Saturday Mornings at 8:45am

Torah Study

Engage in a lively discussion of the weekly portion.

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No knowledge of Hebrew necessary.

New members are always welcome.

Thursdays at 11:00am - Noon

Great Jewish Debates

An hour of study and conversation

Argumentation and debate are the lifeblood of Jewish tradition. Abraham, the first Jew, challenged the decision to destroy the innocent along with the guilty in Sodom. Jacob successfully wrestled with a “Divine Being” and earned a new name. Moses, like the ancestors before him, frequently argued on behalf of the people and the sages of the rabbinic period recorded their debates as they wrote the Talmud. And today, Jews continue to call on the wisdom of their ancestors to wrestle with the social and political issues of our times.

Join Rabbi Adena Blum, Cantor Stuart Binder and Anne Berman-Waldorf, RJE, each month, we will examine a different discussion in history and apply it to life today. All programs will take place at Beth Chaim.

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September 23, 2021

October 28, 2021

November 18, 2021

December 23, 2021

January 27, 2022

February 24, 2022

March 24, 2022

April 28, 2022

May 26, 2022

Sundays at 1:00-3:00pm

Chavurah

Whether you knit, crochet, paint, scrapbook, quilt, needlepoint, cross stitch, embroider, draw or something not listed, bring your supplies and join us for an afternoon of crafting.

We will begin with a meditation to set the tone as we breathe out the stress and inhale camaraderie and creativity.

October 17, 2021
November 21, 2021
December 19, 2021

January 23, 2022*
*Knitting for a Cause: a joint program of

Sisterhood and Tikkun Olam

Wednesdays at 11:00am - Noon

2021 Summer Jewish Learning

Who Are You & What Do You Want?
The Color of Your Soul
June 2 & 9 - Zoom ONLY
Judaism teaches that the body and soul are separate yet indivisible partners in human life. Rather than imprisoning or corrupting the soul, the body is a Divinely given tool for doing sacred work in the world. Both body and soul require protection, care and respect as each are holy. Join Cantor Binder for an examination of this “breath of life.”

A Musical Tour of the Jewish World
July 21 & 28 - In-Person ONLY
Spend an hour turning the radio dial in Israel or attend a Jewish music festival anywhere in the world and you’ll realize that all the moving around the Jewish people have done over the past few thousand years has seeped into our music. Join Rabbi Adena Blum for a discussion of what IS Jewish music and how our songs reflect the lives and tell the stories of our people.

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Opening Ourselves to God
Spiritual Preparation for the Days of Awe
August 11 & 18 - In-Person ONLY
Anne Berman-Waldorf will take participants on a journey of seven distinct stages, based on Rabbi Alan Lew’s book, This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared, designed to awaken our souls to the meaning behind the Days of Awe.

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Thursdays at 11:00am - Noon

2021 Summer Reading Series

The Lost Shtetl by Max Gross
June 24 - In-Person ONLY
What if there was a town that history missed? For decades, the tiny Jewish shtetl of Kreskol existed in happy isolation, virtually untouched and unchanged. Spared by the Holocaust and the Cold War, its residents enjoyed remarkable peace. It missed out on cars, and electricity, and the internet, and indoor plumbing. But when a marriage dispute spins out of control, the whole town comes crashing into the twenty-first century. Divided between those embracing change and those clinging to its old-world ways, the people of Kreskol will have to find a way to come together...or risk their village disappearing for good

Visible City by Tova Mirvis
July 29 - In-Person ONLY
After chaotic days of wrangling and soothing her young children, Nina spends her evenings spying on the quiet, contented older couple across the street. But one night, watching the same window, she spies a young couple in the throes of passion. Confused and intrigued, Nina wonders who these people are, and what happened to her symbol of domestic happiness. This novel explores the boundaries between our own lives and the lives of others. 

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The Last Watchman of Old Cairo

by Michael David Lukas
August 26 - In-Person ONLY
Joseph, a literature student at Berkeley, is the son of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father. A mysterious package arrives on his doorstep, pulling him into a mesmerizing adventure to uncover the centuries-old history that binds the two sides of his family. This tightly woven tale illuminates the tensions that have torn communities apart and the unlikely forces that attempt to bridge that divide and is a poignant portrait of the intricate relationship between fathers and sons and an unforgettable testament to the stories we inherit and the places we are from.