TBI Torah at TBI 2021-2022

2021-2022
TORAH AT TBI
#JEWISHLEARNINGFORJEWISHLIVING
3601 W Dempster Street | Skokie, IL 60076 | 847.675.0951 | www.tbiskokie.org

Check TBISkokie.org for more
updates about these authors and more!
WHAT IS MULTI ACCESS?
ZOOM
IN PERSON
LIVE STREAM
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
Look for these symbols to know how to participate
Life in the time of COVID is complicated (as we all know by now).
Please note that the calendar is up to date at the time of printing.
Should an event be changed or cancelled, the TBI website will
be updated as soon as possible and as frequently as needed.
Please check the TBI website for the most up to date information!
www.tbiskokie.org
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SPECIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
HINEH MAH TOV: ISRAELI AND AMERICAN JEWS’
VIEWS OF EACH OTHER AND HOW LIBERAL JEWISH
MOVEMENTS IN ISRAEL HAVE MADE PROGRESS, FACED
OPPOSITION, AND COOPERATED.
Tuesday, October 26 – 10:30 am
Wednesday, October 27 – 7:30 pm
Elan and Naamah will begin the discussion by reflecting on
their shared life journeys, from the viewpoints of an Israeli and
an American who met 45 years ago. They will talk about what
Israel and American Jewry were like when they met, and how
they saw the other in this context. Then they will talk about
how things have changed over the decades that they have been
together, and what were their respective roles and activities.
They will also describe the progress made by both Conservative
and Reform Judaism in Israel, as well as collaboration between
the two movements on issues of mutual concern, including with
unconventional Orthodox leaders and institutions. After the
initial 45-minute joint presentation/discussion, we will divide
into two breakout sessions: Naamah will discuss the renaissance
and challenges of Jewish life in Israel through her work as a rabbi
and the dean of Hebrew Union College. Elan will focus on issues
of Jewish peoplehood, Israel-Diaspora relations and his work
teaching Israelis about American Jewry.
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ON-GOING LEARNING AT TBI
NOVEMBER IS JEWISH BOOK MONTH
JEWISH
BOOK MONTH
LORI’S LUNCH N’ LEARNS
Fridays at 12:00 pm
Beginning November 6
FOUR LEVELS OF ADULT HEBREW CLASSES
With Rabbi Jim Sagarin
Sunday Mornings
9:00 am Advanced Intermediate Modern Hebrew
10:00 am 2nd Year Prayer Book
11:00 am Advanced Prayer Book and Biblical Hebrew
12:00 pm Beginning Hebrew
SISTERHOOD TORAH STUDY
With Rabbi Rachel Kaplan Marks
Tuesdays 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Take advantage of this opportunity to study with Rabbi Marks
from 10:00 to 11:30 am on select Tuesdays. The text will be
Chapters of the Heart: Jewish Women Sharing the Torah of Our Lives
by Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell.
SHABBAT MORNING TORAH STUDY
With Rabbi Rachel Kaplan Marks
9:00 am Most Shabbat Mornings
Each Shabbat morning, from 9:00 am
to 10:00 am, adult learners gather
to read and discuss the Tanach
(the Hebrew Bible). It is an open
discussion of the Biblical text
(in English). Regular and
occasional attendees are all
welcome. No prior knowledge
is required.
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ON-GOING LEARNING AT TBI
TORAH 101
SECOND BOOK OF KINGS
9:00 am Sundays when Bet Midrash Meets
Life never stands still and neither did the ancient Israelites. Our
topic this year will be the often neglected Book of Judges, which
narrates the transition between the settling of the land of Canaan
and the establishment of a kingship in Israel. This work describes
some of the most important women in our Sacred Texts, including
the leadership role of Deborah and her famous song of victory,
which is recognized by scholars as among the oldest literary
pieces in the Bible. Together with the famous story of Samson
and Delilah, and the shocking story of the Levite’s concubine,
the Book of Judges promises to be one which challenges us to
imagine the difficulties of political and religious survival. Join us
at 9:00 am every Sunday morning that Bet Midrash is in session
for a lively discussion about the interpretations and meanings to
be found in our sacred books. No experience necessary and all
are welcome!!
SISTERHOOD BOOK DISCUSSION
October 27, 2021
December 22, 2021
February 23, 2022
April 20, 2022
June 22, 2022
August 24, 2022
The Giver of Stars, by JoJo Moyes
Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman
The Liar, by Ayelet Gondar-Goshen
The Third Daughter, by Talia Carner
Olive Again, by Elizabeth Strout
Run, by Ann Patchett
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FALL SEMINAR SERIES
MONDAYS IN NOVEMBER 2021
Fall Seminar Series with Rabbi Rachel Kaplan Marks
LET’S START AT
THE VERY BEGINNING
Join Rabbi Marks in a discussion
exploring our tradition’s creation
narratives through the lens of various
commentaries and interpretations.
SPRING SEMINAR SERIES
MONDAYS IN APRIL 2022
Spring Seminar Series with
Rabbi David Barak-Gorodetsky
REFORM JUDAISM IN ISRAEL -
HISTORY AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
Rabbi Dr. David Barak-Gorodetsky
is an historian and a scholar of Jewish
thought. His research interests include
pre-state and early-state Israeli history,
Jewish- American history and religious
thought, political theology, post-secularism and Israel and
World Jewry relations.
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FOR OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS
Visit the Bitmoji School Library
to hear stories read by TBI members
SUNDAY MORNING SEMINARS
SUNDAY MORNINGS AT TBI
With special thanks to the Book Stall and to the
Jewish Book Council, TBI presents the
TBI 2021-2022 speaker series.
Partnering with the Book Stall,
purchase your books locally!
8 2021-2022 Torah at TBI

SUNDAY MORNING SEMINARS
WELCOME ANDREW PORWANCHER
Sunday, September 19, 2021 – 10:00 am
The untold story of the founding
father’s likely Jewish birth and
upbringing―and its revolutionary
consequences for understanding
him and the nation he fought
to create. In The Jewish World
of Alexander Hamilton, Andrew
Porwancher debunks a string of
myths about the origins of this
founding father to arrive at a
startling conclusion: Hamilton, in all likelihood, was born and
raised Jewish. For more than two centuries, his youth in the
Caribbean has remained shrouded in mystery. Hamilton himself
wanted it that way, and most biographers have simply assumed
he had a Christian boyhood. With a detective’s persistence and
a historian’s rigor, Porwancher upends that assumption and
revolutionizes our understanding of an American icon.
WELCOME MAX P GROSS
Sunday, October 24, 2021 – 10:00 am
What if there was a town that
history missed? For decades,
the tiny Jewish shtetl of Kreskol
existed in happy isolation, virtually
untouched and unchanged. Spared
by the Holocaust and the Cold War,
its residents enjoyed remarkable
peace. It missed out on cars, and
electricity, and the internet, and
indoor plumbing. But when a
marriage dispute spins out of control, the whole town comes
crashing into the twenty-first century.
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SUNDAY MORNING SEMINARS
WELCOME JAKE COHEN
Sunday, April 3, 2022 – 10:00 am
In Jew-ish, he reinvents the food of
his Ashkenazi heritage and draws
inspiration from his husband’s
Persian-Iraqi traditions to offer
recipes that are modern, fresh, and
enticing for a whole new generation
of readers. Imagine the components
of an everything bagel wrapped
into a flaky galette latkes dyed
vibrant yellow with saffron for a
Persian spin on the potato pancake, best-ever hybrid desserts
like Macaroon Brownies and Pumpkin Spice Babka! Jew-ish is a
brilliant collection of delicious recipes, but it’s much more than
that. As Jake reconciles ancient traditions with our modern times,
his recipes become a celebration of a rich and vibrant history, a
love story of blending cultures, and an invitation to gather around
the table and create new memories with family, friends, and
loved ones.
WELCOME LAUREN FOX
Sunday, May 15 – 10:00 am
An achingly beautiful work of
historical fiction that moves
between Germany on the eve of
World War II and present-day
Wisconsin, unspooling a thread of
love, longing, and the powerful
bonds of family.
Check TBISkokie.org for more updates
about these authors and more!
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LUNCH N’ LEARN SERIES
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
We bring the lunch. We bring the learning.
Set aside 12–1:30 pm the third Wednesday each month for a
wonderful learning opportunity!
SCHEDULE TO DATE:
Oct 20 – Carl Schrag – TBD
Nov 17 – Sharsheret – Importance of Senior Testing
Dec 15 – Cindy Stern – Shtisel
Jan 19 – Susan Van Dusen – The Missing Hand
Watch TBI eBlast and www.tbiskokie.org for more details.
SOUP’ER STUDY
SOUP’ER STUDY IS BACK!
DECEMBER SOUP’ER STUDY
Identity Politics, Wokeness, and Critical Race Theory
With Jim Kenney
Monday, December 13, 2021
Supper – 6:00 pm | Speaker – 6:45 pm
Why are “Cancel Culture” and Critical
Race Theory the right wing’s angry new
obsessions? Is “Wokeness” a poison pill for
Democrats? Or is Anti-Racism the party’s
new touchstone? What’s the story behind
this freshening storm on the political horizon? One thing is clear:
It matters for 2022!
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SOUP’ER STUDY
TBI BIRTHDAY SOUP’ER STUDY
Why Do We Do It That Way and Who Started That Anyway?
Stories of TBI’s Past and Some of Our Famous Members
With Michael Lorge
Monday, January 31, 2022
Supper – 6:00 pm | Speaker – 6:45 pm
I love to look at the old brass Tzedakah
Box in our lobby right next to the sanctuary
doors. I remember exactly where it was in
the old building in Albany Park, Chicago.
But why was it created, what does it say
about the culture of our congregation and how did it make it to
Skokie? Spend some time with Michael Lorge as he talks about
the history of our over 100 years and some of the people who led
our congregation and impacted Chicago and beyond.
Co-sponsored with TBI Brotherhood and Adult Education
FEBRUARY SOUP’ER STUDY
Judah Magnes: The Prophetic Politics of a Religious
Binationalist – With Rabbi David Barak-Gorodetsky
Monday, February 21, 2022
Supper – 6:00 pm | Speaker – 6:45 pm
This comprehensive intellectual biography
of Judah Magnes—the Reform rabbi,
American Zionist leader, and inaugural
Hebrew University chancellor—offers
novel analysis of how theology and politics
intertwined to drive Magnes’s writings and
activism—especially his championing of a
binational state—against all odds.
Rabbi Dr. David Barak-Gorodetsky is an historian and a scholar
of Jewish thought. His research interests include pre-state and
early-state Israeli history, Jewish-American history and religious
thought, political theology, post-secularism and Israel and World
Jewry relations.
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EVENING LECTURE
LADYPARTS
With Deborah Copaken
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 | Speaker - 7:00 pm
Ladyparts is her irreverent
inventory of both the female
body and the body politic of
womanhood in America, the
story of one woman brought
to her knees by the one-twotwelve
punch of divorce,
solo motherhood, healthcare
Frogger, unaffordable
childcare, shady landlords,
her father’s death, college
tuitions, sexual harassment,
corporate indifference,
ageism, sexism, and plain old
bad luck. Plus seven serious
illnesses, one atop the other,
which provide the book’s
narrative skeleton: vagina,
uterus, breast, heart, cervix, brain, and lungs. She bounces back
from each bum body part, finds workarounds for every setback—
she transforms her home into a commune to pay rent; sells her
soul for health insurance; turns FBI informant when her sexual
harasser is nominated to the White House—but in her slippery
struggle to survive a steep plunge off the middle-class ladder, she
is suddenly awoken to what it means to have no safety net.
Co-sponsored with Sisterhood TBI and Adult Education
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SPECIAL EVENTS AT TBI
AMERICAN BABY
Gabrielle Dalia Glaser
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | Speaker - 7:00 pm
During the Baby Boom in
1960s America, women were
encouraged to stay home and
raise large families, but sex
and childbirth were taboo
subjects. Premarital sex was
common, but birth control
was hard to get and abortion
was illegal. In 1961, sixteenyear-old
Margaret Erle fell in
love and became pregnant.
Her enraged family sent
her to a maternity home,
and after she gave birth,
she wasn’t even allowed
her to hold her own son.
Social workers threatened
her with jail until she signed
away her parental rights. Her son vanished, his whereabouts
and new identity known only to an adoption agency that would
never share the slightest detail about his fate. Gabrielle Glaser
dramatically demonstrates the power of the expectations and
institutions that Margaret faced. Margaret went on to marry and
raise a large family with David’s father, but she never stopped
longing for and worrying about her firstborn. She didn’t know he
spent the first years of his life living just a few blocks away from
her; as he grew, he wondered about where he came from and
why he was given up. Their tale--one they share with millions of
Americans--is one of loss, love, and the search for identity.
Co-sponsored with Adult Education and JCFS Chicago
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SAVE THE DATES
CONGREGATIONAL RETREAT
January 28-30, 2022