Hebrew Class | Israeli Dancing with Tamar | Jewish Meditation Center | Parenting Workshops | Jewish Studies With Melton Graduate Program | Jewish Studies With Mechon Hadar | Jewish Studies With Drisha Institute | Jewish StudiesWith Romemu

Hebrew Class

Beginner to Intermediate Level, Fall Semester: October 16-December 18, Tuesdays, 8:15-9:15am, $100 for the semester

To register, email smallcity@hannahsenesh.org

As part of a continuing effort to expand the learning of Hebrew language and culture within our community, we are offering a new class this fall. Hebrew language will be taught by Nir Rikman, Senesh Hebrew Language Coordinator.

In this class you will acquire the fundamentals of grammar, build vocabulary, and develop reading, oral, and written skills. In addition, you will learn about modern Israeli culture. Topics will include food, family, shopping, the days of the week, weather, and clothes. The class teaches Hebrew in context, by using the proficiency approach.

Israeli Dancing with Tamar

Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30pm beginners, 7:30-10:00pm open dance, $10 per session/drop in, no registration necessary

Enjoy an evening filled with dancing and fun in a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. The class will include instruction for beginners, as well as open dance for more advanced dancers.

Tamar became involved in Israeli dance in her teens, as a member of the Habonim Labor Zionist Youth Movement in Minneapolis. Over the last 30 years, she has become a renowned Israeli dance instructor in the New York and New Jersey area. Having run the Israeli dance program at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades and The JCC in Manhattan's Israeli dance program since their inceptions, Tamar has introduced thousands to the joys of Israeli dancing.

Jewish Meditation Center

Weekly Sitting Meditation, Wednesdays, 8:00pm, $10 per session, No registration necessary

An inclusive, inviting, and peaceful space to practice Jewish meditation and cultivate tikkun olam (repairing the world) from the inside out. The weekly sitting meditation creates a way to integrate Jewish meditation and contemplative practice into everyday life. Weekly kavanot (intentions) are offered and based on the weekly Torah portion

Parenting Workshops

Parenting Workshops are FREE of charge, no registration necessary

Sponsored by UJA-Federation of New York's GPS@JBFCS

Do you ever get tired of navigating your child's unpredictable moods and behaviors? UJA-Federation of New York's Guiding Parents through Services (GPS) provides free, confidential consultations for when you hit those parenting roadblocks. Clinical social workers are available to speak with parents concerned about their child's development and emotional well-being. For more information, or to schedule consultation, please contact Karin Spitzer, LCSW or Meredith Levine, LMSW at 212.632.4668 or gps@jbfcs.org.

GPS will be offering a series of interactive workshops for parents on a range of topics related to the behavioral, social and emotional health of your child. All workshops will be led by JBFCS clinical social workers.

Separation: Nurturing Healthy Attachment and Growth, Wednesday, October 24, 8:15-9:30am

In this workshop, we will offer tips for encouraging healthy separation and independence in children. We will discuss common causes of separation anxiety and strategies that promote healthy attachment in your child.

Managing Stress in Your Kids, Wednesday, November 14, 6:15-7:30pm

Parents often wonder what to expect from their child's development and what to do when difficulties arise. In this workshop, we'll offer tips on how to recognize stress in school-aged children, and tricks on how to develop healthy ways to cope.

Parenting Skills that Work, Wednesday, December 19, 8:15-9:30am

Perhaps one of the hardest parts of a parent's job is disciplining a child.

So many factors influence the role of discipline in each family. In this workshop, we will discuss effective approaches to incorporate into your family life.

Supporting Emotional Growth in Your Tweens, Wednesday, January 16, 6:15-7:30pm

This workshop presents parents with an emotional growth chart for their children. Learn what is developmentally appropriate social and emotional functioning for your child's age, and learn strategies to foster this development. Please note: this workshop will focus on children ages 11-15.

Grappling with Death and Explaining Loss to Children, Wednesday, February 13, 8:15-9:30am

Death can be scary to children and adults, but it is a part of the life cycle. Join us for a discussion about how children understand death, and the best ways to address loss with them.

Transitions-Adjusting to Big Changes, Wednesday, March 20, 8:15am-9:30am

A growing child frequently faces transitions socially, emotionally, and physically. From small to enormous, changes impact the family. Learn about what parents can do to support their child through expected and unexpected life changes such as a new sibling, new school, or new home.

Jewish Studies

$15 per class, No registration necessary

With Melton Graduate Program

Hasidism: Kabbalah Turned Practical, Thursday, December 20, 7:00-8:30pm

Hasidism is sometimes described as the last stage in the history of Kabbalah. What are the Kabbalistic and Jewish mystical ideas in Hasidism, and how, if at all, have previous Kabbalistic traditions shaped its development? What is the relationship between the Zohar and early Hasidic literature? We will explore some of the ways in which the Ba'al Shem Tov, the father of Hasidism, and subsequent Hasidic masters radically reinvented Jewish mysticism.

Isolation versus Engagement: Satmar and Chabad, Thursday, January 17, 7:00-8:30pm

Most branches of Hasidism prefer to live in segregated neighborhoods, isolated from the outside secular world. Chabad, on the other hand-- one of the fastest growing Jewish movements in contemporary times-- seems to embrace much of the modern culture its counterparts reject. What accounts for this radical difference among Hasidic sects?  What is the ideology that drives Chabad to expand its reach to all corners of the world? We will learn about some of the different strands of Hasidism and what unites and divides them, paying special attention to Chabad and its underlying philosophy.

Guest Teacher: Rabbi Zalman Rothchild

Zalman Rothschild has directed the Honors Beit Midrash program at Ivry Prozdor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and currently teaches Florence-Melton courses as well as other adult education classes at Park Avenue Synagogue of Manhattan. Zalman is a recent recipient of the 2012-13 Kevah Teaching Fellowship.

With Mechon Hadar

How Much Does Judaism Care about Our Friendships? A Remarkable Spiritual Contract from Jerusalem, 1757, Wednesday, October 17, 7:00-8:30pm

What inspired a group of Jerusalem's great kabbalists to promise one another their friendship and aid, in this world and the next? We'll study a unique and surprising contract from the 1750's which raises and informs contemporary questions of friendship and community. The text will be available in Hebrew and English.

Guest teacher: Rabbi Jason Rubenstein

Jason Rubenstein is Dean of Students at Yeshivat Hadar, where he also teaches Talmud and Jewish Thought.

Pluralism and Integrity: Can We Truly Live Our Values and Live in Community?, Wednesday, November 28, 7:00-8:30pm

What are the blessings and difficulties of creating pluralistic Jewish communities? Though the term "post-denominational Jew" is recent, the question of how to live as one kind of Jew among many is hardly new.  We'll explore what ancient and contemporary rabbis have to say about how to practice our values with integrity while living in a diverse community.

Guest teacher: Rabbi Aviva Richman

Aviva Richman is a faculty member at Yeshivat Hadar.

Shalom Aleichem: Who Are the Angels Among Us On Shabbat?, Wednesday, January 9, 7:00-8:30pm

Shabbat dinner typically begins with a song of greeting to the Shabbat angels. In this class we will try to discover who these angels are and what their presence can teach us about the beauty and challenge of observing Shabbat.

Guest teacher: Dena Weiss

Dena Weiss is a faculty member at Yeshivat Hadar.

With Drisha Institute

Abraham's Journey, Wednesday, October 24, 7:00-8:30pm

Join us for a close reading of the Abraham narrative, found in Genesis Chapters 11-25, as we uncover core issues that emerge from the text, challenges raised, and messages for today.

Guest Teacher: Rabbi David Silber

David Silber is the Founder and Dean of Drisha Institute for Jewish Education.

Original Chasidic Stories: Law, Narrative and Piety in the Talmud, Wednesday, November 14, 7:00-8:30pm

Mysterious appearances of Elijah. Communal zoning laws. Pietists challenging death.  Liturgical details. What do these things have in common, why and how does the Talmud juxtapose law and narrative, and what does any of this have to do with us? Come learn and find out!

Guest Teacher: Jon Kelsen

Jon Kelsen is the Director of the Collegiate Immersion Programs and teaches in Drisha's Beit Midrash and Yesodot Programs.

Elisha Ben Abuyah: The High Road to Heresy, Wednesday, December 5, 7:00-8:30pm

Despite a promising start as a first century sage and scholar, Elisha ben Abuyah leaves the path and becomes a notorious heretic. How did that happen? We will study an array of Rabbinic texts that seek to explain Elisha's apostasy, and explore the potential reasons why a believer would lose faith.

Guest Teacher: Wendy Amsellem

Wendy Amsellem is the former Director of the Dr. Beth Samuels High School Program and an alumna of the Drisha Scholars Circle, where she currently teaches.

With Romemu

God is a Four Letter Word: Is Monotheism Idolatrous?, Wednesday, November 7, 7:00-8:30pm

One of the leading Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) of the 20th century, Rav Kook, wrote that all definitions of God ultimately lead to heresy, including our most cherished belief, monotheism. This class will explore texts and questions related to this assertion: heresy, the nature of the Divine, polytheism and the meaning of God's unity. No prior text knowledge is necessary.

Approaching the Dark Cloud: Obstacles Within Spiritual Practice, Wednesday, December 12, 7:00-8:30pm

This class will work with a stunningly beautiful and relevant teaching from Reb Nachman of Breslov on the nature of obstacles that we encounter in our lives. Reb Nachman offers a counter-intuitive assertion that has great significance if we are to navigate our way through these difficult moments and situations. No prior text knowledge is necessary.

Rabbi Meir and Uncertainty: The Torah of Doubt, Wednesday, January 30th 7:00-8:30pm

This class will examine and analyze a deceptively powerful Talmudic story or aggadah. The story, from Eruvin 13B, is a complexly woven narrative that raises fundamental religious questions about God, revelation, and the limits of human knowledge and language. This text will surprise and excite you to learn aggadah! No prior text knowledge is necessary.

Guest Teacher: Rabbi David Ingber

Rabbi David Ingber is the founder and Spiritual Director of Romemu, NYC's Jewish Renewal Community.

SmallCity@Senesh is funded in part by a grant from The Covenant Foundation.