1 Afternoon of Learning. 2 Sessions. 6 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 (1:00-2:00 PM) and Session II (2:00-3:00 PM). All discussions will be held in-person in classrooms at Beth Am. See below for specific breakout room location information.

SESSION TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Click on a session title below to get to the complete session description.)

Session One: 1:00—2:00 PM

• “My Soul Fainted Within Me” — Jonah’s Prayer, the Belly of Despair, Yom Kippur & Us
• “Sustaining our Planet: Tikkun Olam through Climate Action — Exploring Readings and Discussing Actions"
• Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World Through Our Plates
• Beth Am Shared Identity Project - Session 1
• Silicon Valley Allied for Common Good (SVACG) — A Community Organizing Information Session
• Wrestling With Jewish Values and Survival in Times of War

Session Two: 2:00—3:00 PM

• Beth Am Shared Identity Project - Session 2

Alternative Option

• Musical Interlude

Session One: 1:00—2:00 PM

“My Soul Fainted Within Me” — Jonah’s Prayer, the Belly of Despair, Yom Kippur & Us
1:00-2:00 PM, Rooms 5 & 6
On Yom Kippur afternoon, we read the story of Jonah and the great fish. Many rabbinic teachings attempt to help us understand the big picture of why we read this particular story on this particular day. We will do something different, focusing closely on just eight verses that form the text of Jonah’s passionate prayer from inside the belly of the fish, in his moment of utmost despair. With the help of some musical and artistic representations of the prayer, we'll explore the possible meaning(s) these ancient words might have for us, on Yom Kippur and beyond.

The session will be led by Loren Ford. 

“Sustaining our Planet: Tikkun Olam through Climate Action — Exploring Readings and Discussing Actions"
1:00-2:00 PM, Room Gimmel
This session will provide an opportunity to reflect together on how Jewish texts relate to our individual and community responsibilities to repair the world and ensure a sustainable future for us all. Explore how our faith, our history and our values can lead us to tikkun olam actions that care for our planet. Share ideas about actions that will help create a more livable future. Discuss the role each of us has to play in the coming year to make positive behavioral changes to be more sustainable, and to preserve our earth for future generations.

Darlene Feldstein is a retired educator and a Beth Am member since 1986 and has participated on its Board of Directors and in its Youth Education Program. She cares deeply about sustainability, and is committed to reducing our collective carbon footprint by engaging youth and congregants generally  in climate education as a leader of Beth Am’s Dayenu Circle which is part of the national Dayenu organization whose mission is to build a multi-generational Jewish movement to confront the climate crisis “with spiritual audacity and bold political action.”
Mel Kronick has been an active member of Beth Am since he and his wife Karen were married at Beth Am in 1974. He served 6 years on the Beth Am Board, taught in Sunday Religious School, and has been chair or co-chair of various committees including Religious Practice, Adult Education, Facilities, and the Equal Start Early Childhood Education. He is currently active in Dayenu Circle activities related to sustainability and climate change which take advantage of his science background as a biophysicist. He also is part of the 350SV environmental advisory group to the city of Palo Alto.

Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World Through Our Plates
1:00-2:00 PM, Chapel
This High Holy Day season, discover how the simple act of eating can become a powerful force for change. Tikkun olam — repairing the world — is not only a lofty ideal but something we can practice all year round. From conserving water and protecting our climate to honoring Jewish values of compassion and justice, our food choices can have monumental impact. Join us for an engaging conversation that connects Jewish teachings with today’s urgent challenges. Leave inspired with practical steps you can take right in your own kitchen to help heal yourself, your family, our community and our entire Planet.

The session will be led by Jacob and Wendy Tanz. 

Beth Am Shared Identity Project
1:00-2:00 PM, Beit Kehillah
Over the past year we listened closely to our Beth Am community – through 245 one-on-one conversations and more than 400 survey responses. Together these voices paint a vivid picture of who we are and what we aspire to be. The initial insights and findings were shared on Rosh Hashanah and will be further detailed at our Yom Kippur Learning Sessions. (Read more on the Shared Identity webpage.) At these Sessions we want to hear from you:

• What surprised you with these findings?  
• What did we miss? 
• What do we do differently to attract more individuals who might have different identities, backgrounds and/or are younger?
• What are the implications from our Shared Identity for our future?

After Yom Kippur, we will finalize our report and deliver our conclusions to the Board and Professional Team. They have pledged to use these findings as the basis for future priorities and vision.

Presenting and seeking your input will be: Daryl Messinger and Jim Heeger, Beth Am past presidents and the Shared Identity Project Team Leaders, Steve Carlson, long-time Beth Am member and Team Operations Lead, and members of our data and survey teams: Amy Asin (a past president), Abi Karlin-Resnick, Craig Seidel, and Rachel Vasquez-Reina.

Silicon Valley Allied for Common Good (SVACG) — A Community Organizing Information Session
1:00-2:00 PM, Room Bet
We will do a  quick review of where we stand and then do a small group breakout, similar to what we do in the house meetings. Our intention is to stimulate interest for a house meeting at Beth Am on November 12 or 19.

Charlie Rothchild Past President of Beth Am and initial organizer of what is now called Silicon Valley Allied for Common Good (SVACG), a community organizing broad-based organization (consisting of over 18 member institutions) of which Beth Am was a charter member.
Ron Friedenthal Beth Am member for 43 years and active in Beth Am Men and Poltava Committee.                                            
Liz Hall is SVACG’s (Silicon Valley Allied for the Common Good) new lead organizer. She has been organizing with the IAF, Industrial Areas Foundation, the organization SVACG is affiliated with for 14 years. Most recently she was in the northern Bay Area, and before that in Iowa and Western Michigan. She is now working with our 21 diverse member institutions (Beth Am is one) in Santa Clara County, organizing to build relational power so we can act together to create a more just and thriving community.

Wrestling With Jewish Values and Survival in Times of War
1:00-2:00 PM, Room 16
On Yom Kippur, we gather to seek atonement—both as individuals and as a people. This day calls us to choose life: not only the survival of the body, but a life rooted in justice, compassion, and dignity. Yet in times of war, when the very survival of Israel and the Jewish people feels most threatened, morality may appear as a dangerous or impractical luxury.

In this session, we will explore how Israeli and American Jews grapple with the tension between survival and morality. Together, we will ask what happens when survival overshadows morality, when silence replaces conscience, and when the suffering of others becomes invisible to us.

Yom Kippur challenges us to look deeply within and beyond ourselves: What kind of people are we becoming? What kind of world are we building? And can survival and morality truly coexist, or are they in conflict?

This conversation does not seek easy answers. Rather, it invites us to hold the pain of our people alongside the suffering of others, and to summon the courage to listen, reflect, and act with conscience.

The session will be led by Uriela Ben-Yaacov, Dean Lockgaard, and Giora Ben-Yaacov.

Session Two: 2:00—3:00 PM

Beth Am Shared Identity Project
2:00-3:00 PM, Beit Kehillah
Over the past year we listened closely to our Beth Am community – through 245 one-on-one conversations and more than 400 survey responses. Together these voices paint a vivid picture of who we are and what we aspire to be. The initial insights and findings were shared on Rosh Hashanah and will be further detailed at our Yom Kippur Learning Sessions. (Read more on the Shared Identity webpage.) At these Sessions we want to hear from you:

• What surprised you with these findings?  
• What did we miss? 
• What do we do differently to attract more individuals who might have different identities, backgrounds and/or are younger?
• What are the implications from our Shared Identity for our future?

After Yom Kippur, we will finalize our report and deliver our conclusions to the Board and Professional Team. They have pledged to use these findings as the basis for future priorities and vision.

Presenting and seeking your input will be: Daryl Messinger and Jim Heeger, Beth Am past presidents and the Shared Identity Project Team Leaders, Steve Carlson, long-time Beth Am member and Team Operations Lead, and members of our data and survey teams: Amy Asin (a past president), Abi Karlin-Resnick, Craig Seidel, and Rachel Vasquez-Reina.

Alternative Option:
Musical Interlude
2:00-3:00 PM, Beth Am Sanctuary* & Livestream
Take some time for reflection to the sound of introspective melodies.

Learn more about High Holy Days 2025.
*This service will be live-streamed. By entering the Sanctuary, you permit Beth Am to record you.