Adult Programs

At Congregation Shearith Israel, we offer a multitude of adult learning opportunities. From Talmud study, holiday workshops, cooking classes—even genealogy! We believe in the utmost importance of continuing to educate ourselves. Let us help YOU find something that inspires you to learn! At our core, we are a community of lifelong learners committed to offering ongoing opportunities for study—no matter what your background, skill, or area of interest.

Current and upcoming Adult Education programs include:

dreams of our elders + pre-high holiday learning: wednesdays, August 27th, september 3rd, 9th & 17th @ 7:30 pm 

Rabbi Kaiman leads a series of Wednesday evening classes in advance of the High Holidays. The sessions will touch on the themes and music of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. 

The August 27th session, titled "Dreams of Our Elders", will feature Erin Chernow and family screening a short documentary film on their longstanding practice of the Kever Avot tradition followed by a Q&A.

Register for Dreams of Our Elders

Register for Rabbi Kaiman's Pre-High Holiday Learning

scholar-in-residence: dr. louis newman - saturday, september 13th 

We are pleased to welcome renowned scholar of Jewish ethics, Louis Newman, as a Scholar-in-Residence. Dr. Newman will offer a d'var Torah during Shabbat morning services and lead a post-kiddush study session. The title of the d'var Torah is Soul Reckoning: "Are You Prepared for the New Year?" and the post-kiddush session will be on the topic "The Audacity of Honesty, Humility and Hope".

Learn more & Register Here

emory@shearith with dr. patrick allitt: wednesdays, october 22nd, 29th, november 5th & 12th, 7:30 pm

Don't miss the return of our Emory@Shearith series, featuring a 4-part series of lectures by Dr. Patrick Allitt, Cahoon Family Professor of American History at Emory. 

The title of the series is The History of American Foreign Policy in the Twentieth Century, and he will focus on the following topics

1. Theodore Roosevelt and the idea of an American colonial empire.
2. How the United States Became Involved in World War I.
3. World War II and the End of Isolationism.
4. The Cold War, and Why the US won it Without a Nuclear War.

Register Here

Synagogue Scholar & Author Series: wednesdays, november 19th, december 10th & february 11th, 7:30 pm

Each year, we offer our popular Synagogue Scholar & Author Series of congregant-led presentations on a range of topics of expertise. This year's speakers include Josh Levs (November 19th), Baruch Stiftel (December 10th), and Sara Fridovich-Keil and Chiu (Frank) Chih-Yuan (February 12th). Stay tuned for the topics of their talks and additional dates in the spring. 

Some of our past presentations have included: 

• Medical Innovation in Start-Up Nation: Lessons for Any Professional Community Hungering for New Ideas
• Everything you always wanted to know about the violin: its history, construction, performance techniques, and why it's so freakin' hard to play it!
• Must I be Complicit in Your Sin? A Human Rights Look at the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby and Masterpiece Cakeshop Decisions

Small group learning: mussar, iyyun & jewish citizenship  

CSI's Natalie Kirsh, Rabbi Ilan Schwartz, and Emily Kaiman will lead small groups during the 2025 - 2026 year in studying Mussar (a virtues-based approach to Jewish ethics and character development; led by Natalie Kirsh), Iyyun (a Jewish spiritual practice through teachings and wisdom; led by Rabbi Ilan Schwartz), and Jewish Citizenship ("Living Jewishly in a Democracy: Exploring Our Roles and Responsibilities as Jewish Citizens"; with Emily Kaiman).

Fill out the interest form below if you'd like to participate!

Small Group Learning Interest Form