Adult Education

Temple Emeth’s Adult Education program provides an abundance of opportunities to give our hearts to learning.

There is no charge for Temple Emeth members to participate in any of our programs (except those that provide meals, or are trips). Some courses may require books and/or other materials, for which there may be a charge. There is a fee for non-members of Temple Emeth, based on the specific program, plus book or material costs.

For more information, contact adulteducation@emeth.org or the Temple office at 201-833-1322.

Ongoing Programs

Lunch and Learn is a weekly conversation on ideas that challenge us to think deeply. This year, our textbook will be Studies in Spirituality: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. The book inspires us to see models of courage, innovation, faith, fear, the challenges and beauty of family dynamics, healing, the art of listening, hope, personal transformation, and more. His poignant reflections on spirituality return to us the sense of closeness with God that resonated so powerfully with our ancestors - that intimacy which gave them a sense of hope and courage and singularity. Studies in Spirituality aspires to bring the covenant between God and humanity closer to each of us, today and always.

 Copies of the book are available for purchase in the Temple office; it is also available as an e-book. Every six weeks or so, we set our books aside and discuss a topic from current events. You bring your lunch, and we provide the learning…and the coffee.

Lunch and Learn is held in the Library, as well as on Zoom for those who wish to participate virtually. To participate via Zoom, see the weekly email for a link, or contact the Temple office for the meeting ID and password.

Shabbat Morning Torah Study

Mini-University 2024-25
 

Stories from a Jewish Perspective
Tuesdays,  April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20,  from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m.
One of our most popular and long-standing Adult Education programs, this course is participant-driven. Members select short stories for the class to read and then lead class discussions. All Temple members are welcome to join the discussion or serve as class leaders. We are always interested in learning about new authors or different perspectives on well-known authors. The course is offered in hybrid format, in person in the Temple Library and on Zoom.

Movies That Mattered

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
In a quest to pursue her passion for learning that is forbidden to women, Yentl, a young Jewish woman living in Europe in the early 1900s, disguises herself as a man. She embarks on a poignant journey of self-discovery, love, and intellectual fulfillment in a world that denies her gender's right to knowledge. Starring Barbra Streisand, Mandy Patinkin, and Amy Irving.

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
This American biographical comedy-drama was adapated from the novel of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer and was the debut film of Liev Schreiber both as a director and as a screenwriter. It is about a young American Jew who goes on a quest to Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather, Safron Foer, during the Holocaust. It stars Elijah Wood as Jonathan and Eugene Hutz as Alex, his English-speaking guide obsessed with American pop culture.

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Diner is a 1982 comedy/drama by Barry Levinson, part of the Baltimore Trilogy, which is set in the director’s hometown. The movie follows a close-knit circle of friends who reunite at a Baltimore diner when one of them prepares to get married. The cast includes Kevin Bacon, Mickey Rourke, Tim Daly, Steve Guttenberg, Paul Reiser, and Ellen Barkin.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Europa Europa is a 1990 historical war drama based on a true story about a Jewish boy, separated from his family during WWII. Posing as a German orphan, he is taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a war hero and eventually made a Hitler Youth. The movie is based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel, who briefly appears as himself in the film's finale. The title refers to WWII's division of continental Europe, resulting in a constant shift of allegiances, identities, and front lines.

Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Steven Spielberg's 2005 movie, Munich, is about the Mossad assassinations following the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. The movie tells the store of the five men chosen to eliminate the people responsible for that fateful day. Written by Tony Kushner, Eric Roth, and George Jonas, the film stars Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, and Marie-Josée Croze.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
One Life tells the true story of Nicholas Winton, a London stockbroker who rescued hundres of predominantly Jewish children from the Nazis on the verge of World War II. The film starts Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Raid on Entebbe tells the true story of a daring Israeli commando assault on the Entebbe Airport in Uganda to free hostages of a terrorist hijacking. Peter Finch, Charles Bronson, and Yaphet Kotto star.

Yiddish Lessons

Mondays, September: 16, 23, 30; October: 7, 14, 21, 28; November: 4, 18, 25, 2024
January: 6, 13, 20, 27; February 3, 10, 24, 2025
10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Mameloshen: Temple Emeth's Yiddish Class is a unique opportunity to cultivate your knowledge of Yiddish. The class, led by David Braun, meets on Monday mornings in our hybrid mode (in our Library and on Zoom). It focuses on conversation using multimedia, gezang (songs), written, as well as oral stories, and a variety of other materials. Be part of a worldwide resurgence to make certain Yiddish continues to be alive and well! There is a small fee for all students.