Adult Ed Schedule
We will add to this list as we confirm speakers; thank you for checking back regularly!
PAST EVENTS
Sunday, February 26, 2023: David Broniatowski, Associate Professor at the George Washington University
We will welcome David Broniatowski, Associate Professor at George Washington University, who specializes in decision-making under risk, group decision-making, system architecture, and behavioral epidemiology. There is widespread concern about how misinformation that is spread widely on social media might undermine public health, and especially vaccination efforts. Dr. Broniatowski will review recent research studying how vaccines are discussed on social media, and the efficacy of recent efforts by social media platforms and public health officials to cope with the spread of vaccine misinformation online.
Please join us for this thought-provoking session!
This session will be accessible virtually.
Sunday, March 5, 2023: Sam Lubell, Program Coordinator of the Elijah Cummings Youth Program
We will welcome Sam Lubell, the Program Coordinator of the Elijah Cummings Youth Program, a joint collaboration between the Baltimore Jewish Council and late Congressman Elijah Cummings. Samuel is responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing ECYP’s youth fellowship. Please join us as Sam shares with us his expertise and experience with the program, which invests in promising teens from Maryland’s 7th congressional district and prepares them to serve as open-minded leaders with the skills, community ties, and global exposure critical to success in a diverse society.
This session will be available virtually. It will end at 11:00 and be followed by Beth Chai’s Purim Party.
Sunday, March 12, 2023: Professor Sarah Shomstein, Professor and Chair at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the George Washington University
We will welcome Sarah Shomstein, Professor and Chair at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at The George Washington University. Join a discussion with Dr. Shomstein who has laser-focused her own scientific attention on how human beings manage to attend to anything at all amidst what otherwise would be an utter sensory cacophony of visual, aural, tactile, olfactory, gustatory and other internal and external stimuli.
This session will be accessible virtually.
Sunday, February 12, 2023: Rabbi Deborah Cohen
Our very own Rabbi Deborah Cohen will explain and walk us through the Jewish prayer service. We hope you join us for this educational and insightful session!
This session will be accessible virtually.
Sunday, December 18, 2022: Amy Harfeld, National Policy Advocate/Senior Staff Attorney, Children's Advocacy Institute
We will welcome Amy Harfeld, the National Policy Advocate and Senior Staff Attorney for the Children’s Advocacy Institute. She will discuss her dogged efforts to defend, represent, and grow children’s interests and rights in our legal system. Come be inspired by her and her work!
This session will be accessible virtually. It will end at 11:00 and be followed by Beth Chai’s Hanukkah Party.
Sunday, December 11, 2022: Dr. Edward Lefrak, the First Physician to Perform a Heart Transplant in the D.C. Area
You may know our own Allison Lefrak, but did you know that her father, Dr. Edward Lefrak, was the first to perform a heart transplant (his first!) in the D.C. area in 1986? Please join us on Sunday, December 11, to meet him and talk to him. We will show a documentary about the extraordinary circumstances that led to this historic surgery during the first part of Adult Ed, and Dr. Lefrak will speak to us and answer questions about this transplant, his exceptional patient, and his storied career during the second part of Adult Ed. We look forward to seeing you there!
This session will be available virtually.
Sunday, November 27: No Adult Ed
Sunday, November 20, 2022: Sally Priesand, the First Female Rabbi in the U.S.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of her ordination, we are thrilled and honored to welcome Rabbi Sally Priesand, the first female rabbi in the U.S.
She has authored Judaism and the New Woman and contributed to Women Rabbis: Exploration and Celebration as well as a treasury of favorite sermons by leading American Rabbis.
She is featured in numerous books including Rabbis: The Many Faces of Judaism and Fifty Jewish Women Who Changed the World. Most recently, she contributed to The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate, a winner of the National Jewish Book Award, and she wrote the foreword for This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings, a book of poetry and prayer by Alden Solovy. For details about her career, please click the link associated with her name above.
We look forward to hearing about the challenges she has faced and about her storied career. Please join us for this exceptional session!
This session will be accessible virtually.
Sunday, November 13, 2022: Professor Jonathan Krasner from Brandeis University
We will welcome Professor Jonathan Krasner from Brandeis University; he is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Associate Professor of Jewish Education Research. He co-authored the book about camp, “Hebrew Infusion,” detailing how summer camps adopted Hebrew not for proficiency but to cement Jewish identity and attitudes in post-war America. He will talk to us about the history of Jewish summer camps in the U.S. and how successful they have been in these efforts.
We will call this session, “Welcome to Camp Beth Chai”! If you have any summer camp paraphernalia at home - whether your kids’ or yours - bring it with you to show off to others during our break. Let’s learn about the cultural ramifications of Jewish summer camps while walking down memory lane together! Maybe we can recapture a bit of summer in November. Join us!
This session will be accessible virtually.
Sunday, November 6, 2022 - No Adult Ed
Sunday, October 30, 2022: Rick Stack, Director of “In the Executioner’s Shadow”
We will welcome Rick Stack, one of the two filmmakers behind "In the Executioner's Shadow," a documentary that examines the death penalty from the perspective of three very different people. Although he is a formal public defender and a long-time opponent of the death penalty, he opted for a nuanced and balanced approach in his documentary for the sake of moving public opinion forward. We will watch the documentary during the first part of Adult Ed, and discuss it with Rick during the second part. Please join us for this thoughtful and thought-provoking session.
This session will be accessible virtually
Sunday, October 23, 2022: Rabbi Ed Rosenthal from Tikkun HaYam
We will welcome Rabbi Ed Rosenthal, the Founder and CEO of Tikkun HaYam. He will discuss with us the work of his wonderful organization, whose mission is to share the spiritual wonders of water and the Sea from a Jewish perspective, and to raise awareness and encourage action to address the many threats facing the aquatic environment. Join us and be inspired to do your part!
This session will be accessible virtually.
Sunday, October 16, 2022: Claire Mickelson, a Beth Chai Member, will Present on the Dreyfus Affair
Claire Mickelson, a member of Beth Chai who studied in France, will give a presentation on the Dreyfus Affair and its ramifications for French Jews and French society. Alfred Dreyfus was a well-respected Jewish captain in the French Army who was wrongfully accused of treason in a context of rising antisemitism in France, and whose treatment became a cause célèbre. Emile Zola a column that became famous far beyond the French borders: J’Accuse. Join us to learn about this watershed moment in French history.
This session will be available virtually.