Adult Learning

Etz Hayim Synagogue’s Continuing Education Program

2024-2025 Calendar 5785

Programs are held in person usually on the Second Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM

All programs are held at Etz Hayim Synagogue, 1 ½ Hood Road, Derry, NH 03038.

There is no charge, but donations are encouraged to allow us to continue with these and other programs. The presentation is part of Etz Hayim Synagogue’s Adult Continuing Education Program, Hot Topics and Cool Contemporary Stuff.  Please visit www.etzhayim.org/learn/adult-learning for a complete listing of Hot Topics.  For more information, please contact Stephen Soreff, MD, at soreffs15@aol.com or 603-895-6120. 

Thursday, September 12, 2024, 7:00 PM  

Innovations in Israeli Education, Dr. Ronna HasBrouck

Dr. Ronna HasBrouck is the SAU 107’s Superintendent. In March 2023, she was part of the delegation of the American Association of School Administrators, (AASA) – American-Israel Friendship League (AIFL) trip.  Among others, she met with the Mayors of Bethlehem and Tel Aviv. She will share some of the unique facets of Israeli education.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 6:00 PM

Dangerous Situations Awareness Course in Houses of Worship, Captain Vernon Thomas

Dangerous Situations can happen anywhere - Walmart, Post Office, and sadly, Houses of Worship. Captain Vernon Thomas of the Derry Police Department will talk about creating environmental awareness and helpful tips” for managing emergencies in public areas and buildings including houses of worship.

Thursday, November 14, 2024, 7:00 PM

The Jewish Wedding, Rabbi Robert Lefkowitz 

What has G-d been doing since He finished making the world? He has been matching couples.  In Judaism, marriage has always been considered a sacred institution. It has been viewed as a holy covenant.

Thursday, December 12, 2024, 7:00 PM 

Your Diet and Your Health, David Riese 

David Riese is an Aerospace Engineer with a keen interest in how diet and lifestyle affect health. After seeing Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s “Eat to Live” program on PBS ten years ago, he read the book and started following the program. He immediately experienced weight loss and improved energy and vitality and has been following the plant-based lifestyle ever since. Mr. Riese will share his experiences and suggest the best resources and tips to get started on this wonderful, health-promoting lifestyle.

Thursday, January 9, 2025, 7:00 PM

Beyond AI: Thriving in the New Era, Wayne Kurtzman 

The online world and offline world will become more engaging, more visual and more interesting. Artificial Intelligence is just one part of the changes. Learn what is gradually (and rapidly) changing and how to thrive as we move from the industrial era to the new digital economy.

Thursday, February 20, 2025, 7:00 PM 

The Wars for Israel, 1948-1973, Robert Crawford

The Wars for Israel, 1948-1973 will be presented by Robert Crawford on. Sadly, the existence of Israel is a controversial subject for some people. It is helpful to know the facts about Israel’s history. The Wars for Israel, 1948-1973 looks at three wars—the 1948 War for Independence, the 1967 Six-Day War, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War—that shaped the Israel we know today.  Robert Crawford is the author of Call Retreat: The Johnson Administration’s Vietnam Policy 1967-68. He has published two books of poetry, The Empty Chair (2011, Richard Wilbur Award), and Too Much Explanation Can Ruin a Man (2005). He received an MFA in National Security Policy Studies from George Washington University and worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff Exercise Support Program.

Thursday, March 13, 2025, 7:00 PM

How to Pray with Your Whole Body, Arielle Welch

Join us for How to Pray with Your Whole Body, an experiential program led by Arielle Welch, owner and lead instructor of Nahar Yoga, and Hebrew School teacher at Etz Hayim. Explore alternative ways to connect with G-d beyond traditional prayer, including meditation, movement, and connecting with nature. Through guided meditation, breathwork, and simple yoga postures, we will cultivate a deeper, embodied sense of spiritual connection. Participants will also have the opportunity to share personal experiences of connecting with the Divine in everyday life. 

Thursday, April 10, 2025, 7:00 PM

The Camera as Weapon: Deconstructing Nazi Images, Tom White

Photojournalism, not just print journalism, became a respected arbiter of “fact” with the liberation of the camps. Do photos still have the same impact and what are potential pitfalls in using them? Photographs do not merely capture or illustrate the historical past, they interpret it. How do we construct and deconstruct narratives? A potential pitfall in teaching about the Holocaust is using Holocaust imagery without ever teaching students how to evaluate and decode those images. Nazi photographers were designated as “weapons” of the Nazi effort, and their images continue to have power to shape the narrative in ways that serve the perpetrator.

Thursday, May 8, 2025, 7:00 PM

The "Magic of Bedrock Gardens, Peggy Tucker

The "Magic" of Bedrock Gardens will be presented by Peggy Tucker.  Come on a virtual tour of one of New England's premier Public Gardens, led by one of its dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, Peggy Tucker, also known as "The Fairy Godmother" of Bedrock Gardens. If you have been to the Gardens, she would love to hear about your experiences there, and if you have never been, you will most certainly want to visit when it opens for the 2025 season on May 14th. 

Thursday, June 12, 2025, 7:00 PM

This is Wonder in Storytelling, Leslie Kirshman

The title captures the beauty in and of storytelling. Storytelling has been one of the most essential forms of communication throughout the ages. Leslie Kirshman has devoted a lifetime to perfecting her skill as a storyteller, beginning with her career as a preschool teacher and later a preschool principal.  For the last five years, Leslie has also been the “narrator” for a Londonderry theatrical group, Off Our Rockers.  She will share her techniques of expressing herself in storytelling with youngsters. Storytelling is a great way to present history. Join us for a talk with the “Book Bubbe.”