Introduction to Judaism Class to be held in Hoboken beginning October 6th

The New Jersey Rabbinical Assembly is offering 3 locations for its comprehensive Introduction to Jewish Class, including at United Synagogue of Hoboken, beginning Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010. The other locations are Fair Lawn and East Brunswick.

The course will be of interest to anyone who wants to probe the depths of their Judaism, and will also serve as the educational basis for anyone considering conversion to Judaism. 

The classes will be on Wednesday evenings from October until May, 2011. They will begin at 7:00 pm with 45 minutes of learning Hebrew from scratch - and then a brief break followed by the topic for the day from 8:00 to 9:30 pm. Included in the price of the class are 7 wonderful Jewish books, and a source listing for many online articles of interest.

Classes will be taught by Rabbi Robert Scheinberg of the United Synagogue of Hoboken. The course is oriented towards a wide variety of individuals, including potential Jews by Choice and their spouses/significant others, non-Jews raising Jewish children, and born Jews who wish to learn more about their heritage.

A sample of the topics include:

• Three Dimensions of Jewish Identity: Behaving, Believing, Belonging
• Introduction to Rabbinic Judaism
• Jewish Perspectives on God
• Introduction to the Jewish Calendar
• Judaism and Christianity: A Comparative Look; Hanukkah, "December Dilemma" issues
• Halakhah: The Role of Law and Commandment in Judaism
• Prayer in Judaism -- Communal & Individual
• Shabbat -- A Palace in Time
• Kashrut -- The Jewish Dietary Laws
• Marriage, Divorce & Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality
• The End of Life: Dying, Death, Mourning and Afterlife
• Finding God through Joy: Purim
• Contemporary Moral Issues: Jewish Perspectives on Bioethics
• As If You Came Forth from Egypt: Passover
• The Holocaust and Anti-Semitism
• The Land of Israel & Ancient Judaism -- The Biblical and Rabbinic Background
• Women and Judaism
• The Four Streams of Contemporary Judaism
• Judaism in America -- Challenges of the Melting Pot
• Jewish Perspectives on Conversion
• Zionism and the Modern State

Additional information about the course is available by contacting the Program Administrator, Ellen Nesson at ellen.nesson@gmail.com or at www.introjudaismNJ.com ◦

Introduction to Judaism Class to be held in Hoboken beginning October 6th