Adult Education

Expand your Jewish knowledge and friendships by being part of our growing community of lifelong learners. Please check our calendar for more information on Adult Learning opportunities in 2024-2025. We also invite you to learn more about our resources in the Rabbi Richard B. Safran Library. 

Classes currently are offered on Zoom. Links are sent to members of our extended Temple family by email. Please contact the Temple office for access information at office@templecav.org or (260) 744-4245.

Beit Midrash With Rabbi Meir and Guest Teachers

Beit Midrash translates to “House of Study,” and describes the institution of classical Jewish learning.  Join Rabbi Meir Bargeron or guest teachers to learn about a variety of topics. 

The Prayers of Leonard Cohen 

We’ll begin a new year of lifelong learning programs on Wednesday, September 11 at 7 p.m. on Zoom when Rabbi Meir leads us in exploring the prayers of Leonard Cohen.

Cohen was a contemporary Jewish visionary songwriter and poet, who was known for his soulful, evocative lyrics. We will explore his songs through a Jewish lens, uncovering themes and influences from Jewish texts, mysticism, and tradition, revealing the poet’s spiritual depth.

Beginning Adult Hebrew

A great opportunity begins online on Monday, October 14 (new date) for adults interested in learning to read Hebrew through a collaboration between the Temple and Shir Tikvah Congregation in Minneapolis.

If you would like to decode (read) Hebrew, the class and textbook Aleph Isn’t Tough offers extensive opportunities to learn and practice reading with Steve Greenberg, a fun-loving Hebrew instructor and member at Shir Tikvah!

Hebrew reading provides a deeper path into Jewish texts and prayer. The class will meet from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET for 12 Monday evenings. Find tuition and more information. 

Hot Topics Shabbat

The Temple’s Social Action Committee hosts occasional programs on Friday evenings highlighting important social justice topics.

On Friday, September 28, we discussed food insecurity following our Hot Topics Shabbat service. Ermina Musteganagic, CEO at Wellspring Interfaith Social Services, shared informationm about this important topic. Watch her presentation

How Does Evil Exist in a World with a Good God?

Living in the reality of a post-Holocaust, and now a post-October 7^th, world can challenge long-held personal beliefs of good, evil and how God is connected to both.

Led by Rabbi Meir, we will come together on Wednesday, November 13 at 7 p.m. on Zoom to consider the problem of evil through Jewish theological perspectives, using biblical, rabbinic, and philosophical texts to understand how Jewish thought addresses suffering, free will, and divine justice.

We won’t solve any problems, but by learning and sharing together we will strengthen our connections to each other. All are invited to join us our community of lifelong learners.

Righteousness in our Age

The pursuit of justice and the care of our communities — and our neighbors — are the bedrocks of Jewish ethics. Join Rabbi Meir on Wednesday, January 8 at 7 p.m. on Zoom to explore biblical, rabbinic and modern Jewish texts that present different views of righteousness. We will discuss how these texts are relevant to the present moment in America, Israel and the world.

The Reform Movement in America Today

The Reform Movement, with its origins in Germany, is America’s largest Jewish movement. According to the Pew Research Center, 2.8 million Jews live in the U.S. and 38% identify as Reform.

In this series led by Rabbi Meir, we will focus discussions based on episodes of Re-Form, a recent podcast series from Tablet Studios, supplemented with Jewish texts presented during the class. Sessions begin on Wednesday, February 12 at 7 p.m. on Zoom.

Re-Form focuses on five questions or issues that have defined the movement in the modern era. Participants are highly encouraged to listen to the podcast episode in advance, but this is not required. Come prepared to learn, to question and to share your views on what it means to be a Reform Jew in America today. Find out more

Temple Book Club 2024-2025

We’ll read two highly-acclaimed books and meet with their authors through the Jewish Book Council’s LiveChat program.

We’ll meet on Tuesday, November 19 at 7 pm on Zoom to meet with Jennifer Rosner to discuss her novel, Once We Were Home. A finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, the plot follows two children who were “rescued” from a Polish ghetto by Christian friends. Twenty years later, they are still processing the loss of their losses.

On Tuesday, February 25, Lynda Cohen Loigman will join us at 7 p.m. on Zoom to discuss The Matchmaker’s Gift. The plot centers around a Lower East Side matchmaker, Sara, and her granddaughter, Abby.  Abby inherits her grandmother’s journals after her death. 

Both authors will join us virtually to discuss their work, thanks to the arrangements of the Jewish Book Council. The titles are available in the Rabbi Richard B. Safran Library. Zoom links will be included in the Temple’s weekly emails. 

A Creative Life: The Architecture and Art of Alan Grinsfelder

A new exhibit called “A Creative Life: The Architecture and Art of Alan Grinsfelder” opens on Sunday, November 24 at 2 p.m. at the Temple. The afternoon also includes a talk and panel discussion at 3 p.m. and reception at 4 p.m..

This inspiring exhibit highlights Alan’s designs and architectural contributions to the Fort Wayne skyline during his long career with Grinsfelder Associates Architecture, along with the creativity displayed in his ongoing fine arts endeavors.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Irene Walters. Joining Alan on the panel moderated by Irene Walters on November 24 are Geoff Paddock, Fort Wayne City Councilman and former Executive Director of Headwaters Park, and John O’Connell, Dean of the College of Visual & Performing Arts at Purdue Fort Wayne.

Find out more about the program and additional exhibit hours 

Update on the Situation in Israel

Journalist Mark Lavie, a Fort Wayne native and veteran Middle East correspondent, will share an update on the situation in Israel on Wednesday, December 11 at 7 p.m. at the Rifkin Campus. Find out more

Social Justice in our Texts: A Monthly Zoom “Study Break”

Immigration. Climate change. Marriage equality. LGBTQ+ inclusion. Voting and civic engagement. Respect for fellow human beings. Tikkun Olam.

What does Judaism teach us about creating a just society? 

Throughout this year, join us to take a monthly, one-hour “study break” – to learn about an aspect of social justice in Jewish texts. This series is being taught by a variety of progressive rabbis, and will meet roughly once a month on Monday afternoons (3 pm ET / noon PT). Register here

Free and open to all, this program is organized by LAASOK, the liberal Beit Midrash, and co-sponsored or endorsed by: the Union for Reform Judaism, CCAR Press, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Keeping it Sacred, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, Kirva, and Temple of Israel in Wilmington, North Carolina.