Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Hebrew College
fall 2014 public events & learning opportunities
Calendar of Public Events Fall 2014 BUYING AND RESERVING TICKETS Tickets to all events are general admission. Unless otherwise noted, they can be purchased online at hebrewcollege.edu/tickets or at the door (cash or check) beginning one hour prior to the start of the event. Registration is requested for free events to assist us with planning. Visit hebrewcollege.edu/tickets. GETTING TO HEBREW COLLEGE Hebrew College is located in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, adjacent to Andover Newton Theological School. Campus is a short walk from the Newton Centre trolley stop on the Green Line (D branch—Riverside). For more information, visit hebrewcollege.edu/directions. ABOUT HEBREW COLLEGE Founded in 1921, Hebrew College promotes excellence in Jewish learning and leadership within a pluralistic environment of open inquiry, intellectual rigor, personal engagement, and spiritual creativity. Its programs include graduate degrees and courses in Jewish studies, Jewish education, and leadership; community education for adult learners; and a supplemental Hebrew high school and middle school. For more information, visit www.hebrewcollege.edu. ACCESSIBILITY ALL EVENTS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. HEBREW COLLEGE IS ACCESSIBLE BY WHEELCHAIR.
SEPTEMBER
Spiritual Preparation for the High Holy Days Thursday, September 18 7:30 p.m. Berenson Hall Hebrew College Join us for an evening of study and reflection with Rabbi Arthur Green, Irving Brudnick Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Religion, as we prepare for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Green will weave together classical Jewish mystical sources and insights from his new book Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas: A Brief Guide for Seekers (Jewish Lights). Books will be available for sale after the lecture.
OCTOBER
Our Communal Conversation About Israel: How Open Is It, and How Open Should It Be? Monday, October 6, 7:30 p.m. / Berenson Hall, Hebrew College In the aftermath of this summer’s escalation of terrorist violence and military operations in the Middle East, there is heightened tension within the Jewish community about our discourse on Israel and related issues. How open is our tent, and who should be in or out as we discuss the unfolding events? How is the landscape of the Jewish conversation different today as compared to the recent past? $10.
PANELISTS Jeremy Burton, Executive Director, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston Rabbi Jonah Steinberg, Executive Director, Harvard Hillel Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, Co-founder and Director Emerita, Encounter MODERATOR Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, President, Hebrew College
Legal Fiction? Torah Narratives and the Formation of Rabbinic Law
Tuesday, October 28, 7:30 p.m. / Alumni Dining Hall, Hebrew College The stories of the Torah are not just stories. In the hands of the rabbis of the Talmud, they become sources of meaning and norms. Join Rabbi Jane Kanarek, associate professor of rabbinics at Hebrew College, and Rabbi Gordon Tucker, rabbi at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, New York, for a discussion of the origins of and future directions in Jewish law. The event is a celebration of Kanarek’s new book Biblical Narrative and the Formation of Rabbinic Law.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
To mark the twentieth anniversary of Me’ah, the signature adult-learning program of Hebrew College and CJP, Hebrew College will sponsor four lectures during the 2014–15 academic year—two in fall and two in winter—with some of the program’s most popular instructors.
Interpreting Psalms: The Challenge of Writing a Jewish Critical Commentary Thursday, November 13, 7:00 p.m. / Berenson Hall, Hebrew College Marc Brettler, who is part of a team writing a commentary on the biblical book of Psalms for the Jewish Publication Society Commentary Series, will discuss the many challenges presented by such an undertaking. Brettler is the Dora Golding Professor of Biblical Studies at Brandeis University. He has written several books, including the widely acclaimed How to Read the Bible. $10.
Are Women and Gentiles ‘Persons’? Biblical and Rabbinical Perspectives Wednesday, December 10, 7:00 p.m. / Berenson Hall, Hebrew College All ancient Jewish texts are androcentric and Judaeocentric— that is, they put men and Jews (and Judaism) at the center of their discourse and thinking. Occasionally, however, our texts allow us to see how the Israelites and their Jewish successors construed women and gentiles, two anomalous categories of human. Rabbi Shaye Cohen leads us on a discussion of this fascinating topic. $10.
DECEMBER
CIRCLE Open House and Ribbon-cutting Ceremony
Tuesday, December 9 7:OO p.m. CIRCLE House Andover Newton Theological School To mark the opening of the new CIRCLE House for interreligious programming, we will gather for a housewarming celebration, including a presentation by leading interfaith activist and writer Eboo Patel. The Center for Inter-Religious and Community Leadership Education is a joint center of Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School.
Eboo Patel
David Grossman
martin kace lecture series: creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship
Writing in the Dark: A Meeting with David Grossman Tuesday, December 16, 7:30 p.m. Alumni Dining Hall, Hebrew College
Israeli author and social activist David Grossman delivers the inaugural Martin Kace Lecture, “Writing in the Dark,� in which he reflects on his work as a Jewish writer and public intellectual in contemporary Israeli society. The series honors the late Martin Kace, a successful businessman, teacher, and social entrepreneur who engaged in a variety of innovative social, cultural, and economic projects in Israel and the United States. $10. Arrangements for the appearance of David Grossman made through Greater Talent Network Inc., New York, N.Y.
Fall Learning Programs with Hebrew College AN EYE FOR AN EYE ... OR AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT OF CASH
Wednesdays, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. (six sessions between Oct. 1 and Dec. 17) Downtown Boston Instructor: Rabbi Micha’el Rosenberg, Assistant Professor of Rabbinics This course will explore selected passages from the eighth chapter of Tractate Bava Kamma of the Talmud, which deals with compensation for bodily injury. Free. ANCIENT STORIES FOR TODAY’S JUDAISM
Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. (six sessions between Oct. 2 and Dec. 18) Boston’s Back Bay Instructor: Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, President This course will explore some of the seminal stories from our ancient rabbis that provide a window into the creative culture that has animated Judaism through the millennia. Free. WORDS TO LIVE BY: KEY RELIGIOUS TERMS IN JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM
Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m (eight sessions between Oct. 22 and Dec. 17) Berenson Hall, Hebrew College Instructors: Rabbi Or Rose, Gregory Mobley, Celene Ayat Lizzio In this team-taught course, students will explore several fundamental terms at the heart of these three great religious civilizations. $250 for eight sessions. KABBALAH: WALKING THE JEWISH MYSTICAL PATH
Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. (five sessions between Oct. 23 and Nov. 20) The Vilna Shul, Boston Instructor: Rabbi Or Rose, Director, Center for Global Judaism This course will examine several foundational concepts and symbols from the great mystical traditions of Judaism, including the teachings of the Zohar and early Hasidism. For more information or to register for any of these programs, visit hebrewcollege.edu/fall-2014-learning-programs.
Hebrew College 160 Herrick Road Newton Centre, MA 02459
617-559-8600 www.hebrewcollege.edu info@hebrewcollege.edu