Adult Education - Temple Sinai

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Adult Education at Temple Sinai invites learners at all stages, novice to “seasoned,” to forge connections through group exploration of Jewish texts and topics.

The Adult Education Committee supports programming that has precedent at Temple Sinai (e.g., Hebrew classes, Torah study, and other clergy-led explorations), as well as programs to whet appetites and uncover as yet undiscovered audiences. Please join us in our explorations!

Upcoming Events

Sunday, November 17th at 9:30 AM - Jewish Feminism Past and Present with Rabbi Drorah Setel from Temple Emanuel

SAVE THE DATE! Scholar in Residence Weekend 2024

Only through the generosity of those who can afford to support the program at a higher level can we make quality learning experiences available to the entire Temple Sinai family.

Becoming an underwriter requires a minimum donation of $180 for each person who wishes to be recognized. We will honor underwriters on the program’s weekend with a special event!

December 13th-15th 2024

Rabbi Joshua D. Garroway, Ph.D.

The weekend will be devoted to the topic:

"Jews and Christians Throughout the Years: Conflicts and Confluence"

Rabbi Garroway grew up in Rochester and at Temple Sinai. He is currently the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Professor of Judeo-Christian Studies at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion.

December 13, 8:00 PM, D'var Torah by Rabbi Garroway

December 14, 12:00 PM, Saturday Lunch & Learn: "Inside the Mind of God: Influences on Ancient Jews and Christians"
Much as Jews and Christians today find themselves wrestling in similar ways with prevailing cultural ideas—for example, the Big Bang, postmodernism, climate change—so, too, did ancient Jews and Christians. In the first two centuries, perhaps no ideas were more popular than those of Plato. This session will examine the fascinating ways in which various Jewish and Christian authors incorporated Greek philosophy into their understanding of Creation. Guarantee: you’ll never read Genesis 1:1 the same again!

December 14, 7:30 PM, Saturday Dessert Reception: "Jewish Views on Christianity: Ancient Through Modern Times"
There is no single Jewish view of Christianity. Across 2000 years, the ways in which Jews have understood Christianity—its value, purpose, and fate—have changed many times over. This session will explore those changes, what brought them about, and what sorts of developments might be expected in the future.

December 15, 11:00 AM, Sunday Brunch Buffet: "Christian Views on Judaism: Ancient Through Modern Times"
There is no single Christian view of Judaism. Across 2000 years, the ways in which Christians have understood Judaism— its value, purpose, and fate—have changed many times over. This session will explore those changes, what brought them about, and what sorts of developments might be expected in the future.

ONGOING PROGRAMS



TORAH STUDY ZOOM LINK











CONTACT CANTOR BRAUN

ROSH-ESTHER ZOOM LINK

THE (W)HOLE ZOOM LINK

Torah Study
Saturdays at 9:15 am - Conference Room A

Torah study at Temple Sinai takes an unusual approach: we review a verse as slowly or as fast as we choose, then go on to the next. We read from different English translations and consult a variety of commentaries. There is plenty of room for comments and questions by participants. Our group truly enjoys our weekly meetings and appreciates the different approaches of our rabbi and cantor, who alternate leading the study sessions. We welcome you to our Torah study whether you wish to participate in lively discussions, read aloud the current passage, or simply listen.
A supply of Torahs is available.
Coffee served
We finish in time for the morning Shabbat service, which begins at 10:30.

For more information, email Cantor Braun.

Torah Chanting Club
Mondays at 6:00 pm

The Temple Sinai AdultED program offers an exciting learning opportunity and experience! Chanting Torah has been an enduring way of transmitting our tradition. Understanding trope empowers a person to chant Torah, lending its pronunciation musicality and phrasing. The Torah Chanting Club introduces participants to the essentials of using trope to chant Torah. While musical talent per se is not a prerequisite, basic facility with reading Hebrew is. The group meets once a week via Zoom and chants from Torah and Haftarah during Shabbat and Holiday services.

Upcoming Sessions: September 9 and 23, October 14 and 28, Nov 11 and 26, Dec 9

For more information, email Cantor Braun.

Rosh-Esther
Wednesdays at 7:00 pm starting October 30

The first series will run for 7 sessions! Register here!

This opportunity for spiritual learning and growth will incorporate Jewish mindfulness immersion in sacred texts and conscious group discussion. Rabbi Zohar will lead participants in mind-expanding explorations of Kabbalah and Chasidut (Jewish mysticism). Hybrid in Conference Room A and Zoom.

(W)hole of the Bagel
Sundays at 9:30 am

This journey in Jewish learning will connect themes from the weekly parsha (portion) and holidays to modern life. Instructors will include Rabbi Zohar and Cantor Braun and guest presenters from the Temple Sinai and broader communities. Bagels, cream cheese, and coffee will be served! Hybrid in Conference Room A and Zoom. Register for classes here!

Here is the schedule for September - December 2024!
View past sessions below!

Adult Education Presents:  The Holocaust on Film

As we must remember, the Holocaust stands as one of the darkest chapters in human history, a genocide that saw millions of European Jews systematically murdered by Nazi Germany. Cinema has grappled with depicting this incomprehensible event in both documentary and narrative forms over the decades.  These works show the progression from prejudice and denial, to industrialized genocide, to the pursuit of justice and lifelong psychological damage and healing. The series explores how such an atrocity occurred, the resilience of the human spirit, and the imperative to ensuring "Never Again."

Each film will be introduced and will have a discussion session following the screening. Register here.

	`The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970)` `Tuesday, September 17, 2024 7:00 PM` `Introduced and discussed by Ann Leonard` We will begin in the years leading up to World War II with Vittorio De Sica’s masterpiece, "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis", which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. This drama depicts an extremely wealthy Jewish family in 1930’s Italy unable or unwilling to recognize the coming danger. It can’t happen to them, but of course, it does.
	Schindler’s List (1993) Tuesday, October 15, 2024 7:00 PM Introduced and discussed by Victor Poleshuck Liam Neeson stars as Oskar Schindler, a greedy German factory owner made rich by exploiting cheap Jewish labor. But as World War II unfolds, he becomes an unlikely humanitarian, spending his entire fortune to help save 1100 Jews from Auschwitz. Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece was nominated for 12 and won 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.
	The Pianist (2002) Tuesday, November 12, 2024 7:30 PM Introduced and discussed by Jamie Spiller Famed Polish concert pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) struggles to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II in this Roman Polanski-directed drama based on Szpilman's memoirs. Szpilman spends several years holed up in Warsaw, barely alive and subsisting on scraps until salvation comes in the form of a German officer. Nominated for 7 Academy Awards, and won 3 including Best Actor.
	Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) Tuesday, December 17, 2024 Introduced and discussed by Dan Kinel This film by Stanley Kramer stars Spencer Tracy as American judge Dan Haywood, who's chosen to guide a 1948 tribunal that's trying Germans suspected of engaging in atrocities during World War II. Maximilian Schell co-stars in performance as defense counsel for the Nazi prisoners which won him the Best Actor Academy Award. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 3.
	The Pawnbroker (1964) Tuesday, January 14, 2025 Introduced and discussed by Ellen Poleshuck In Nazi Germany, Sol Nazerman, played by Rod Steiger, is a German-Jewish university professor, who is sent to a concentration camp along with his family. He witnesses his two children and his wife die. Twenty-five years later, Nazerman is haunted by his memories; he operates a pawnshop in an East Harlem slum. Numbed and alienated by his experiences, he has trained himself not to show emotion. Steiger was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award and won the British equivalent.