Adult Education 

Fall 2016 Course Offerings

The Children of Abraham Compare Notes: An Interfaith Trialogue

Date:              Sun. Oct. 30, Nov. 13, & Dec. 4

Time:             7:30 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.

Instructor:      Rabbi Susan Grossman

Refreshments at 7:00 pm

Trialogue at 7:30 pm

Join Rabbi Grossman and area Christian and Muslim clergy for a series of three dynamic discussions  about what we believe and how we practice our faith traditions.  Co-sponsored with the Howard County Muslim Council.

Sunday, October 30:  Dr. Mike Ghouse of the American Muslim Institute and Father William Au of the Baltimore Archdiocese: What We Share, Where We Differ and How We Can Still Get Along – An introductory look at basic practice and belief (that does not deal with the below two subjects).

Sunday, November 13: Imam Mahmoud Abdel-Hady of Maryum Islamic Center and Reverend Jane Wood of Locust United Methodist Church: This World and the Next: Birth, Death, Mourning and the Afterlife – An opportunity to discuss life cycle ceremonies and beliefs about the soul, fate, reward and punishment, and the afterlife.

Sunday, December 4: Imam Ali Siddiqui of the Muslim Institute for Interfaith Studies & Understanding, and Dr. John Ahn from the Howard University School of Divinity: People of the Books: How Do We Apply Our Ancient Holy Books to our Modern Lives – Every Abrahamic faith has what the Biblical Scholar Phyllis Tribble calls “texts of terror,” verses that condemn nonbelievers and can be used to justify violence against the “other.” How has each of our three traditions dealt with these difficult texts as the conditions under which they were created or transmitted have changed and in an effort to conform to other texts in our holy Scriptures that command us to love our neighbor and protect the weak?

This series grew out of our 2015-16 Interfaith Dialogues in which community members asked to learn more about each other.  All are welcome.

 Fee: $15 members; $30 non-members  

Traditional Jewish Practices at the End of Life 

Date:             Tues., Dec. 6, 13 & 20

Time:             7:45 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.

Instructor:      David Zinner

Session 1: Meit Mitzvah - The commanded mitzvah is based on Torah and Talmud - texts that we will study, and then apply to our world today.

Session 2: Ethical Wills - Our experience and values that we leave for our relatives and friends may be more important that the "things" we leave them. We'll discuss and then get "hands on," writing and videoing our gifts. (Bring your laptop and smart phone, if you have them.)

 Session 3: Shimira - Ritual guarding after a person dies is a powerful way of showing respect. It also provides a quiet meditative space and an amazing learning environment for youth. We'll answer the questions: What do we do, what can we read, where do we do it, and how do we organize it?

David Zinner is Executive Director of the Kavod v’Nichum’s Gamliel Institute whose goal is to educate others to honor the dead and comfort the living.  

Fee: $15 members; $30 non-members 

Conversational Hebrew

Date:              10 Thursdays beginning September 15

Time:              7:45 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.

Instructor:      Ora Fisch

This is an intermediate level class, with emphasis on grammar, conversational Hebrew, and vocabulary acquisition led by Master Teacher and native Israeli, Ora Fisch. This class is a continuation of the class held this past spring, but newcomers are welcome.

Fee: $45 members; $90 non-members