Institute of Jewish Studies

Religious School

Adult Learning

Teen Tuesdays

Conversion Class

Rosen Library

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We offer a wide range of courses for adults throughout the year, thanks to the generosity of the Koffler and Bornstein families.

Click here to register for Tuesday Night Learning 

Click on any of the offerings listed below for more information, or scroll down to see information on all of our offerings

• Re/Introduction to Judaism - Tuesday Night Learning! - resumes January 4th
• Jewish Views of the Afterlife - Tuesday Night Learning! - resumes January 11th
• 929 Tanakh B'yahad (Hebrew Bible Together) - Tuesday Night Learning! - Begins January 18th
• Plant Based Cooking for Beginners - Tuesday Night Learning! - Begins February 15th
• ScholarStream - Begins Wednesday, January 19th
• Delve Deeper: Jews of Italy (Zoom only) - Thursdays beginning January 20
• Hug Ivri - Thursday mornings
• Parashat HaShavua - Friday mornings
• Conversational Hebrew - begins January 10th

Re/introduction to Judaism 

Instructor: Rabbi Michael Fel and Cantor Brian Mayer
Time: Tuesdays 7:30-9:15 PM. In person at Temple Emanu-El resumes January 4, 2022 and ongoing. 

• Do you want to know more about Jewish ideas, practices and traditions?
• Are you interested in learning more about Judaism?
• Are you exploring conversion to Judaism?
  
  Join Rabbi Fel, Cantor Mayer, and guest teachers to learn more about Judaism. This course is designed to be an introduction to Judaism so that those who were born Jewish or are interested in Judaism can learn more!  This class is part of the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program.
  
  $60 as part of adult Education - Includes Coursebook and materials; $360 as part of Conversion Program - Includes Coursebook, materials, individual meetings with clergy, Additional Books, Mikvah, and more!

Jewish Views on Life After Death

Instructor: Rabbi Irvin Wise
Time: Tuesdays 7:30-8:15 PM. In person at Temple Emanu-El resumes January 11, 2022 (ongoing).
Cost: $36 suggested donation to support educational scholarships. (Those not in a position to donate are more than welcome to attend.)

Contrary to popular notions, Judaism has a lot to say about life after death. In this class we will look at a wide range of positions and reflections on the subject including biblical, rabbinic, medieval, Kabbalistic, Hasidic and contemporary teachings for the purpose of expanding and deepening our understanding of what Judaism has to say about this universal human interest and concern.

About the instructor: Rabbi Irvin Wise earned a Master’s in Hebrew Letters in 1978 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati and his rabbinic ordination there in 1979. He served as Assistant Rabbi and Director of Student Affairs at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem from 1979-1981 and then as Executive Director of the Hillel Foundation at Ohio University in Athens and at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis from 1984-1992. In 1992 Rabbi Wise became Senior Rabbi of Adath Israel Congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Cincinnati, serving there for 27 years. He retired in 2019 and now lives in Barrington, RI. Learn more here: https://www.brgri.org/rabbi-irvin-m-wise.html

Delve Deeper is an adult education initiative that brings dynamic teachers to teach in-depth, university level Judaic courses to a diverse group of adult learners. Delve Deeper programs are presented in cooperation with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and area synagogues, including Congregation Beth Sholom, Temple Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Habonim, Temple Sinai and Temple Torat Yisrael.

Delve Deeper Winter / Spring 2022

“The Jews of Italy”

Instructor: Dr. Dana W. Fishkin

Time: Thursdays 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm beginning January 20 (10 sessions)

Format: Online via Zoom

With its diverse populations and cultures, the Italian peninsula is home to many of the most ancient Diaspora Jewish communities. The Italian way, Minhag Italki, preceded the split between Sepharad and Ashkenaz, but some scholars argue that Italian Jewry did not impact Jewish culture as much as the other groups. At the same time, Italian Jewry has traditionally been viewed as one of the most integrated Jewish populations in a host country. In this course we will consider and evaluate the very special position of Jews in Italy from the Roman Empire until the Holocaust. Using primary sources, we will familiarize ourselves with the legacies left behind by Italian Jews. The secondary sources will expose students to historiographical and scholarly debates about the Jews of Italy.

Instructor:

Professor Dana W. Fishkin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History & Humanities

at Touro's Graduate School of Jewish Studies in New York City