Adult Education

This is an exciting year for Adult Education at Temple Concord with new and exciting offerings.  Temple Concord offers a variety of opportunities for adults to enhance their knowledge of Judaism, including weekly Torah and Talmud study, Hebrew, Art and more.  Regardless of where you are on your journey of learning, Temple Concord has something for you. 

Tuesday Talmud: Rabbi Fellman resumes his lunchtime Tuesday Talmud sessions with weekly sessions October through May (no class Oct 13-29). No prior knowledge of Talmud is necessary and the class is taught in English. Bring a lunch and an opinion and join us for stimulating conversation, plenty of learning, and more than a bit of laughter.

Torah Study: Every Saturday at 9:00am study begins with readings of various Jewish texts followed by discussion of the weekly Torah portion at 10:00am.

American Jewish Communities

Sundays 11:00am-noon 

Join Rabbi Fellman on Sunday mornings to learn all about Jewish communities around the country from the East to the West and from the North to the South.  Three trips are planned as part of this class.

• New York
• Philadelphia
• The Jewish South

The Last Night of Ballyhoo 

Saturday, April 5, 7:00pm

In a “Reader’s Theater style Temple Concord’s Not Quite Ready for Prime Time Players will present “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” which takes place in Atlanta, Georgia in December, 1939.  “Gone With The Wind” is having its world premiere and Hitler is invading Poland, but Atlanta’s elitist German Jews are much more concerned with Ballyhoo, the social event of the season, a week-long festival where all the Jews in the South get together for fun and games, culminating in a big dance at an exclusive country club.  Included in the plot is the conflict between "the non-practicing Jews of 1939 Atlanta and the Jews who actually live their religion. They're known contemptuously as "the other kind" of Jews, the ones foolish enough to be orthodox when the hip thing to do is act like a Christian. 

Adult Hebrew

This year we are offering adult Hebrew jointly with Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra-Shas.  Please note location of each class.

Beginning Hebrew (Hebrew 1)

Taught at CBS-CS, Mondays 7:00-8:00pm

Sep 16-Dec 16 (No class Oct 14, Nov 11)

$40 plus book (LaShon HaKodesh can be purchased through Amazon)

Register with CBS-CS either by phone 446-9570 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This class needs a minimum registration, please register ASAP

Do you want to learn Hebrew?  The class is geared to complete beginners, focusing on learning the sounds, the letters, learning to put them together, basic vocabulary, and introducing shoreshim.  The emphasis of the vocabulary is towards prayerbook Hebrew; the main thrust is acquiring basic reading skills. 

Prayerbook Hebrew Part 1 (Hebrew 2)

Taught at CBS-CS on Tuesdays 7:00-8:00pm

Sep 17-Dec 17 (No class Oct 29)

$40 plus book (Aleph isn’t Tough can be purchased through Amazon)

Register with CBS-CS either by phone 446-9570 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This class needs a minimum registration, please register ASAP

Modern Hebrew

Taught at Temple Concord

Dates and times to be determined.  Cost $40.

Contact Stephanie Marshall at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 475-9952 to register

Thinking about a trip to Israel? Do you want to understand some basic Hebrew phrases?  This class will open the doors to conversational Hebrew.  You will learn words to help you get around Israel, greetings, sentence structure and vocabulary words.  

Minimum of 5 students is required for this class.  

Beyond Bagels 

Taught by Rabbi Fellman

Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm Jan 7, 28 and Feb 4 and 18

Contact the Temple office to register 

Would you like to understand more about Judaism than bagels and stereo types? Join Rabbi Fellman to discover the beauty of Judaism and to have some of your questions answered.  

Living with Grieving… Education for personal enrichment

Tuesdays, Oct 1, Oct 15, Oct 29 and Nov 19, 7:00-9:00

Taught by the Palliative Care Teaching Group.  

The series explores how our family experiences and our cultural context influence our grieving process.  Participants will also take a step back from their notions of religion and examine spirituality as an integral part of our personal views on living from now to our final days.  This experiential learning program will assist participants sort through these issues in a group setting using a variety of talks, exercises and videos.

• Session I Understanding Family & Culture
• Session II Spirituality in a Holistic Care
• Session III Grief and Bereavement in Children
• Session IV Grief and Bereavement in Adults

Mahjong Sundays, 10:00-11:30am  Oct 27, November 3 and November 10.

It may have originated in China but is certainly played in Jewish circles. Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and calculation and involves a certain degree of chance. Come learn the basics so you can enjoy this wonderful pastime played by so many.  Each player will need to purchase a card which can be bought at the JCC for $7 or online at  http://www.nationalmahjonggleague.org/

Homosexuality and Judaism Tuesday, March 4, 7:00-8:30

Taught by Maria Carson- a Graduate Student in Jewish Studies

This session will focus on differing contemporary Jewish approaches to homosexuality. Legal (halakhic) and ethical arguments either permitting or not permitting homosexuality in varying movements of Judaism will be discussed, with particular emphasis on the Reform movement’s open and accepting position.

Judaism and Gender Tuesday, March 18, 7:00-8:30

Maria Carson

This session will focus on contemporary attitudes about gender and Judaism, including egalitarian and non-egalitarian positions. Two examples of Jewish feminists, one an egalitarian liberal Jew (Judith Plaskow) the other a non-egalitarian Modern Orthodox Jew (Blu Greenberg) and their approach  to feminism, egalitarianism and gender roles, will be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the Reform movement’s understanding of gender within the Jewish tradition.

Jewish Peoplehood Tuesday, April 1, 7:00-8:30pm

Maria Carson

This discussion will focus on the relationships of understanding Judaism as a religion and Judaism as a cultural identity of a particular people. Special attention will be paid to early Reformer Abraham Geiger’s articulation of Judaism as a liberal religion, and Mordecai Kaplan’s understanding of Judaism as primarily a civilization with particular cultural rites and norms. 

Parenting Resources

Temple Concord, Syracuse Hebrew Day School and the JCC have put together a parenting resource center and workshop series.  The funds for this come from a grant received from the Jewish Federation of Central New York.  Books, articles, periodicals, and websites will be available in the Parent Resource Room in room 14 of the day school.  Each month some of the resources will be brought to Temple Concord.  Resources can also be acquired through request and they will be made available for pick up.  In addition to the resource room 5 parenting workshops will be offered through the year.  These workshops will be run by experts in the area.        

Is Your Child Stressed Out? Over Scheduling and the Effect it Has     Wednesday, Oct 16 7:00pm  @the JCC

The Different Faces of Special Needs- Navigating the Special Education System at Every Age

Thursday, Dec 12 7:00pm @ the JCC

Advocating For Your Child- What You Need to Know if Your Child Qualifies For Services

Wednesday, Feb 12 7:00pm @ the JCC

Social Media and Internet Safety-What Every Parent Needs to Know

Sunday, April 6 10:00am @ Temple Concord

Changes in Your Family Dynamic and How it Affects Your Child

Thursday, June 12, 7:00pm @the JCC