IN-PERSON: 700 Benches Beit Midrash: Rabbinic Reparations?
Spring 2023

Title: 700 Benches Beit Midrash: Rabbinic Reparations?
Taught by: Rabbi SAM Luckey and Rabbi Dev Noily
Fairy: Natalie Boskin (A ‘Fairy’ is an assistant / helper)

Join Rabbi Dev and Rabbi SAM for this IN-PERSON four (4) week session for this beit midrash (‘study house’), you will learn ancient Jewish texts in their original language, explore Talmud study as a spiritual practice, and co-create a supportive, queer-normative community of study.  How can we repair harm? What if our communal infrastructure is built with stolen material? We will wrestle with these questions with the rabbis of the Talmud, in conversation with the Black Lives Matter platform, the vision of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, and each other.

Prerequisite:  You need to know the Hebrew Alef Bet letters and vowels and be able to sound out Hebrew words. There will be an optional one time Alef Bet Booster class on Sunday, April 30th from 7:45 to 8:45 pm online for additional review (note: this is review only, not teaching the Alef Bet).

Time: Weekly Monday evening from 6:30-9:15pm 

Dates:

• May 1
• May 8
• May 15
• May 22

Beit Midrash Orientation:* Monday May 1 from 5:30 – 6:30pm

*The Beit Midrash Orientation is required for people who haven’t learned before with 700 Benches, SVARA, or another SVARA-style Beit Midrash before. Returning students are welcome at the Orientation session, but are not required to attend.

REGISTER HERE

Registration deadline: by 5:30 pm on Monday, May 1.
NOTE: Capacity is limited to 30 students. If we reach capacity, you will be notified and put on a wait list. 

Class Materials: We recommend having a Jastrow dictionary with you. If you don’t have one, you can use the online Jastrow dictionary. We will not be needing a Frank dictionary. 

Location: IN-PERSON at Kehilla (1300 Grand Ave. Piedmont, CA)

Cost:** (includes a masechta (a tractate of Talmud) to keep)

• Members: $150 for series 
• Non-members: $175 for series 

**The cost reflects the cost for operating the class including all materials, paying teachers and fairies, and snacks. No one turned away for lack of ability to pay; please pay what you can at registration or $0.

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ: The full Kehilla COVID Public Health Protocols here (updated December 1).

Effective December 1 – This new protocol is designed to decrease the possibility that the COVID, Flu or RSV virus spread at Kehilla.

1. Anyone experiencing ANY symptoms of potentially contagious illness should remain at home and access Kehilla events virtually, regardless of vaccination status or even if you have received a negative COVID test result.
2. Everyone attending a program, event, service or meeting held at Kehilla must stay current on all COVID vaccines and boosters, though we will no longer ask for proof upon entry. We encourage everyone to take a rapid antigen test before coming to Kehilla.
3. All in-person attendees are expected to be masked indoors when not eating: N95, KN95, KF94 or comparable mask required.

In keeping with our health and safety protocols, Kehilla will provide maximum air filtration and ventilation. Doors and windows will be opened whenever possible and we recommend that you bring layers (it may be cold in the building).

All events at Kehilla are scent-free. Click here for information about what it means to be scent-free.