FALL 2023
Binaries and Beyond: Justice, Gender, and the Future of Jewish Traditions
Rabbi Camille Shira Angel with Guest Scholar Joy Ladin, PhD
Sundays, 9am-12pm Pacific Time (remote synchronous)
August 27, September 10, 24, October 15, 22, November 5, 19, December 3
Race, Racism, and Jews
Imani Chapman
Mondays, 4-7pm Pacific Time (remote synchronous)
August 28, September 18, October 2, 16, 30, November 13, 27, December 11
SPRING 2024
Antisemitism and Intersectionality
Aaron J. Hahn Tapper
Mondays, 4-7 pm Pacific Time (hyflex)
January 29, February 12, 26, March 11, 25, April 8, 15, May 6
Environmental Justice and Jewish Perspectives: Land, People, and Power
Ariela Ronay-Jinich
Thursdays, 4-7 pm Pacific Time (remote synchronous)
January 25, February 8, 22, March 7, 21, April 4, 18, May 2
SUMMER 2024
Disability and Jewish Social Justice
Julia Watts Belser
Sundays, 10 am-2 pm Pacific Time (remote synchronous)
June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, July 14
“This course aims to help students deepen their capacity to create cultures of accessibility within Jewish social justice practices. We’ll bring classical Jewish texts into conversation with the lived experiences of contemporary disability activists to grapple with spiritual and political questions about access and equity, invisibility and shame, and practices to transform social inequality. We’ll hone skills for recognizing and resisting ableism, and for understanding the way ableism intersects with racism, antisemitism, misogyny, queer, trans, and fat hatred, and more. We’ll also examine the contours of hegemonic norms around decorum and behavior, pace and time, and physical and sensory access—and consider ways to transform our religious communities and cultural spaces so that they more fully welcome the vivid, complex diversity of all our bodies and minds.”
FALL 2024
Meet the Moment – Israel/Palestine and American Jewish Life: Generational Divides and Future Directions
Oren Kroll-Zeldin
Mondays, 4-7pm Pacific Time (hyflex)
August 28, September 16, 30, October 14, 28, November 11, 25, December 9
“Israel/Palestine has been a central topic of concern in American Jewish life since before the State of Israel was established. Though there has never been a consensus among American Jews about Israel, American Jews, and their institutions have largely expressed support for Zionism and the State of Israel for more than half a century. Since October 7, 2023, American Jews have grappled with the role of Israel/Palestine in their communities and institutions in new and intense ways, particularly as dissenting Jewish voices against Israel and Zionism have become much more pronounced, especially amongst younger American Jews.
Our fall 2024 “”Meet the Moment”” course — Israel/Palestine and American Jewish Life — examines American Jewish perspectives on Israel during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Topics will include histories of Anti-Zionism and Zionism; generational trends, especially among today’s younger American Jewish Palestine solidarity activists; teaching multiple narratives on Israel/Palestine; Jewish responses to trauma since October 7; and how to have hard conversations inside and outside of Jewish institutions regarding this potentially volatile topic. This course is especially relevant for people working in Jewish institutions looking for meaningful ways to engage with Israel/Palestine in their communities.”
Binaries and Beyond: Justice, Gender, and the Future of Jewish Traditions
Rabbi Camille Shira Angel with Guest Scholar Joy Ladin, PhD
Wednesdays 4-7pm Pacific Time (remote synchronous)
August 28, September 11, 25, October 9, 23, November 6, 20, December 4
“What does it mean to live in a world in which gender is visibly, rapidly changing, and how do we live and work with those for who do gender in different ways than we do – who identify themselves in ways that don’t make sense to us, or identify us in ways that contradict our sense of who and what we are? In this class, we will explore these questions not only as individuals trying to live meaningfully gendered lives, but by critiquing the ways gender has figured in Jewish tradition, and studying how gender works in a variety of Jewish institutions and how those institutions are responding to gender diversity and the ways gender is changing.The course will also touch on social identity categories often linked to gender, such as sex and sexual orientation. The course will also touch on social identity categories often linked to gender, such as sex and sexual orientation.”
Race, Racism, and Jews
Dr. Imani Chapman
Sundays 10am-1pm Pacific Time (remote synchronous)
August 26, September 8, 22, October 6, 20, November 3, 17, December 1
“This graduate-level course explores the complexities of race, racialization, and racial oppression within Jewish American communities. Through inquiry and reflective practice, students will explore the historical roots and present-day manifestations of racism within Jewish contexts. The course investigates how race, as defined in the US context, plays out within Jewish community dynamics. Students will critically examine their own positions within systems of privilege and oppression, developing a deeper awareness of their role in perpetuating or challenging racist structures. By utilizing anti-racist frameworks, students will develop an awareness and practical strategies that will enable them to contribute to efforts of dismantling racism at individual, interpersonal, institutional, and societal levels. Rooted in Jewish values of shleimut (wholeness) and kavod habriyot (human dignity), this course empowers students to advocate for more inclusive and equitable communities within Jewish spaces and beyond.”
