God Loves the Stranger (Beit Midrash)
Begins Monday, January 9, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
with Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia
In this 4-part class, Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia will discuss finding peace and harmony in an unsettled world, by embracing the stranger that God loves. The discussion will be based on the book, “God Loves the Stranger,” by Rabbi Peltz Weinberg. Participants are encouraged to obtain a copy of the book and to read the chapters we will discuss in advance of each session. In this collection of stories, poems, teachings, and meditation exercises, Rabbi Weinberg provides a pathway to navigate today’s challenges with grace, spiritual fulfillment, and understanding. We can learn to love one another, create just societies, handle suffering in productive ways, and bring love and gratitude into our everyday lives.
From Dream to Reality: The Story of the Ethiopian Community in Israel (Zoom)
Sunday, January 22, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
From living as a Jew in her native Ethiopia dreaming of Jerusalem, to the reality of immigration to Israel, Ms. Oshra Friedman will discuss her personal story. Her talk will include religious background of Ethiopian Jews, cultural traditions, absorption procedures, multi-cultural public education in Israel, and the challenges and successes of integrating Ethiopian Jews into academics and careers. Friedman currently serves in the Israeli government as Deputy Director General of the Authority for Advancement of Women. This event now requires registration – you will receive a personalized link via email. To Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvcOGhrDwqG9ffzGGzvOrm6-TdUY3SozND
Theatreworks “In Every Generation” (offsite)
Sunday, January 22, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Join Hazak at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts to see “In Every Generation”, presented by Theatreworks. A celebration of Jewish tradition, this exciting new play follows one family through four millennia of Passover dinners, going from the personal to the eternal, musing on how and if humanity will ever evolve. Ticket Price TBD. To RSVP, email hazak@beth-david.org This event is for members only.
Women’s Shabbat (Sanctuary/Streaming)
Saturday, January 28, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Sign up to participate
HAZAK – Be Strong – is our call as Beth David women. Bring with you your female identifying friends and relatives to fill the Bima and the sanctuary with our voices, as we gather in person for the first time in several years, and worship HAZAK with ruach and kavana.
To connect with Zoom (with or without video) https://zoom.us/j/706530744?pwd=Zk9Pczk4bUxiOG1SbTFPcm15Tm1zZz09 To connect by phone, call (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 706 530 744, Password: 389516
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/congregationbethdavid
Discovering Jewish Science Fiction/Fantasy (social Hall)
Tuesday, January 31, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Author Valerie Estelle Frankel will give us “A Look at the Jewish Influences in Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, D.C., Marvel, and So Many More…” Frankel is the author of more than 80 books, including popular and academic works on Jewish science fiction.