Beth Am believes in and supports lifelong learning.
Free, independent inquiry is a hallmark of Beth Am – from our founding in 1974 to today. We offer a robust range of learning opportunities for adults. Discover new ways to grow with us, whether through studying Hebrew, attending a panel discussion or a lecture, or in an ongoing study group tackling the ethics of Jewish personhood – there is something for everyone!
The pandemic made us pivot, but we were still able to assemble, and we continue to offer hybrid and online learning in addition to in-person classes. We continue to strive to create the right environment that meets your needs and also feels like an extension of the community of the kiddush room.
Evening Lectures and Scholar-in-Residence programs
These popular programs focus on an in-depth analysis of issues of Jewish interest. Evening programs are offered throughout the year with guest lecturers.
Trope Classes
Would you like to read from the Torah or prepare Haftarah during a special celebration or milestone? Haftarah and Torah trope classes introduce the melodies used in chanting Haftarah and Torah readings. Classes are scheduled based upon demand. Contact Rabbi Tyler Dratch for more information.
We’d love to have you on Beth Am’s adult education committee! Contact Melissa Gerr for more information.
Following Women’s Voices Through the Omer
The 49 days after Pesach are an opportunity to prepare for Shavuot, the festival during which we celebrate our past and continuing experience of revelation. In six evening sessions with Rav Daniel, we will learn and discuss several modern midrashim from Dirshuni, the provocative and inspiring recent collection of Israeli women’s midrash. Together we’ll invite the authors to guide us from Egypt to Sinai, challenging long held assumptions about our most sacred texts.
Class meeting dates: 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29
Cost: $36 for members (including conversion students), $54 for non-member guests.
Saturdays | 8:45 AM
We offer hybrid torah study on Saturdays, in Rav Daniel’s study and on Zoom. On the first Saturday of the month, Torah Study with be in-person only.
Zoom link for hybrid study.
Thursdays | 8 AM | Kneads Cross Keys | Register Here
Begin your day with Jewish text study as we unlock the ancient secrets of the Mishnah. With the Hebrew text as our guide, we’ll utilize the New Oxford Annotated Translation and contemplate our Sages’ wisdom as we sip our morning coffee. This fall we begin tractate Shabbat. Materials provided.
Rise and Learn will take place at Kneads Cross Keys (5100 Falls Road Baltimore, MD 21210, Suite 6)
Thursdays, January 9th – February 6th at 8 AM | Rewatch each talk here
Lox & Learn: Join us for five consecutive Thursday mornings beginning January 9th for bagels, lox, and a chance to learn together! Lox and Learn features a range of fascinating scholars and experts who share their knowledge with us. Each of this year’s speakers will present on one of our five core values — the Torah of Beth Am.
Speakers:
January 9th: Rabbi Naomi Zaslow of Beth El Congregation
Your Next Rabbi Will Probably Be Queer: The Evolving Face of Conservative Judaism
Growing up Queer in the Orthodox Jewish community, Rabbi Naomi Zaslow will discuss her experiences, and how LGBTQ inclusion has changed in Conservative Judaism.
January 16th: Rachel Kutler, Baltimore Director at Jews United for Justice
Rooted in Justice: Jewish Values and the Importance of Joining Social Movements
Kutler will explore the role of Jews in social justice movements and the Jewish values that call us to take action. Drawing on her own journey with Jews United for Justice, she examines the power of building broad, multi-racial coalitions to drive transformational change. She invites us to reflect on how Jewish teachings—rooted in justice, equity, and community—call us to be active participants in the fight for systemic change, advocating for the safety and dignity of all people.
January 23rd: Hahrie Han, JHU political scientist and director at SNF Agora Institute
Where Do I Belong?
Han explores the concepts of belonging and the work it takes to create community and incite change.
January 30th: Sam Spinner, JHU Asst. Professor in Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture
Yiddish Books after the Holocaust
The Holocaust consisted not only of the murder of a large proportion of the world’s Yiddish speakers but also the systematic destruction of the things that make literature possible: printing presses, publishing houses, bookstores, newspapers, theaters, and the like. Despite this devastation, Yiddish publishing never stopped—it is still going strong today. Spinner will present an overview of Yiddish literature and publishing during the years of the Holocaust and the decade immediately following; together we will discuss whether the presence – or absence – of the Holocaust in these books can teach us anything about the place of the Holocaust in our own culture.
February 6th: Father and son, Michael and Sam Novey
There’s No Place Like Home
For most of the past century, there has been a Novey regularly showing up to daven at 2501 Eutaw Place. Michael Novey, father to Sam, was a Chizuk Amuno member when the congregation called the glorious structure in Reservoir Hill its home. Now, Sam Novey and his family have roots in the space and in the community that Beth Am has called home for 50 years. Father and son will talk about the arc of connection to place and the strong draw of community.
