Adult Education
Feed Your Mind, Body, and Soul
TBI provides a range of Jewish cultural and educational experiences. Programs and classes are open to all, and we welcome students from within TBI and from the larger community.
General Information:
-
Registration: Please check individual program listings for details.
-
Programs scheduled on Shabbat: Fees and donations for programs scheduled on Shabbat must be paid in advance or after Shabbat. We will not collect money on Shabbat.
-
Refunds: No refunds will be given to participants who drop classes after the registration deadline. If classes or events are cancelled due to lack of enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances, full refunds will be given to pre- paid registrants.
-
All programs meet at TBI unless otherwise noted.
If you are interested in joining the Community Ed Committee, or have ideas for teaching or for a class offering, please contact Nina.
EXPLORING JUDAISM
Understanding Shabbat Services: Mapping the Liturgy and Flow of the Services
with Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein
Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm. FREE. Donations accepted.
This 4-session series will offer a survey of the liturgy and cover the answers to some meta questions: How are Shabbat services different from weekday services? Why are evening services so different from morning services? What is all this liturgy? Come to all of them, or drop in on the ones that interest you most.
January 9: Friday evening: Kabbalat Shabbat, and other special features unique to Shabbat evening
January 23: Friday Ma’ariv: The evening service, Bar’chu to the end
February 6: Introduction to the flow of the morning service
February 20: Intricacies and background of the Shabbat Torah service
Jewish Genealogical Society Willamette Valley Oregon
http://www.nwfam.com/jgswvo.html
FREE. Donations gratefully accepted
Sunday, February 10, 1:00 PM
US and Canadian Census Records
What years are available? How to locate records. How to use census records for genealogy research. – Eliezer Froehlich
Sunday, March 10, 1:00 PM
Multi Part Program
1. How to use Family Search. How to access ships manifests – Hap Ponedel, Eliezer Froehlich and Michael Sussman
2. Brickwall Busters! Send in questions prior to our meeting. Our team of researchers will help you find answers to Jewish genealogy problems.
Our synagogue is part of a national project entitled “Scientists in Synagogues,” a grass-roots initiative run by Sinai and Synapses in consultation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion, and funded by the John Templeton Foundation. (Click to learn more.)
These are free and open to the public. Light supper provided to those who register in advance. Or feel free to bring your own vegetarian dinner.
Wednesday, February 13, 7:00 pm: Dr. Kari Marie Norgaard, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at UO. Dr. Norgaard will be speaking on indigenous cultural revitalization connected to climate change, specifically the importance of cultural burning as preventative for the very large fires that have been happening recently.
Thursday, March 14, 7:00 pm: Dr. Elliott Berkman, Associate Professor Psychology, UO, will speak on topics related to goals, self-control, commitments, and related barriers.
Our synagogue is part of a national project entitled “Scientists in Synagogues,” a grass-roots initiative run by Sinai and Synapses in consultation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion, and funded by the John Templeton Foundation. Click to learn more.
Pursuing Peace: Hillel & Mindfulness-based Conflict Engagement
with Barry Nobel, PhD
Thursdays, January 17 – February 7, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
$40 for members; $50 for non-members. Includes 82-page workshop manual.
Conflict is inevitable at home, in school, at work, and in our community. How we respond makes all the difference—individually and collectively. To learn to handle disputes more assertively and cooperatively, we will practice methods based largely on the ancient teachings of Rabbi Hillel and the contemporary work of Marshall Rosenberg (founder of Nonviolent Communication). Paired, small group, and individual mindfulness exercises, guided meditations, and discussions will help us engage more constructively with family, friends, co-workers, and community members on issues ranging from the personal to the political.
Minimum class size is 7 students. Please register by January 11th.
EXPLORING JUDAISM
Hebrew Reading Crash Course
with Oriana Kahn Hurwit
Thursdays, February 7 – March 7, 7:00-8:30 pm
This 5-week course is designed for those with little or no background in Hebrew and concentrates on teaching the Hebrew alphabet and reading skills. Materials provided. FREE. Pre-registration required by February 1 here.
Brivele
Sunday, February 17th – 4:00 pm
$5-$10 donation at the door
Brivele is a Seattle-based anti-fascist klezmer folk-punk trio, who braid together oral history, Yiddish language, contemporary and old-country musical genres, American vaudeville, and visual arts.
Get a preview at www.brivele.com.
Tikkun Olam Committee Presents
Climate Change: Local Solutions
Thursday, February 21, 6:30-8:30 pm
The Eugene Climate Action Plan was adopted by the city council in 2014 to address municipal climate change solutions. Carbon pollution in Eugene has accelerated instead of abated since the plan was adopted. GEOS INSTITUTE, a national consultant with expertise on cities’ effective climate plans & implementations, will lead a panel including former Mayor Kitty Piercy and Matt McRae, Climate Policy Analyst at Our Children’s Trust, on carbon mitigation, adaptation, and climate resiliency for cities like Eugene.
Sanctuary TBI Presents
And Now Here at Home: A Presentation on Immigration in Oregon — where we’ve been and where we are today
Sunday, March 17, 4:00 pm
Kate Gessert, Friends of Sanctuary, and Mariko Plescia, UO, will be representing the Integration Network for Immigrants of Lane County.
0-5 Parenting Chavurah and Support Group
Every 3rd Sunday, 10 am – Noon
This drop-in, kid-friendly gathering meets monthly in the TBI preschool, and is a forum for play, discussion, and idea-sharing. Join in the fun, and feel free to bring a vegetarian snack to share!
EXPLORING JUDAISM
Learners’ Service Shabbat
Saturdays, 1/12, 1/26, 2/9, 3/2 9:00 am-10:00 am
Not just for b’nei mitzvah students, but for anyone who wants to better understand the flow of the Shabbat morning liturgy. Each session will focus on a different section of the service, in rotation. Consider attending all 6 sections A-F, which will rotate twice, even if you can’t attend them in order.
Yiddish Club
1st & 3rd Monday of the month (Subject to change)
2:00-3:30pm
When did you last hear a Yiddish word? Did your parents speak Yiddish when they didn’t want you to know what they were saying? Do you remember the warm, loving Yiddish words of your grandparents? The club welcomes you to hear, once again, the pleasing words from long ago and to speak the mamaloshen.
Shabbat Torah Study
Saturdays, 9:00 am / 8:30 am when b’nai mitzvah celebrated at Shabbat Services
All are welcome to join a lively exploration of the weekly Torah portion. Torah study is either rabbi-facilitated or lay-led. All levels of experience welcome. Text study is done in English, with occasional close examination of the Hebrew text in an inclusive manner.
Want to share your love of reading?
(We have lots of opportunities!)
Jewish Literature Group – 7:00 pm
FREE; Donations gratefully accepted
Jan 24: American Pastoral by Philip Roth
Feb 28 TBA
Mar 28 TBA
EXPLORING JUDAISM
Lunch & Learn w/Rabbi Ruhi Sophia and others
Thursdays – Noon. FREE. Donations gratefully accepted
Next ones: February 14, March 14
Join Rabbi Ruhi Sophia and lay leaders for a close reading and discussion of a story from the Talmud and other traditional Jewish sources. NO HEBREW NECESSARY. Set aside an hour of your day to learn, eat, and socialize. Feel free to bring a lunch. Please no meat or shellfish.
Reading with the Rabbi
with Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein
February 3, 3:00 pm
FREE; Donations gratefully accepted.
Join Rabbi Ruhi Sophia for a spirited discussion of a relevant contemporary issue, as informed by a work of non-fiction chosen by the rabbi. This term’s book is: Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto, a 1969, non-fiction book by the lawyer, professor and writer Vine Deloria, Jr. The book was noteworthy for its relevance to the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement and other activist organizations, such as the American Indian Movement, which was beginning to expand. Everyone is welcome! Each meeting will stand alone, so feel free to come only when you are particularly interested in the topic. If you only had time to read a review, you are still welcome to observe the discussion. This is not a ‘club’ but a dynamic group of people who love books, reading, discussions and expressing strong opinions.