- (207) 879 - 0028
- admin@bethaam.org
- 81 Westbrook Street South Portland, ME 04106
Adult Learning
Leadership Training Workshop
On Sunday, October 26, from 9:30-11:30, Bet Ha’am is offering a wonderful leadership training session with Professor Dan Jenkins and Rabbi Saks. As our congregation enters its 40th year, we are looking for a new generation of leaders to complement the expertise of our long-standing volunteers, past board members and educators. This two-hour interactive workshop is designed for Bet Ha’am board members and emerging leaders (and that is anyone in our religious community) to deepen their understanding of leadership as a sacred process of sustaining the congregation. Through text study, discussion, and small-group activities, participants will explore how their personal values align with Bet Ha’am’s mission and vision, examine models of leadership and followership, and reflect on the unique role of volunteerism in congregational life. The session emphasizes reciprocity, empowerment, and covenantal responsibility, equipping participants with practical tools and inspiration to contribute meaningfully to Bet Ha’am’s future.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Define and apply key concepts of sacred leadership and sacred partnerships within the context of Bet Ha’am.
- Explore personal values and align them with Bet Ha’am’s mission, vision, and needs.
- Recognize the importance of volunteerism and describe strategies for empowering and sustaining volunteers.
- Differentiate levels of follower engagement and consider what sacred followership looks like in their community.
- Identify practical next steps for their own leadership journey and commitment to Bet Ha’am.
Read more about Professor Jenkins below and on his LinkedIn profile:
Dan Jenkins, Ph.D., is Professor of Leadership & Organizational Studies at the University of Southern Maine. Co-author of The Role of Leadership Educators: Transforming Learning and author of over 75 peer-reviewed publications, his scholarship spans leadership pedagogy, artificial intelligence (AI), followership, critical thinking, and curriculum design. A pioneer in integrating AI into development, training, and education, he develops innovative courses preparing students for digital-age leadership challenges. Dan serves as Co-Founder of the International Leadership Association’s Leadership Education Academy, Associate Editor of the Journal of Leadership Studies, and co-host of The Leadership Educator and Leaders in the Loop podcasts. An award-winning international speaker and facilitator, he engages thousands of leadership educators, scholars, students, and professionals worldwide on innovative teaching approaches and AI integration.
Judaism and Violence
The relationship between religion and violence is a difficult subject, but exploring it leads to insights about what religion is and how it has changed over time. Ancient Israel engaged in a great deal of violence against its neighbors. By the Middle Ages though, Jews were exploring the meaning of martyrdom. We will discuss whether martyrdom is also a form of violence. The course concludes by discussing whether some of modern Israel’s actions constitute Jewish violence. When does Judaism, or any other religion, condone violence?
This class was taught by Robert Morrison, a Bet Ha’am member since 2010, and George Lincoln Skolfield Jr. Professor of Religion at Bowdoin College. A specialist in Islam, Robert also teaches courses on Judaism and on theoretical approaches to religion. His current project is a study of Jewish scholarly intermediaries between the Ottoman Empire and the Vèneto during the Renaissance.
Torah Study
Join us each Saturday morning at 9:00 AM on Zoom to study the weekly Torah portion. Led by Rabbi Saks, this lively group engages in conversation that help us understand the relevance of the ancient words and stories in our 21st century lives. In 5781, we are using The Mussar Torah Commentary to guide our study. You may buy a copy here or here (be sure to choose Bet Ha’am’s Smile account) or from your local book seller. Scholarships are available–please email Karen Hindall in the office. You should also feel free to join Torah Study if you don’t have a copy–we’ll be reading passages aloud. Everyone is welcome.
Online Learning
In addition to in-person classes offered at Congregation Bet Ha’am, we are also pleased to recommend online learning opportunities from Rabbi Saks’s colleague and friend Rabbi Neal Gold.
Scholar-In-Residence Program
Bet Ha’am is fortunate to enjoy an annual weekend of study with a visiting scholar, made possible through the generosity of the Rosalyne S. and Sumner T. Bernstein Memorial Scholar-In-Residence Fund.
Last year, we welcomed Marc Dollinger, PhD, Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair of Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University and author of Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s. He explored social and racial justice with us.
Past scholars have included Dr. Nehemia Polen, Dr. Mark Washofsky, Rachael Freed, Rabbi Wayne Dosick, Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy, Rabbi Robert M. Seltzer, Rabbi William Cutler, Rabbi Wendy I. Zierler, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, Rabbi Arthur Green, and Rabbi Abi Taylor-Abt.