upcoming Adult Education Classes

Complete Class Descriptions

Sustain Studio: Creative Omer Study (In Person)

Tuition: $75 Teacher: Lillie Benowitz; May 15th, May 22nd, and May 29th from 6:00 to 8:00pm

In this series, we will count the Omer and explore what it means to "tend life" at this moment through the sefirot. As we move through the attributes of the Omer, we will surface what feels alive for each of us as a way of orienting to how we want to show up in the world. In each session, we'll engage in creative inquiry as spiritual practice using the Jewish Studio Process. This ritually held practice includes text study, then a guided creative process of art making and witnessing what came through. No prior experience with art or creative practice is needed to fully participate in this series.

The Way of Chevra Kadisha: a training on the care of bodies after death

May 14th, 6:00pm - 8:00pm in the Shir Tikvah Library 

Over the last year, a team of Shir Tikvah-niks have come together to form a Chevra Kadisha, a group of volunteers who prepare bodies after death. Join us for an evening of learning and training around these Jewish practices of care. We will do a simulated Taharah, washing and dressing of a body, guided by contemporary and centuries old Jewish liturgy. If you are curious to deepen your knowledge of Jewish burial practices and/or join Shir Tikvah’s Chevra Kadisha, this workshop is for you. If you’ve already gone through the training, but would like to observe the ritual again as a reminder, you are very welcome! Register here.

Exploring the Jewish Wedding

Wednesdays May 21, 28 and June 11; 6:30 - 8:00 PM CST on Zoom; $100 per couple

Are you planning a Jewish wedding or exploring Jewish marriage? We invite you to join us for a three  part class introducing Jewish wedding rituals, exploring building a Jewish home, and building connections with other people in a similar life stage. This class is for everyone who is actively planning a Jewish wedding ritual, or exploring what that might look like for you.

Longing and Belonging at Sinai: A Community Tikkun Leil Shavuot

Sunday June 1st 6:00pm - Monday, June 2nd, 8:00am

In person at Shir Tikvah and on zoom; Register here

The holiday of Shavuot invites us to imagine ourselves standing at Sinai with the entire Jewish people, past, present and future. It is an intense and vulnerable act of choosing the joys, messiness and potential of broad community and deep belonging. We’ll step into the holiday with a community tikkun, a long night of communal dreaming, learning, song, and ritual. Together, we’ll explore our longing for connection, our profound belonging to each other, and the challenges and beauty that arise from community.  

Weather permitting, our holiday will end with a sunrise Torah parade to Lake Harriet and a prayer service at the Lake. Between learning and song, we’ll snack on cheese cake and dance away sleep. Come for one session, or come all night. Learning sessions will occur both on zoom and in person. All are welcome. Masks are recommended for our in person learning.  

The Tikkun is held in partnership with:  Jewish Community Action, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, Shir Tikvah, Mayim Rabim, J-Pride, Zuta, and Twin Cities Jewish Renewal Community. 

Jewish Spiritual Directive for End of Life Wishes with Laurel Reidel 

Tuesday, June 10 6:30-8:00 pm in person Shir Tikvah Library 

No Cost; Register here

Laurel is an expert at guiding individuals through making important, sometimes difficult end of life decisions. Laurel’s belief is that we should consider these decisions and discuss them with our loved ones well before we get to the end of our lives. While she often runs workshops to assist individuals with health care directives, this class will be specifically focus on decision-making regarding caring for ourselves Jewishly after death.  Once you do fill out your form, it will be important to share your information with designated family and/or friends responsible for carrying out your wishes. This can be an addendum to your Health Care Directive or a stand alone document. 

Making these decisions and following up with conversations won’t cause us to die. Rather they will help us live more deeply now.  And they will save our loved ones a lot of stress.

Why do we Stand for the Shema and Other Mysteries of How Reform Jews Pray

$72; June 12, 19, 26 July 10 6:00pm; Our first session with R’ Rafi Ellenson will be on zoom and with our following sessions taught outdoors at Shir Tikvah with R’ Joey Glick

The Reform movement has innovated Jewish prayer for the last 200 years; from subtle changes (like standing for the Shema) to big evolutions, like musical instruments in shul. In this course, we’ll examine the theory of change that has motivated the development of prayer in the Reform movement.  We’ll delve into the thinking of leaders and everyday Jews as they navigate interreligious exchange, inner-communal conflict, and movements for liberation.  We’ll use this history as a springboard for dreaming about the continued evolution of Jewish prayer. 

The Next Level for Hebrew Beginners: Alef Isn’t Enough (Zoom)

Tuition: $234 Teacher: Steve Greenberg; Mondays from 3/3 - 5/26 @ 6:00pm

If you have a beginner’s knowledge of decoding (reading) Hebrew, this class offers more mastery in reading and understanding the basic vocabulary of biblical and prayerbook Hebrew; a doorway to comprehending the Hebrew words as you pray. We will also learn about some of the details and rituals around davening (praying) some of the prayers, such as (but not limited to) when to bow, when and why some of us rise up on our toes as we pray, and why some of us begin a set of prayers by stepping back and then forward three steps.

For questions about the class, contact Steve Greenberg at sigminn@gmail.com.

Soulful Jewish Texts (Zoom)

Tuition: $216 Teacher: Jayce Koester; Tuesdays from 3/4 - 5/27 @ 6:30pm

Soulful Jewish Texts (SJT) is one segment of Shir Tikvah’s basic Judaism course focusing on Jewish history and literature through the lens of Jewish texts. Each week, we'll use a particular Jewish text as a springboard for exploring Jewish imagination, practice, and theology. While required for Shir Tikvah’s conversion program, this class is open to everyone. If you're new to or curious about Judaism, this class is for you. If you've been around Jewish community for a long time and want to deepen your knowledge and practice, this class is for you. If you have any questions about the class or if it's a good fit for you please email Jayce at jayce@shirtikvahmn.org.

Practice Circles

Practice Circles are a once monthly space for folks to come together, explore, and deepen their Jewish practice related to Shabbat, holidays, prayer, food, and more. Beginning on Wednesday December 18th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM and meeting every third Wednesday of the month for twelve months, Practice Circles will fuse space for group reflection and connection with learning. In between meetings participants will have prompts to develop their own practices to reflect on in the following month. We are launching two circles, one meeting in-person at Shir Tikvah facilitated by Jake Porter and one meeting on Zoom facilitated by Jo Hjelle. You can register online here.

These circles are aimed at folks who have already spent some time building and exploring their Jewish practice. If you have any questions about whether or not this space would be a good fit for you please do not hesitate to reach out to Jayce Koester at jayce@shirtikvahmn.org.

Free, Ongoing Offerings

Ongoing Torah Study: Our People's Journey

2nd & 4th Fridays of the month with Gayle Zoffer

12:15pm-1:30pm (Zoom)

Scholars believe that the Psalms were written by different people over several centuries; these prayer-poems express a range of feelings and motivations–including awe, gratitude, hope, a desire for comfort, grief, and despair. The group will consider different translations of the text as well as associated commentaries; this phase of study will also give us the chance to dip into musical settings of certain verses or entire psalms. We’ll also have a chance to think about the various metaphors for the Divine that are found in the text and see what resonates most for each of us. To be added to the email reminder list contact Gayle Zoffer. All are welcome to participate.

Torah for Tough Times – Nourishing our Souls

Monthly Torah Study with Rabbi Sharon Stiefel, MSW

6/26, 7/24, 8/28 at 12:00pm (Zoom)

Join me for a monthly Torah study group that provides support for individuals facing challenging ongoing hardship, grief and illness.(your own or someone you are caregiving for.) By coming together to look at the weekly Torah portion, we will nurture seeds of hope and resilience from our tradition as well as create space for support from our community.

Scholarship

Shir Tikvah is committed to finances never being a barrier to your ability to access our classes, events, or services. If you have interest in a scholarship, please use this form and we will follow up shortly. Thank you!