Behind the Scenes of מעשׂיות (Stories): A New Yiddish Play
Get a first look at the upcoming adaptation of מעשׂיות (Stories), a fantastical Yiddish play by I.L. Peretz, reimagined in a fresh translation by Giovanna Truong and Ruthie Davis. Set in turn-of-the-century Warsaw, the play follows a young Jewish writer caught between storytelling and self-deception. Join Catherine Alam-Nist for a lively conversation about the creative process behind the production—exploring translation, collaboration, and the rich tapestry of folklore that brings this world to life.

Ancient synagogues weren’t just places of prayer—they were also filled with stunning mosaics and wall paintings that reimagined biblical stories in surprising ways. These artworks don’t just illustrate the text; they interpret it, often in ways that echo midrashic literature like Genesis Rabbah. In this class, we’ll explore these fascinating depictions, uncover the influences that may have shaped the artists’ choices, and dive into the ongoing debate about the role of rabbis in ancient Jewish society.

While back home working in his family's Jewish funeral home, clairvoyant birth doula Ezra falls for widowed death doula Ben… The novel's themes span transitioning, body dysmorphia, being Jewishly observant, navigating complicated family dynamics, consistent and respectful use of pronouns, and navigating conversations about pleasure and consent.

Race has shaped history, society, and personal identities—including Jewish identities—in profound ways. In this class, we’ll explore why race matters from historical, sociological, Jewish, and personal perspectives.

What does it mean to live as a Jew in diaspora—and what might that mean politically, spiritually, and relationally today? We will attempt to establish a definition of diaspora before exploring Judith Butler’s powerful writing on diaspora as our foundation and launching point. Together, we’ll ask: How do we relate to non-Jews around us? What does it mean to be part of a people, scattered but connected? Expect rich discussion, critical frameworks, and new ways to think about your own place in the Jewish story

Join Chef Beejhy Barhany for an intimate conversation exploring "Gursha", her groundbreaking new cookbook celebrating Ethiopian Jewish cuisine.

Hannah Arendt was one of the most influential and controversial political thinkers of the 20th century. In this session we will read “The Jew As Pariah: A Hidden Tradition,” which explores how the outsider status of Jews in the diaspora was, for some, an opportunity for independence, creativity, and freedom.

Join us as we explore Becky Chambers’ utopian novel Psalm for the Wild-Built, using its portrayal of earth-based golems and Tellurian powers to examine themes of feminism, environmental consciousness, and restitution. How can these narratives inspire us to imagine a better future?

What happens when life gets in the way of showing up for something important? In the book of Bamidbar (Numbers), a small group of people miss the chance to celebrate Passover—and instead of being dismissed, they’re given something remarkable: a second opportunity, one month later, known as Pesach Sheni. This class explores that moment and what it means.

Mizrahi Jews (from the Middle East and North Africa) have historically bridged the divide between Jews and Arabs, Hebrew and Arabic, while also facing suspicion and accusations of dual loyalties. This class explores how figures like Arabic broadcasters and mista'arvim (undercover agents) both upheld and challenged cultural boundaries, reimagining the role of Mizrahim in shaping coexistence in a divided region.

Join poet Richard Fein for a reading from DEAR YIDDISH, his deeply moving exploration of language, memory, and mortality. With fearless honesty and lyrical brilliance, Fein’s poems bridge the worlds of English and Yiddish, personal history and collective legacy. The reading will be followed by a Q&A with Richard.

When tensions run high, true leadership means stepping into complexity — not avoiding it. In this highly interactive session, you’ll practice recognizing tensions, uncovering hidden common ground, and opening space for honest, dynamic dialogue. Whether you’re leading a discussion, organizing for change, or simply seeking to strengthen community ties, you’ll leave with actionable tools to foster connection across divides.

Talking with your loved ones about controversial and divisive politics, especially the Israel/Palestine conflict, can feel overwhelming, emotional, or even impossible. This class will offer tools for navigating these conversations with calm, compassion, and clarity. Whether you're hoping to repair a rift or simply open a difficult conversation, this class will help you show up grounded, thoughtful, and prepared. 

James Joyce's Ulysses, published in 1922 and still considered one of the most important works of modernist literature, transposed Homer's Odyssey to early-20th century Ireland, but featured a Jewish character, Leopold Bloom, as its hero. Why? We will examine chapter twelve of the book, "The Cyclops", an extended barroom meditation on nationalism and the outsider, love, "force, hatred, history, and all that", and explore how Joyce deploys his imaginary Jew in the midst of this fray. Along the way, you will also get a gentle introduction to this intimidating but delightful masterwork! 
Note: No prior experience required. Participants are not expected to have read Ulysses.

Racism has shaped American history and continues to impact our society today. In this class, we’ll examine how racism operates on both personal and structural levels and explore its connection to Jewish identity and experience.

This event is for anyone interested in analyzing life for the purpose of living it better—whether through self-exploration, therapy, or drawing on Jewish wisdom for personal growth. Led by Matthew Lowe, a licensed psychotherapist with over a decade of experience, we’ll explore insights from his self-help book Seeing the Forest and the Trees. Together, we’ll learn how to appreciate both the big picture and the finer details of our lives, empowering you to truly make yourself at home in your own life.

Hannah Arendt was one of the most influential and controversial political thinkers of the 20th century. In this session we will see how Arendt, a fiercely independent thinker, became a pariah among her own people with the publication of "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil."

Despite the common notion of spirituality being about asceticism and denying the body, Jewish mysticism has reframed eating as a central way to connect with the Divine. Through exploration of excerpts from 18th century Hasidic rebbes, contemporary kabbalists, Yiddish women's cooking prayers, and modern neo-Hasidic writers, we will explore how our tradition has seen food to be a primary avenue to spiritual uplift.

What does it mean for a trip to be Jewish? How can we stay grounded and keep safe in the midst of expanded states? These questions and more will be examined in this second of three sessions, focusing on the most immersive moments of psychedelic states and what Jewish wisdom has to offer us about encountered moments like these.

Join us for this special opportunity to hear from former Member of the Israeli Knesset and best-selling author Dr. Aliza Lavie. This session offers a moving exploration of women's prayers throughout Jewish history — rare texts drawn from manuscripts, personal letters, and oral traditions. We'll discover how women, often on the margins of formal ritual, created intimate and communal expressions of faith and resilience.

This session dives into the dramatic transformations of Jewish life in Italy from the mid-1600s to World War II. We’ll explore the realities of the ghetto period, the liberation that followed, and the astonishing rise of Jews to positions of influence as Italy evolved from scattered principalities into a unified nation.

During our first class together, we will––as the title aptly states––orient ourselves within the larger history of Jewish futurisms. Using scholarship, liturgy, and other modes of “futurisms,” we will begin to collaboratively define our own understandings of the relationships between Jewish histories, presents, and futures.

The Talmudic story of the Four Who Entered Pardes (aka "the orchard" of expanded consciousness) can be understood as a kind of cautionary tale of the obstacles along our spiritual path. How do we live this story and become like Akiva, engaging with the spiritual path from a place of whole-heartedness? This session will look at the three spiritual blockages and the second will look at the archetype and lineage of Akiva.

What happens when you spend so long in your own head—or your own cave—that it’s hard to come back to real life? In this session, we’ll explore a powerful Talmudic story about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a mystic who returns to the world after years of isolation and intense spiritual focus in a cave. As we approach Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer, a day traditionally linked to his story, we’ll ask: What does his struggle to rejoin society reveal about the tension between personal standards and communal life?

What does it mean to be a “dying person” or goses in the intensive care unit of 2025? Could our rabbis have conceived of states of life supported by ventilators, kidney hemodialysis, or experimental therapies? In this session, we will explore the intersection of Jewish law (Halakha), ethics, and modern medical practice in end-of-life care.

Hannah Arendt was one of the most influential and controversial political thinkers of the 20th century. In the final session, we will examine how Arendt was both a passionate Zionist and a harsh critic of Zionism. 

The history of the Jewish people is a narrative of resilience, but what does that mean and where does resilience come from? And how might we bring that legacy into our own lives? Together through art and conversation, we will explore key factors whose presence have proven to increase our ability to persist in the face of adversity, and share tools that can help strengthen those factors in ourselves and the people around us.

In a time of growing polarization, how can we follow our Jewish tradition’s teaching: “Do not separate yourself from the community”? How can we stay in relationship—even when we deeply disagree? This discussion-based session explores Jewish texts that speak to the challenge of holding community across differences.

Using various tools of strategic foresight, we will examine art, culture, media, politics, and academia for concrete, compelling evidence and trends that can help us with perceiving, anticipating, and interpreting how American Jewish communities and identities are changing.

Join us for a special evening with Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, to discuss how Jewish communities often find themselves caught between holding onto the past we've inherited while trying to imagine something new.

The The Last of Us Part II video game and its HBO adaptation introduce Jewish characters, including Ellie’s Sephardic girlfriend, Dina. Drawing on exclusive insights and deep research, join Josh Lambert to explore Jewish representation in The Last of Us, uncovering hidden details and examining both its successes and missteps.

Join historian Robin Judd in conversation with her son, Jesse Steinman, about her award-winning and family-inspired book, Between Two Worlds: Jewish War Brides after the Holocaust. Throughout the conversation, we will explore stories that vividly capture how the exhilaration of the brides' early romances coexisted with survivor's guilt, grief, and the apprehension at the challenges of starting a new life in a new land.

In this class, we’ll first explore the grand spiral of Jewish time before zooming in on Shavuot, one of the most powerful moments in our seasonal and historical journey. We’ll uncover the deep connections between the completion of the grain harvest, celebrating first fruits, standing at Sinai, and receiving the Torah. 

Memory is a vital thread in Jewish spiritual practice, echoing through our prayers, our texts, and our dreams. Join us as we explore a handful of modern tales — both ethereal and visceral — that call us to grapple with how memory shapes our present and future selves.  

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan tells the story of a hot young rabbi who connects with a sex worker and former porn star at a conference for educators. During this session participants can expect a lively discussion about dating, slut- shaming, navigating controversial continuing education topics, and how the Jewish tradition incorporates the values of consent and mutual pleasure in intimate relationships.

The Talmudic story of the Four Who Entered Pardes (aka "the orchard" of expanded consciousness) can be understood as a kind of cautionary tale of the obstacles along our spiritual path. Four enter -- one dies, one goes crazy, one becomes a heretic, and only one (Rabbi Akiva) emerges "b'Shalom." How do we live this story and become like Akiva, engaging with the spiritual path from a place of whole-heartedness?

For our final class together, we will bring together our insights from our first two classes to begin to imagine the impact of climate relocation on various aspects of American Jewish life, from Jewish education, art, liturgy, clergy, family and relationships, and more.

In this final session in our series we will think together about ways of talking out what remains present after a psychedelic experience and how that can help fully harvest any meaningful insights which can be tangibly brought into day-to-day life and consciousness.