows for either one or two people to attend; couples are encouraged to attend together and singles may invite an interested friend. Tuition does not include the price of books. Class size is limited to 25 individuals.
Temple Beth Am is excited to again offer Introduction to Judaism, in regional collaboration with Temple De Hirsch Sinai and Kol Haneshama, with the support of the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ). This course is used across North America for adults interested in exploring Judaism and is recognized universally by Reform synagogues. Taught by Rabbi Jason R. Levine, topics include Jewish rituals, Jewish theology, history, texts and prayer, life cycle, holidays, and comparative Judaism, including a Shabbaton designed specifically for this class.
Contact Rabbi Jason R. Levine for more info or questions.
Scholar-in-Residence and University Lecture Series
Temple Beth Am is committed to bringing the Seattle community important and informative topics that impact the Jewish people both historically and in modern times. Our Scholar-in-Residence and University Lecture Series presents engaging presenters and scholars who speak on their areas of expertise.
Past presenters and scholars include Professor Emerita of Jewish History at HUC-JIR/New York Rabbi Carole B. Balin, Ph.D, on "What do we talk about when we talk about Jewish Community?"; Former U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Freedom Rabbi David Saperstein; Makom LA Hazzan Danny Maseng; Prof. Sasha Senderovich; Former URJ Vice President of Audacious Hospitality April Baskin; Prof. Hamza Zafer on "The Judeo-Islamic Experience"; Prof. Kathie Friedman on "Immigrants and Refugees: We Were Once Strangers, Too"; and Prof. Devin Naar on "The Sephardic Jewish Experience."
Become a University Lectures Patron Sponsor for $100
Help ensure this annual learning series continues, while keeping ticket costs low for everyone. Patron sponsorship includes tickets to all lectures, attendance at an intimate private reception with our speaker prior to the final lecture, and acknowledgement of your sponsorship in the lecture program.
