Adult education
Learning for grown ups, starting wherever you are
A four week course in August, a book discussion every other month, a watercolor class on a Monday evening, and a conversation with Jewish communities around the world. Nearly all of it is free, and none of it assumes you already know anything.
The short version
Open to the community, and mostly free
You do not need to be a member, you do not need a Jewish background, and for most of what is below you do not need to pay. Dates are on the calendar.
Courses
Three things that come round every year
These run on an annual rhythm, so if you miss one it will be back.
Basic Judaism
Four weeks each August, Wednesday evenings
Designed for adults who want to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of Jewish history, beliefs and practices. It is an ideal course for everyone at HCRJ and a genuinely useful overview for newcomers to the faith. Each week addresses an independent topic, so you can pick and choose the weeks that interest you rather than committing to the set. Past topics include God, Torah and Israel, the foundations of a faith; the evolution of values and laws; Jewish prayer and ritual practice; and a High Holy Day workshop.
Marriage and Merlot
Every February, for engaged and newly married couples
Wine and cheese set the tone while Rabbi Gross and his wife Beckye facilitate a series of discussions built to help couples explore intimacy, communication and finances in a safe and non threatening setting. It is one of the warmest things on the HCRJ calendar and it books up.
Book discussions
Every other month, and the author usually comes
HCRJ members and the wider community gather to discuss a book, and more often than not the author attends and leads the conversation. Past guests have included novelists, historians and a professor of law from the University of Houston. Copies are usually available from the temple office.
Series and conversations
Jews around the World
Since June 2020 we have been bringing Jewish communities from around the world to HCRJ on Zoom, and opening it to anyone who wants to listen. Each session is a conversation with a rabbi, a historian or a community leader about what Jewish life actually looks like where they are.
Past sessions have visited Latvia, Luxembourg, Iceland, Denmark, Jamaica, the Amazon, and Saint John in New Brunswick, Canada. Recordings of past presentations are available, and new sessions are announced on the calendar.
Creative and wellbeing
Learning that is not only about texts
Both of these run weekly, both are open to the community, and both are underwritten so that they cost nothing to attend.
Watercolor classes
Free, and no experience necessary
Become an artist at HCRJ, in classes taught by Noelle Shawa. Materials are provided, beginners are the point rather than a problem, and the class is free and open to the community. Two sittings run each week: Monday evenings for adults of all ages, and Wednesday afternoons for seniors aged sixty and over.
Yoga
Strength, stamina, balance and flexibility
Taught by Suzy Shapiro, a certified yoga instructor. The class works on strength and stamina, balance and flexibility, and a general sense of wellbeing, with the aim of quieting the mind and shaking off fatigue. A chair based version runs for anyone who wants it, so the class stays open to every level of mobility.
Senior Chai
Much of what is above is part of Senior Chai, our program of social, educational and recreational activities for people aged sixty and above. All Senior Chai programming is open to the community, and it is generously underwritten in memory of David and Mozelle Barg and Esther and Robert Shelby.
Learn on your own
Two things you can use at any hour
Recordings
The prayer libraryRecordings of the prayers and blessings of our service, from the Shema and the V’ahavta to the Mourner’s Kaddish, both chanted and read. Written for students preparing for b’nai mitzvah, and just as useful to an adult learning to follow along.
Open the prayer libraryWeekly
Weekly reflectionsRabbi Gross records a short video each week on the Torah portion and what it is asking of us right now. The whole archive is on YouTube as a playlist.
Watch the playlistQuestions
What people ask before they come
Do I have to be a member?
No. Adult learning at HCRJ is open to the community, and a good number of the people in these rooms are not members. If you decide to join later, that is a separate conversation.
Do I need a Jewish background?
No, and Basic Judaism in particular is built for people who do not have one. Nobody will ask you to read Hebrew aloud or assume you know what a piyyut is.
Is there a cost?
Most of these are free. Where a class needs an RSVP or a book, it says so above. Cost should never be the reason you do not come, so ask the office if it is.
How do I find out when things are running?
Everything is on the temple calendar alongside services and community events, which is the single source of truth. Dates that move, move there.
Can I come to just one session?
Yes. Basic Judaism is deliberately built so that each week stands alone, and the book discussions and Jews around the World sessions are one offs by nature.
Who do I ask?
The temple office, at 713 782 4162 or admin@hcrj.org, can point you at the right person for any of these.
Come to one and see.
Pick whichever of these sounds least intimidating and turn up to a single session. That is how almost everyone here started, and nobody will make a fuss of you when you do.