1 Afternoon of Learning. 2 Sessions. 8 Discussions

As is our custom on Yom Kippur afternoon, Beth Am members will be offering learning sessions on a variety of Jewish topics. Enrich your Yom Kippur observance by learning something new!

Below is the menu of study session options for both Session I and Session II. To register to receive a complete menu of options that includes Zoom access information, please register using the form at the bottom of the page.

There will be two in-person study sessions at Beth Am, one during each time slot, for those who are planning to stay at Beth Am through the afternoon. You are also welcome to bring a laptop or phone with you in order to participate in the other study sessions that are being offered via Zoom.

1:30 — 2:30 PM

• Voicing Your Jewish Values Through Storytelling
  Zoom Session, 1:30 - 2:30 PM
  Learn how the Jewish tradition of midrash can be a powerful storytelling tool for garnering support from your elected representatives for causes near and dear to your heart.
  Nancy Federman is a member of Beth Am's Pursue Justice Committee and a lifelong activist for democracy. Nancy Cavillones is also a member of the Pursue Justice Committee and a nascent community organizer.
   
• Thriving and Surviving the COVID Crisis: Seniors Share Lessons Lived and Learned
  Zoom Session, 1:30 - 2:30 PM
  Senior congregants are invited to share the challenges they have faced during the pandemic, the creative ways they have survived and thrived through this ordeal, and the lessons they’ve learned and can apply to the year(s) ahead.
  Diane Stadlen is a long-time member of Beth Am and is on the Board of Directors of Beth Am Women (BAW), the BAW representative to the Beth Am Board, and co-facilitator of an ongoing Wise Aging group. Jean Wolman, also a long-time Beth Am member, served on Beth Am’s Board of Directors and the 2019 Senior Rabbi Search Committee, and co-facilitates an ongoing Wise Aging group.
   
• Are Jews with Light Skin ‘White?' Our Role In Racial Justice
  In-Person Session, 1:30 - 2:30 PM
  In this discussion group, we will consider different views on the topic of whether American Jews are and should be considered ‘white,’ and what the implications of that are for what it means to be allies in the effort to achieve greater racial justice in the United States.
  Jason Solomon is a Beth Am member who lives in Redwood City with his wife and two teenagers, and works at Stanford Law School.
   
• Tips and Tricks to Increase Empathy for Yourself and Your Family
  Zoom Session, 1:30 - 2:30 PM
  We will explore the Jewish value of compassion (rachamim) and put it in context of everyday parenting and grandparenting challenges. Ideally, participants will leave with a deeper sense of self-acceptance and tools to show up in their caregiver role with increased patience, humor, and kindness.
  Melissa Kelley is a LMFT in private practice who works primarily with children, teens and their families. She is also chair of the Beth Am Include Committee, a mom to college student with her husband Rob, and the owner of a lovable but crabby 13 year old cat.

2:45 — 3:45 PM

• Reptile Brain Crouching at Your Door? Teshuvah in Light of Contemporary Behavior Science
  In-Person Session, 2:45 - 3:45 PM
  We will consider how social science knowledge on behavior change might bring Jewish practices into new light and provide opportunity for new Teshuvah adaptations. Participants will be invited to share experiences of mastering a behavior.
  Lisa Whitmore is a geriatric social worker involved with behavior change models for an older adult clientele and co-founded Beth Am’s friendly visiting committee, Yad l’Yad.
   
• Fast Fiction: Short Stories for Yom Kippur
  Zoom Session, 2:45 - 3:45 PM
  Make your fast go faster with a discussion of two short stories by renowned Jewish authors, one from Sholem Aleichem, sometimes called the Jewish Mark Twain, and one from S.Y. Agnon, Israel’s only Nobel laureate in literature. Both stories have a Yom Kippur theme — Sholem Aleichem gives us a holiday whodunnit laced with his trademark humor in The Yom Kippur Scandal and S.Y. Agnon leads us through Yom Kippurim past and present in his dream-filled story Twofold. Both stories are available online (click on the embedded links) and explore similar themes, albeit in very different ways. Reading the stories in advance is recommended but not required; we’ll read some excerpts aloud as part of our time together.
  Loren Ford serves on the Beth Am Board of Directors, as chair of the Beth Am Library Committee, and as a leader of the "Slow Torah" lay-led Torah study group. You can catch him reading Jewish literature nearly every Shabbat afternoon.
   
• The Role of Progressive Judaism in Bringing Israel Closer to Equality for All Inhabitants
  Zoom Session, 2:45 - 3:45 PM
  The Declaration of Independence of Israel describes a country that ensures the complete equality of social and political rights. The reality is that Israel has not lived up to that ideal. The Progressive movement has been one of the major drivers in calling this out and trying to move Israel closer to its ideal. In this session, we will review some of the progress that has been made and the actions underway for an even more promising future.
  Mel Kronick, an active Beth Am member since he was married here in 1974, is a scientist by training and has greatly enjoyed visiting Israel and his relatives there on three different trips. Charlie Rothschild, a Beth Am Past President, longtime URJ Board member and Vice Chair of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, has been engaged in the Israeli Progressive Movement for over 25 years, and with his wife, Susan, enjoys visiting Israel, including extended family, as often as possible. Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism/ Executive Director of ARZA. Rabbi Weinberg lead’s the URJ’s effort on Israel and Reform Zionism. He made Aliyah to Israel in 2003 and now lives in New York. He has taught and lectured widely throughout Israel, the U.S. and Europe, as well as on Kivunim and Shnat Netzer gap-year programs. He has led numerous tours and trained tour educators for the Reform movement’s Israel experiences. Rabbi Weinberg is passionate about anything connected to Israel and hopes to strengthen the connection between the Reform movement and the Jewish State.
   
• Never Alone: How Jewish Death Rituals Enhance Our Sacred Community
  Zoom Session, 2:45 - 3:45 PM
  Judaism places great value on cultivating community. Our liturgy, rituals, and texts, emphasize that we are never alone. This same sense of being embraced is central to the rituals that Jews have performed for hundreds of years to prepare the deceased for burial and to comfort those who are mourning. Now being offered by Beth Am's own Chevra Kadisha/burial society, they include Taharah (ritual purification of the deceased), Shmirah (guarding of the deceased between death and burial), and supporting mourners. Join us to learn about these rituals and why they may be relevant to you and your loved ones.
  Dr. Louise Stirpe-Gill and Kristen Yawitz are active members of Beth Am's Chevra Kadisha/burial society.