Programs & Events

Upcoming CLC Programs & Events

Sisterhood Torah Fund Book Club
Rachel Kamin, Director of Lifelong Learning, leads lively, in-person book discussions after Shabbat Kiddush on Saturdays. New participants are always welcome! Click here for more information including the complete 2023-2024 calendar.

VERSCHLEPPT: The Carrying Off of Markus and Anna Mattes
Sunday, May 5, 2024, 6:00 pm
Told mostly in the written words of Markus and Anna Mattes, grandparents of Beth El member Stephen Nitekman who were murdered by the Nazis, this special multi-media, musical presentation will include slides of the family’s letters, photographs, and documents as well as music from the Shoah performed by Debbi Nitekman Kohl on piano and Daniel Katz, of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on cello. Mincha, Ma’ariv, and our Yom Hashoah memorial service will follow at 7:30 pm.

The exhibit, Witness to the Holocaust: The Mattes Family Letters, shares the story of Markus and Anna Mattes and will be on display in our Rissman Kol Ami Museum through June. It was originally on display at the German American Heritage Center & Museum in Davenport, Iowa. A reception will be held in our museum gallery after the Yom Hashoah service.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Saturday, June 1, 12:30 pm (after Shabbat Kiddush)
Embarking on a legendary collaboration launching them to stardom, two friends since childhood have the world at their feet until they discover that their success, brilliance and money won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of the heart. New participants welcome!

The Sisterhood Torah Fund Book Club is open to ALL STUDENTS. You do not need to be a member of Sisterhood to participate. Participants are encouraged to make a minimum annual donation of $54 to attend. The Sisterhood of NSS Beth El has a long history of supporting the Conservative/Masorti Movement’s Torah Fund through the sponsorship of an impressive array of annual classes, led by our clergy and talented staff and volunteers. Go to www.nssbethel.org/community/sisterhood/torah-fund/ for more information on how to make your donation.

Writer’s Beit Midrash
Wednesdays, 9:30am, May 8 & 22 and June 5 & 19, 2024
All fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, and essay writers (published or not yet published) are welcome for discussions, exercises, camaraderie, and critique every other Wednesday morning in the Abbell Library. Contact Rachel Kamin for more information and to be added to the mailing list.

Looking for a book recommendation? Contact Rachel Kamin and/or Marcie Eskin – we are happy to recommend a good ebook that you can download from your local public library, an audio-book that you can listen to, or a print book that you can order online. Jewish or secular, fiction or non-fiction, for children or adults . . . we’re happy to help you satisfy your literary appetite! And if you would like to borrow a book from the Beth El library, just contact Rachel or Marcie and we will arrange a safe way to deliver it to you.