Judaism 101
Congregation B’nai Israel
Little Rock, Arkansas
5784 (2023-24)
August 24
Jewish Views of God
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 347-392
August 31
Shabbat
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 69-95
September 7
The High Holy Days: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 61-68, 99-130
September 28
The Jewish Calendar and the Pilgrimage Festivals: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 61-68, 133-177
October 5
Navigating the Prayerbook – in person
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 403-424
October 12
Life Cycles 1: Birth and Bringing a Child into the Covenant
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 271-288, 295-316
October 19
Life Cycles 2: Jewish Education, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and Confirmation – Eileen Hamilton teaching
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 289-294
October 26
Life Cycles 3: Marriage (and Divorce)
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 199-268
November 2
Life Cycles 4: Conversion to Judaism
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 577-588
November 9
Life Cycles 5: Death and Mourning
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 327-342
November 16
Life after Death
November 30
Chanukah and Purim – Ellyn Polsky teaching
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 178-191
December 7
Judaism and Christianity: Similarities and Differences
December 14
Beyond the Bible: Sacred Jewish Texts
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 427-468
January 4
Jewish History: Creation to the Enlightenment
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 472-487
January 11
Modern Jewish History: Why Three (Plus?) Branches
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 547-549; 566 (Please visit all web sites listed there.), 567-573, 3-25
January 18
Zionism: Why Israel
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 507-511, 516-518
January 25
The Shoah (Holocaust) – Guest Lecturer, Prof. Dorian Stuber, Ph.D.
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 491-503
February 1
History of Israel
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 512-515. 519-544
February 8
The North American Jewish Experience
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, 550-565
February 15
Jewish Living
Reading: Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity, pp. 29-56. 201-224, 365-383, 386-391, 395-400
Bibliography
Rabbi Beth Lieberman and Rabbi Hara Person, editors, Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity: A Reader for the Union for Reform Judaism’s Introduction to Judaism Course, New York: CCAR Press, 2017.