Adult Education

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Lifelong Learning 5784 - October 2023-May 2024

GROWING SOULS, BUILDING CONNECTIONS, AND COMMUNITY

At Mishkan Shalom, we believe in learning for life. Below you’ll find a varied, robust range of classes, workshops and experiences to help you grow, learn, and connect with others—no matter your age or prior experience with Judaism.

Please register and pay in advance via the website. Click on 'Adult Education’ in the “type” drop down and also insert the total sum of the class(es), or you can mail your registration and a check. If you have a suggestion for a class you’d like to take—or teach—contact Kiera F, Lifelong Learning Committee chair at and Rabbi Shawn Zevit.

SOULFUL SUNDAYS AND SACRED SATURDAY EVE: R. Shawn and Guests

Join Rabbi Shawn Zevit and guests for a nosh and interactive learning on a range of topics from a Jewish lens over the course of the year. These are issues that Rabbi Shawn has been exploring for many years and more recently in the journey to awaken more fully as a human being and in a Jewish activist spiritual context.

Soulful Sunday, 10-11:30am w. Rabbi Shawn Zevit and guests:

March 17: Spiritual Direction: Guidance for Our Times w. guest teacher Meredith Barber (for more information see https://www.mishkan.org/spiritual-direction)

May 5: Exploring Judaism: Reconstructionist Basics. Exploring the foundational history and development of Reconstructionist thought and practice in North America and the core principles of Reconstructing Judaism that inform individual and communal practice.

$10.00/session (members); $15.00/session (non-members). We will not collect money on Shabbat. Please register and pay in advance via the website. Click on 'Adult Ed’ in the “type” drop down and also insert the total sum of the class(es). Classes will be held off-site. Address provided upon registration.

CHOOSE LIFE! CONVERSATIONS ABOUT JEWISH DEATH and MOURNING PRACTICES With Rabbi Tsurah August and Patricia Quigley

DATES/TIMES: 4 Sunday mornings, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm (Zoom and in person)

1. December 3rd, 2024 (in person at Mishkan Shalom)

2. February 4th, 2024 (Zoom)

3. March (March 31st ) or April 7th (Zoom and in person at Laurel Hill Funeral Home

4. Date TBD (in person at Laurel Hill Funeral Home)

Sessions can be taken as a series or individually. $18 for members/ $25 per session for non-members for individual sessions; $72/$100 for the series. Please register and pay in advance via the website. Click on 'Adult Ed’ in the “type” drop down and also insert the total sum of the class(es).

Gevalt! We are all going to die someday! (Baruch HaShem, that day is a long way off!) But before it comes we fortunately have the wisdom and practices of Jewish tradition from ancient days to today, to make our final days meaningful and comforting for ourselves, our parents, children, partners, and other beloveds.

This 4 session course will offer valuable information on end-of-life and mourning that can also serve as a tool for helping parents and adult children initiate “the discussion” so that all parties know each other’s wishes, beliefs, and plans well in advance of their final days.

TOPICS INCLUDE: Ethical wills, living wills, bedside practices and rituals, prayers; hospice; palliative care; bikkor cholim; death doulas; assisted death, autopsy, organ donation, funeral homes, cemeteries, burial, cremation, green burial, shemirah, taharah.

Mishkan members Rabbi Tsurah August, a hospice rabbi for over 20 years, and Patricia Quigley, Funeral Director at Laurel Hill Funeral Home, are the course facilitators.

ART AND SPIRIT with Rabbinic Intern Noah: Thursdays 6-8pm, April 25- June 6

What does it mean to be b'tselem elohim (Genesis 1:27)? Humans are made "in an image/likeness" of the Divine Creator, which I interpret to mean everyone has the capacity for creative expression and the divine is reflected in everything we create. We'll explore the power of an artistic practice to give us insight and a sense of connectedness. By using different mediums (such as creative writing, painting, and performance) we'll strive for a playful vulnerability and a multifaceted understanding of ourselves as creative beings. This class meets for 7 sessions, which correspond to the seven weeks of the Omer. Each week we'll use the wisdom of the sefirot to guide our creative exploration. No prior experience or skills required. This class is designed for absolute beginners, experienced artists, and anyone in between.

Session costs: $165 (members) and $200 (non-members) Please register and pay in advance via the website. Click on 'Adult Ed’ in the “type” drop down and also insert the total sum of the class(es).

"This life-giving class was equal parts artistic expression, spiritual connection, and community building." - Meredith Barber
"Feel the spark of spontaneous creativity while in sacred community." - Kiera Faber
"Playful and deep art and community making." - Moon Smith
"A delightful calm, creative set of evenings to artfully awaken the spirit." - Nancy Post

SOUL COLLAGE with Susan Windle and Wendy Galson

Sunday, April 14th, 2-5 pm

Theme: Your Inner Maiden Speaks

We gather at the onset of spring, in the Hebrew month of Nisan. The Priestess Pathway for the month of Nisan is the Na’arah (the Maiden) who bears gifts of focused intention and joyful radiance. She is the Miriam within us, inviting us to cross through despair and hesitation and hold to our values, in spite of the pressures around us. Tap into your Inner Maiden and let her speak through the images you select and the designs you create.

How do you experience your own Inner Maiden? To what does she call you? We will dream our way into these questions through Soul Collage, journaling and sharing.

The session will include written journaling. (Bring a journal.) We will be inviting participants to experience our card creation process as dream work, and to talk about our cards as dreams, using a process developed by the Kohenet Institute.

The workshop is held in the Heschel-King room at Mishkan, in-person only. The fee is $40 with all materials included; no previous experience or artistic background is required. Please register and pay in advance via the website. Click on 'Adult Ed’ in the “type” drop down and insert the total sum of the class.

The deadline to register is Thursday, April 11 at 4pm.

All COVID-safe standards set by Mishkan Shalom will be enforced. Masks are recommended.

Soul Collage: Awakening to Earth's Call was first offered by Wendy and Susan in 2019, following SoulCollage® with a Jewish Spin, originated by Susan Richards, who brought SoulCollage® to us and gifted her SoulCollage® materials to Mishkan Shalom. "Originated by Seena Frost, SoulCollage® is a process for accessing your intuition and creating a….deck of cards with deep personal meaning that will help you with life's questions and transitions.” (https://www.soulcollage.com/)

Questions? Contact: Wendy.

WALK THE TALK- NATURE THROUGH A JEWISH LENS : 1:00-3:00 pm

Led by Steve Jones, “Walk the Talk” is a series of guided outdoor experiences in which participants learn about “reading” the natural landscape as a text. Participants walk for about an hour and a half in the nearby Wissahickon forest, observe the elements of the natural world, learn about ecological relationships, and study short Jewish texts.

Tu B'Shevat, Sunday Jan. 20, 2024, a time in the calendar when we note that the sap is rising in the seemingly sleeping forest, and we can sense the forest coming back to life through the cold.

Our spring walk, Shabbat Passvoer, Sat. April 27, 2024 will focus on the bird migration from Central and South America to our woods, along with the flowering of many of the plants native to our valley.

All ages are welcome to meet at Mishkan Shalom after services at 12:30, or meet directly at a designated starting point for the walk in the nearby woods. Participants should wear sturdy shoes and sensible clothes for the outdoors.

$5/session (members & non-members). We will not collect money on Shabbat.

Please register and pay in advance via the website. Click on 'Adult Ed’ in the “type” drop down and also insert the total sum of the class(es).

GRAPHIC NOVEL SEMINAR: Let's Talk About Israel/Palestine

The Mishkan Shalom Israel/Palestine Committee, Ed Committee, and the Mishkan Library proudly present together a series of discussions intended to create a space for dialogue around events in Israel/Palestine. Sessions will be held from 7:30-8:30 pm Tuesday May 7th, 14th, and 21st.

Session 1 May 7th 7:30 pm-8:30pm
Intro to Armchair Analysis with Harvey Pekar. Intro to graphic novel, "Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me" with Mishkan member JT Waldman.

Session 2 May 14th 7:30pm-8:30pm
Promises Promises. Book club style discussion of NTIMPPM and ask the question, what is the promise of the promised land?

Session 3 May 21st 7:30 pm-8:30pm
Unflattening Perspectives. Discuss graphic novel, Joe Sacco's "Palestine" and compare and contrast NTIMPPM.

You're welcome to attend any and all sessions. Mishkan members and their friends are welcome. Ages 13-up may attend. Suggested Donation of $10 per session to participate in the seminar. Donations will help fund the new graphic novel section of the Mishkan Library. Please register and pay in advance via the website.

ONGOING WEEKLY SPIRITUAL LIFE AND COMMUNITY OFFERINGS:

Members: check your weekly Ma Hadash for Zoom info. Non-members can e-mail Rabbi Shawn

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION with Meredith B. (zoom), Mondays, 8:00-9:00 am
RESTORATIVE MEDITATION with Abby R. (zoom), Tuesdays, 4:00 pm
AWAKENING TO THE DAY with Rabbi Shawn Zevit, (zoom), Wednesdays, 8:00-8:45 am
SPIRIT OF SHABBAT with Susan W. & Wendy G. (zoom), Fridays, 8:00 am
WEEKLY TORAH STUDY with Rabbi Eugene S. and guests, Sat. 9-10 am (on zoom and monthly in person in the Mishkan Shalom library as well).

MAH JONGG OPEN PLAY Mondays, 7:00-9:00 pm

For more information, contact, Susan S

MEN OF MISHKAN - Mondays (biweekly) 7:00-9:00 pm

This is a men's group open to all adult members of Mishkan who identify as men. The group meets every two weeks to share life's joys and difficulties and provide support to each other. If you would like more information or to consider joining please contact either Marc, Marc J, or Mark, Mark H.

ONE BOOK MISHKAN - LIBRARY COMMITTEE OFFERINGS

New Book selected annually and explored through facilitated book discussions, Saturday Nite at the Movies, Panel Discussion, Art and Music programs.

Watch Kol Shalom, Ma Hadash and Library page for details. Questions? Suggestions? Write Library.

MAKHELAT MICHA'EL: MISHKAN CHOIR

Information about choir, Tuesday evenings. For more information please contact Miriam, choir director: Miriam D

COURSES NOW COMPLETED:

MUSSAR APPROACH TO ANTI-RACISM WORK (Thurs. Sep 21st, 7:00 pm: Open House Zoom session (free); Sunday, Oct 15th, 2-6 pm half day plus 5 additional Thursday eve 7 pm sessions Oct. 19, 26, Nov. 2, 9, 16- 2023). All required in person at Mishkan.

Join us for a new anti-racism course: Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out. Work with daily concrete Jewish spiritual tools alongside community members to confront, subvert, and heal implicit and internalized racism within ourselves and others, supporting our collective organizing, advocacy, and service-work efforts to dismantle racism systemically. Efforts to dismantle racism often consisted of education, advocacy, and systemic change. These efforts are inadequate —it’s necessary that we also do the inner work necessary to change our habits of mind, body, and spirit to wholly dismantle racism. We have ancestral wisdom available to support this change: Mussar is the Jewish spiritual discipline designed to integrate what the head understands with what the heart feels through daily practice. By working together and supporting each other we will emerge from this program with renewed ability and resilience to disrupt racism, a regular spiritual practice, and a set of concrete tools to support your anti-racism efforts. This is not an intro course in anti-racism work: you need to have familiarity with the basics.

Rabbi Mordechai Liebling and Rabbi Meryl Crean are both long time leaders in anti-racism work and have been trained in the use of IOWA's "Dismantling Racism" Mussar and Anti-Racism curriculum Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out. Mishkan Shalom's leadership has financially invested in this curriculum as part of our ongoing work to dismantle white supremacy and look at our own internal individual and communal work alongside our racial justice efforts in the broader society

LEARN TO CHANT TORAH With Cantor David Acker

Saturdays 12:30-1:30 pm (after Shabbat Services, in person), Oct. 14-Nov. 18, 2023

Meeting at Mishkan Shalom, 3rd Floor Library

6 Sessions

David is a long-time Mishkan member, teacher, and Cantor's Assembly member. By the end of six classes, participants will be able to chant at least one complete aliyah, approximately 3 verses in length. Students will have the option to participate as a Torah reader in an upcoming service. An elementary facility with decoding Hebrew letters and vowels is a prerequisite.

7 Great Reasons to Learn to Chant Torah: