Past Courses
Clergy Led Classes
Scouts, Trailblazers, Pathfinders, Explorers: A History of Women in the Rabbinate with Rabbi Mara Nathan
Tuesdays, Oct. 12, 19, 26, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
What is Jewish Music? with Cantor Julie Berlin
Tuesdays, February 8, 15, 22, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
Jewish music has been composed wherever Jews have lived. Over the millennia, that has encompassed just about every corner of the globe. “Jewish Music” comes in many styles, genres, and contexts. Throughout the three sessions we will explore the many answers to What is Jewish music. This will include a look at contemporary styles as well as liturgical.
Tracing Jewish Roots – A Jewish Genealogy 101 with Rabbi Yergin
Wednesdays, May 4,11,18, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
Rabbi Yergin’s side hobby is working on her family tree. Come learn from her first about the history of Jewish migration patterns and how they create a complicated genealogical Jewish map. Then explore your own tree with her help and resources. At the final class, you will be able to share some of what you found on your own tree!
For an expanded opportunity, join us on May 15th from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Temple Beth-El’s Palmetto Cemetery, the first Jewish cemetery in San Antonio to have a tour, participate in a scavenger hunt, do some rubbings of headstones, and work on beautifying the space!
Class 1 can be viewed here
Class 3 can be viewed here
Sunday Scholars Series
Rachel Korazim
Rachel is a freelance Jewish education consultant in curriculum development for Israel and Holocaust education. She engages audiences worldwide through innovative presentations built around the stories, poems and songs of Israel’s best writers. Her thought-provoking talks open a window onto Israeli society, inviting listeners to engage with the country and its history in new ways.
Israeli Songs That Made an Impact
Our series of three sessions will offer a close reading and listening to three Israeli poems set to music. Each in its turn reflected the spirit of its time and left a lasting impact on Israeli life; way beyond the cultural sphere.
This course has ended, but the recording sessions can be found in each of the topic descriptions below.
In mid-May of 1967, when the mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek asked Naomi Shemer to write a song about Jerusalem, no one could have guessed what would happen. Three weeks later every Israeli, whether in uniform or civilian clothing, was singing the verses that glorified the city of gold. In our session we will explore the traditional sources Naomi Shemer drew from and consider the political and ideological responses to the song. – There were quite a few.
In 1969, Israel was living in a euphoric, messianic cloud. We united Jerusalem and we came back to the land of our forefathers in Judea and Samaria. Israel extended all the way to Sharm el Sheikh and our air force ruled the Middle East. Who were these two artist; a musician and a lyricist who wrote what is still the most antiwar song in the history of the state? How was it received and what was the special two fold connection Yitzhak Rabin had to this song?
Written in 1982 – this poem is forever associated in the mind of Israelis with the public reaction to the war in Lebanon and more specifically to the atrocities of Sabra and Shatila. The truth is, however, that Manor wrote this poem as a belated mourning song about the loss of his brother in the War of Attrition (1967-1970). Since its first publication, the song has been associated with many who oppose certain political conduct while remaining deeply committed to the state. In January 2021 Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi read this poem in congress. The session will offer an exploration of the background as well as the impact of the poem.
made possible by the Jean and Jesse Wulfe Religious Enhancement Fund
Rabbi Minna Bromberg, PhD
Founder and president of Fat Torah, Rabbi Minna Bromberg, PhD is passionate about bringing her three decades of experience in fat activism to writing, teaching and change-making at the nexus of Judaism and body liberation. Her forthcoming book is Belonging for Every Body: a Fat Torah guide to building inclusive spiritual community. Minna received her doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University, with a dissertation on identity formation in interfaith couples, and was ordained at Hebrew College in 2010. Since then she has led a 250-family Conservative congregation in Reading, PA, released a fifth album of original music, and run the Year-in-Israel program for Hebrew College rabbinical students. In addition to her work with Fat Torah, Minna is a voice teacher who specializes in helping people use their voices in leading prayer. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Rabbi Dr. Alan Abrams, and their two children.
Fat Torah is here to smash the idolatry of weight stigma and lead us all from Narrowness to Freedom. We bring together the inner work of tikkun halev (healing the heart) with the social justice of tikkun olam (repairing the world). We provide education, awareness-building, and mentoring for confronting weight stigma and growing communities where every body belongs. We believe that Jewish tradition both calls us to this work and can be deployed for the liberation of all bodies.
This course has ended, but the recording sessions can be found in each of the topic descriptions below.
In this session we will take a first look at what weight stigma is, who it impacts, and why it’s an issue that matters in our Jewish communities. We will learn about the history of fat liberation as well as Fat Torah’s approach to using the great Jewish tradition of social justice to address weight stigma.
The recorded Session can be found here.
What does it really mean to imagine that every one of us is created in the image of the Divine? This session will explore this central Jewish idea in the light of what it can teach us about bodies that don’t always fit our cultural norms.
The recorded session can be found here.
Jewish tradition teaches that the words we speak have the power to create or destroy entire worlds. Just as God creates the world through speech, so does our own speech—as God’s partners in the work of Creation—hold tremendous power. How can we harness the power of how we speak about our bodies to make our communities more welcoming to all?
The recorded session can be found here.
made possible by the Jean and Jesse Wulfe Religious Enhancement Fund
Rachel Stern
Rachel Stern has been a key presenter for our Sunday Series for many years. Rachel holds master’s degrees in both Jewish Education and Jewish Non-Profit Management and has been in Jewish education for over 20 years. Rachel currently serves as the Chief Learning and Engagement Officer for Shalom Austin.
The Multifaced Work of Renewal
After more than a year of COVID how do we construct our new Jewish Persona?
To affiliate or not to affiliate? That is the question! How do our formal Jewish institutions stay relevant in the 21st Century?
What is REAL Judaism? Who gets to decide? Part I With internet ordination and a proliferation of new and not so new ‘sects’, how do we navigate the ever-growing landscape of Jewish choices? How do we decide what organizations, movements and institutions are valid and which are not?
What is REAL Judaism? Who gets to decide? Part II – Jewish traditions, rites and rituals have been in a constant state of evolution from the beginning of time. How do we decide what new rituals make sense and which traditional ones we might want to reconsider?
made possible by the Gilbert and Ruth Lang Human Endowment Fund
Past Visiting Scholars
A weekend of Mussar Exploration with Dr. Alan Morinis April 28-30, 2023
It has become normal for people to treat each other with disrespect, as our world moves ever-farther from how Jewish tradition teaches us people should treat one another. Through the Jewish lens, no matter how much you disagree with someone, or dislike their ideas or actions, the fact is that they are due respect by virtue of being human beings, embodiment of the divine image. You do not have to accept their ideas, but even if you disagree and oppose, you are expected to do that without debasing the other person (and yourself in the process).
Join us in this exploration of Jewish ideas about how the respect or disrespect we show others impacts our relationships, our families, our communities, and our own souls.
About Dr. Alan Morinis
Dr. Alan Morinis, Founder of The Mussar Institute, is a leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Mussar movement, a 1,100-year-old authentic Jewish personal and communal spiritual tradition that was nearly lost following the Holocaust. A filmmaker, Rhodes Scholar, and anthropologist whose focus had been Hindu religious pilgrimages, he reached a personal turning point in his life in 1997 that led to his exploration of Mussar.
Alan sought out Rabbi Yechiel Perr, an accomplished master who stood in an unbroken line of transmission of the Mussar tradition. Following years of study he reinterpreted the ancient Mussar learnings and practices for modern audiences in Climbing Jacob’s Ladder and Everyday Holiness. To address the growing public interest in Mussar, he founded The Mussar Institute in 2004. He went on to author two more books, Every Day, Holy Day, and With Heart in Mind.
Alan continues to explore and interpret original Mussar sources in Hebrew and is making these valuable teachings available to the contemporary world.
Join us for Pre-Shabbat oneg at 6:00 p.m. followed by services at 6:30 p.m.m where Dr. Morinis will speak about the ways Mussar impacts his own life.
9:00 a.m. Torah Study, Block Conference Room A
We will study our weekly Torah portion- Kedoshim- with a Mussar lens.
10:30 a.m. Shabbat AM Worship
11:45 a.m. Shabbat Lunch and Learn, Barshop Auditorium
Join in community and conversation as we use Mussar to consider the ways we are created in the image of God. Register here.
7:00 p.m. Havdalah Reception, Dreeben Pavilion
We say goodbye to Shabbat with an informal gathering and reflection on the role that Mussar can play in our lives. Register here.
10:00 a.m. Sunday Scholar’s Series, Block Conference Room A
For those interested in deepening your study of Mussar we’ll discuss future opportunities to engage with the Mussar Institute.
Rabbi Josh Warshawsky February 3-5, 2023
Rabbi Josh Warshawsky is a nationally touring Jewish musician, teacher, and composer. Josh seeks to build intentional praying communities, and travels to synagogues, camps, and schools across the country sharing his music and teachings on prayer. He is originally from Chicago, and has released five albums of Jewish music, most recently in March 2022. Josh composes melodies to open up new possibilities for understanding the deep meaning of the words of our tradition. Josh was ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles. For more information check out www.joshwarshawsky.com
Funded by the Jean and Jesse Wulfe Religious Enhancement Fund
Join Josh Warshawsky along with Rabbis Nathan and Yergin and Cantor Berlin in a joyous and engaging Shabbat evening worship services.
Share in our intimate Shabbat morning services with Josh Warshawsky, Rabbis Nathan, Yergin and Cantor Berlin. To join us for lunch, please register here.
Share in an engaging musical evening with Josh. We join in Havdalah and an intimate concert experience in a private home.
Rev. Dr. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski
Christian Approaches to Zionism
The Rev. Dr. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski will explore the different ways that mainline Protestants have approached Zionism over the past 75 years. Taking the Episcopal Church as a case study, he will outline the perspectives that lead to divergent takes on Zionism and possible future trajectories.
The Rev. Dr. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski is the Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College. He is a scholar of Jewish-Christian relations and comparative theology and the author of The More Torah, The More Life: A Christian Commentary on Mishnah Avot and Christian Memories of the Maccabean Martyrs. He is also a priest ordained in the Episcopal Church.
The lecture can be found here.
Past Speakers
Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz is the President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, Founder & President of Uri L’Tzedek, Founder & CEO of Shamayim: Jewish Animal Advocacy, and Founder & President of YATOM: The Jewish Foster & Adoption Network.
Rabbi Yanklowitz’s writings have appeared in outlets as diverse as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic among many other secular and religious publications. Rabbi Yanklowitz is a sought-after educator, social justice activist, and motivational speaker as well as the author of seventeen books on Jewish spirituality, social justice, and ethics.
As a global social justice activist and educator, Rabbi Yanklowitz has volunteered, staffed trips, and taught across the world, including Israel, Ghana, India, France, Thailand, El Salvador, England, Senegal, Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine, Argentina, South Africa, and Haiti. Rabbi Dr. Yanklowitz has also served as a rabbinic representative, facilitator, and speaker at the World Economic Forum in Geneva and Davos. Rabbi Shmuly's religious journey was filmed in the Independent Lens/PBS documentary "The Calling."
Ambassador Dennis Ross has dealt with every Israeli prime minister for the past thirty years. Having the unusual distinction of being a political appointee for two Republican and two Democratic presidents_-Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, and Obama--he developed close relationships with five Israeli prime ministers: Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Benjamin Netanyahu. Few people know the history of Israel, its efforts on peace, or its relations with the Arabs and the region better.
Dennis Ross and David Makovsky's new book, Be Strong and of Good Courage: How Israel's Most Important Leaders Shaped Its Destiny, came out on Sept. 3, 2019 to immediate acclaim. The book is an inspiring history of those moments when Israel, a country born in existential peril, faced choices that required extraordinary acts of leadership and judgment to secure its future. The story chronicles four of Israel's most important leaders - David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon - each of whom made historic decisions in the face of fierce opposition. Hear authors Ross and Makovsky provide fascinating portraits of these founding figures - their conviction, character and their political courage - and the lessons their decisions could provide Israel's leaders today as they confront the fateful choice needed to preserve Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.
