Young Leadership Beit Midrash
Halachot of NYC
Assistant Rabbi Yehuda Goldberg
Monday Nights I 7:30PM
Beit Midrash
This series will address common halachic questions that arise in city life, particularly in apartment living. Topics will include issues related to Shabbat, kashrut, and other areas of daily practice, as well as halachic considerations unique to living with roommates. The classes will emphasize practical applications and real-life scenarios.
The Long Tale of Ashkenaz
Rabbi Yosie Levine
Tuesdays I 7:30PM (January 13 - February 24)
Beit Midrash
Ever wonder why we don't eat kitniyot on Pesach? Why we wear a kittel on Yom Kippur? Why we use the siddur we use? Join Rabbi Levine for a brisk jaunt through Early Modern Ashkenazic history with a special emphasis on the rabbis who shaped their 17th and 18th century communities.
Women of the Bible: The Midrashic Wilderness
Rabbi Yosie Levine
Wednesdays I 11:00AM
Zoom
Join Rabbi Levine each week for a journey through the weekly Parshah. Using Midrashic literature as a guide, this course will keep one eye trained on seeing the meaning(s) beneath the Biblical text itself. Literalists beware!
Malachi: Encounters with the Final Prophet
Assistant Rabbi Yehuda Goldberg
Wednesdays in February I 7:30PM
First Class: February 4, 2026
Zoom
This three-part series will examine the book of Malachi, the final prophet in Tanakh. Through close textual reading, we will study the entire book, with attention to its language, structure, and major themes. Particular focus will be given to Malachi’s role as the final prophet and to the significance of the “end of prophecy.” The classes will also consider the book’s enduring messages and their relevance for contemporary Jewish life.
Talmud Chaburah
With Community Educator Neti Penstein
Wednesdays I 7:30PM
Beit Midrash
Join us for a Talmud Chaburah led by Community Educator Neti Penstein. Each session will begin with group learning, followed by a seminar-style shiur that will explore the sugyot of Masechet Berachot in depth.
Drinking Coffee with Rashi
Rabbi Yosie Levine
Shabbats I 8:30AM
First Floor Classroom
Join Rabbi Yosie Levine for a freewheeling discussion of the weekly parsha with a special focus on the world's most important Torah commentary.
Post-Minchah Series: Medicine, Metaphysics, and Magic
Assistant Rabbi Yehudah Goldberg
Shabbat I Main Sanctuary
This series explores a lesser-known area of Jewish law: rabbinic safeguards against danger rooted in ancient views of medicine and cosmology. More than historical curiosities, these teachings open a window into a deeper question: how Chazal's way of seeing the world converges and clashes with our own.
Part I: Seasonal Waters and Seasonal Dangers
Part II: Winter Slaughter and Rabbinic Physiology
Part III: Uncovered Water and the Dangerous World
Part V: Fish, Meat and Medicine
Part IV: The Perils of Pairs
Part VI: Demons After Disenchantment
Shabbat Mevarchim Class with Jewish Center Clergy
We’re excited to introduce our new Monthly Mevarchim Series! Each session will explore a rich tapestry of sources—including Torah and rabbinic texts, traditional and modern commentaries, and insights from literature, philosophy, and academic scholarship. Join us for learning, discussion, and an accompanying kiddush each month.
YEAR ROUND LEARNING
Daf Yomi with Israel Friedman*
Rotating JCU Faculty
8:00AM (Sundays 7:45AM)
Women’s Tehillim on Zoom
Monday's at 7:00PM
Nosh & Drash
Rabbanit Adena Berkowitz
Tuesdays 10:45AM
Join us on Zoom for a nourishing lunchtime learning session with Rabbanit Adena Berkowitz. Grab a bite and feed your soul as we explore timeless Torah insights for modern life.
Psyched for Torah*
Dr. Nava R. Silton
Sundays 8:00PM
Participants will have an opportunity to delve into Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman’s Psyched for Torah book and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks’ Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas Text. This dynamic program, which blends weekly Parsha Study with Modern Psychological Theories and Insights for adults 18 + up! Perfect for both seasoned scholars and curious newcomers!
Jewish Center University
Throughout its rich history, The Jewish Center has prided itself on its advanced educational initiatives, offering engaging and relevant courses on a wide variety of Jewish topics. By opening multiple portals of entry into the world of study, our goal is to make the study of Torah and the pursuit of wisdom accessible to our members and the broader Jewish community. To that end, our mission is threefold:
TO CHALLENGE our members and participants to push beyond their comfort zones of Jewish knowledge by confronting modernity and exploring the profundities of difficult life issues.
TO EMPOWER our members and participants by engaging them in an ongoing conversation with the texts that form the backbone of our rich tradition.
TO INSPIRE our members and participants to deepen their commitment to study by making it part of their daily and weekly routines.
Borrowing from the University model, JCU recasts our highly successful educational program into a more tightly-organized structure. By broadening and varying our course offerings, attendees are able to find classes best suited to their individual preferences and schedules.
JCU helps expand the orbit of our current network of attendees. While JC members enjoy the benefits of preferential registration, JCU is also accessible to members of the broader New York Jewish community. As such, JCU helps The Jewish Center achieve its mission of being the spiritual, intellectual and social center for each of our members as well as a Center for Jewish Life and Learning that is welcoming to all.
Missed a class? All recordings can be found on our YouTube Channel.