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San Jose State University SJSU

San Jose State University SJSU
1 Washington Square Classes will be held in Clark Hall, San Jose, CA 95112 USA
Office: (347) 971-6668
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.JewishSJSU.com

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Past Courses

Flash PromoThink Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life
About the Course

A Jewish Educational Experience
Do you enjoy fun and lively conversations?

Do you want to challenge the status quo?

Do you have questions about Judaism that are important to discuss?

Do you want to discover how Judaism is relevant and forward-thinking?

Do you want to join a warm community?

Then join the club! Sinai Scholars is for you! This learning experience is different from any class you have ever attended!

Sinai Scholars is not a series of lectures; it is a series of interactive discussions. It is not a repeat of what you experienced in Hebrew school; it is fun, stimulating, deep, and relevant. It is not a time to listen; it’s a time to question. It is not geared to tell you what to think; it provides an opportunity to explore Judaism’s rich heritage at your own pace with you in the driver’s seat.

Sinai Scholars is a platform upon which participants explore central elements of Judaism that are relevant, interesting, and empowering for all Jews, irrespective of background, education, and level of commitment. By the end of this journey, you will have a richer appreciation for some of the core elements of Jewish heritage and Jewish identity, along with a deeper understanding about how these interface with modern life.

Session One
A Question of Identity: Perspectives on Jewish Identity in the Modern World

You meet a Jewish person who says, “You know, I don’t know why people consider me Jewish. I do not support Israel; I do not ever visit a synagogue; and I do not celebrate any Jewish holidays.” How would you respond?

What does it mean to be a Jew? Is Judaism a religion, culture, nationality, or some combination thereof?

Since the dawn of time, individuals and groups sought to define and explain their identities, and Jews throughout the ages questioned the meaning of their Jewish identity. Today, the shifting sands of Jewish life require that this conversation persist but with newer insights and profounder definitions.

Session Two
A People with a Purpose: Exploring Foundational Elements of the Jewish Ethos

If you were G-d and you were going to address a once-for-all-time message to all of humanity, what would you say?

What messages does humankind need to hear today?

Mark Twain noted that while many nations filled the planet with sound and splendor, all of them soon faded and vanished. But the Jews are different, he noted. “All things are mortal,” he wrote, “but the Jew.” For Jews, survival is not celebrated for survival’s sake; survival is seen as a call to a purpose. A dialogue about the nature of this purpose is one crucial step in making this world a better place.

Session Three
Reason and Ritual: On the Significance and Meaning of Jewish Observances

In medieval times, a despotic ruler once agreed to release a Jew from jail for one day each year to practice religion. The Jew was now in a quandary. Should that day be Yom Kippur? Passover? Rosh Hashanah? Some other day? How to choose?

What would you choose?

This leads into a broader discussion about Jewish rituals, which often seem foreign and archaic. In what ways can we find meaning and value in some of these observances?

Session Four
An Oasis in Time: The Gift of Shabbat

Life is continuous and unrelenting. Might there be some benefit in a creative pause?

Enter the Jewish Sabbath. It is difficult to imagine a society functioning without a weekend, but this institution was unheard of in the ancient world. What meaning did Jews find in their Sabbath that allowed them to shrug off their cultural isolation?

Examining this question is relevant to those who are troubled that today’s society is insufficiently happy and inadequately connected in meaningful ways.

 

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Date

Lesson 1 -
Monday, February 11 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Tikun Olam / Lesson 2 -
Monday, February 18 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 3 -
Monday, February 25 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 4 -
Monday, March 4 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Sleepover -
Friday, March 8 2019 - Saturday, March 9 2019

Lesson 5 -
Monday, March 11 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 6 -
Monday, March 18 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 7 -
Monday, March 25 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 8 -
Monday, April 1 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM


Calendar URL help
Availability Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information.
Flash PromoThink Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life
Date

Lesson 1 -
Wednesday, September 4 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Tikun Olam / Lesson 2 -
Wednesday, September 11 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 3 -
Wednesday, September 18 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 4 -
Wednesday, September 25 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Shabbos 1 -
Friday, September 27 2019 6:00 PM -

Lesson 5 -
Wednesday, October 2 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 6 -
Wednesday, October 16 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 7 -
Wednesday, October 23 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 8 -
Wednesday, October 30 2019 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Field Trip -
Sunday, November 3 2019 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Graduation -
Sunday, November 3 2019 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM


Calendar URL help
Intern
Availability Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information.
Flash PromoThink Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life
Date

Lesson 1 -
Wednesday, September 9 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Tikun Olam / Lesson 2 -
Wednesday, September 16 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 3 -
Wednesday, September 23 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 4 -
Wednesday, September 30 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Shabbos 1 -
Friday, October 2 2020 6:00 PM -
(Date subject to change)

Lesson 5 -
Wednesday, October 7 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 6 -
Wednesday, October 14 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 7 -
Wednesday, October 21 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 8 -
Wednesday, October 28 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Field Trip -
Sunday, November 1 2020 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
(Date subject to change)


Calendar URL help
Intern
Availability Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information.
Flash PromoThink Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life
Date

Lesson 1 -
Monday, March 21 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Tikun Olam / Lesson 2 -
Monday, March 28 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 3 -
Monday, April 4 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 4 -
Monday, April 11 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 5 -
Monday, April 18 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 6 -
Monday, April 25 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 7 -
Monday, May 2 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 8 -
Monday, May 9 2022 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM


Calendar URL help
Availability Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information.
Flash PromoThink Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life
Date

Lesson 1 -
Wednesday, September 7 2022 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Chessed Project -
Wednesday, September 14 2022 6:30 PM -
(Date subject to change)

Tikun Olam / Lesson 2 -
Wednesday, September 14 2022 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Lesson 3 -
Wednesday, September 21 2022 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Lesson 4 -
Wednesday, September 28 2022 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Lesson 5 -
Wednesday, October 12 2022 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Lesson 6 -
Wednesday, October 19 2022 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Lesson 7 -
Wednesday, October 26 2022 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Lesson 8 -
Wednesday, November 2 2022 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Field Trip -
Sunday, November 6 2022 12:00 PM -
(Date subject to change)

Graduation -
Sunday, November 6 2022 2:00 PM -


Calendar URL help
Availability Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information.
Flash PromoThink Jewish: Jewish Wisdom for Modern Life
Date

Lesson 1 -
Wednesday, September 6 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Tikun Olam / Lesson 2 -
Wednesday, September 13 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 3 -
Wednesday, September 20 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 4 -
Wednesday, September 27 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 5 -
Wednesday, October 4 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 6 -
Wednesday, October 11 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 7 -
Wednesday, October 18 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Lesson 8 -
Wednesday, October 25 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM


Calendar URL help
Availability Registration is now closed, please contact us for more information.

Apply as Intern: Intern Application