Welcome to Atlanta's Community Beit Midrash!

The Atlanta Chevre Minyan and The Goodman Institute have partnered to create a new Jewish learning experience in Atlanta. Marked by participatory, active learning, all are invited to these monthly sessions which feature instruction and study by diverse group of educators and religious leaders from all denominational backgrounds.

Learn more about who we are, what to expect, and how you can take part.

At the next session

Tuesday, November 3, 7:15 PM
at Ahavath Achim Congregation (600 Peachtree Battle Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30327) | Map.
Please RSVP through the Facebook Event or e-mail Steve Chervin

Topic: Political Activism and Religious Spirituality

Instructors: Neil Sandler (Rabbi - Conservative) and Peter S. Berg (Rabbi - Reform)

Texts: Sources from Sandler | Sources from Berg

Sources from previous sessions can be found on the Resources page.

About the instructors:

Rabbi Neil Sandler		Rabbi Peter S. Berg
Rabbi Neil Sandler is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota where his family was an active member of the Adath Jeshurun Congregation. His warm experiences in the congregation, especially when he served as a leader in USY, contributed directly to his eventual decision to enter the rabbinate. Rabbi Sandler is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where he majored in Hebrew Language and Literature. His final year of undergraduate study was spent in Jerusalem at The Hebrew University. Thereafter, Rabbi Sandler entered the Jewish Theological Seminary from which he received a Master’s degree and Rabbinic Ordination. Upon his ordination, Rabbi Sandler completed a Master of Science degree in Social Work at Columbia University. In his more than twenty years of service to the Jewish community Rabbi Sandler has served congregations in Richardson, Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, Des Moines, Iowa and Marlboro, New Jersey. He gained his greatest contentment in the rabbinate from the sacred moments he has shared with his congregants in their times of joy and sorrow. Rabbi Sandler has also been actively involved in Camp Ramah, the camp of the Conservative Movement. For many years, he and his wife served on the staff of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Rabbi Sandler is married to Susan Hart Sandler, a social worker who has concentrated on Jewish communal service. Neil and Susan are the parents of Ariel, a student at the University of Wisconsin, Aliza and Joshua, both high school students. As a Conservative congregation, Ahavath Achim Synagogue strives to support its members in attaining a meaningful commitment to Jewish life and tradition in the 21st Century. Rabbi Sandler’s desire is to nurture our caring and egalitarian religious community to deepen its commitment to Jewish learning, living, and values.		Rabbi Peter Berg became the fifth Senior Rabbi of The Temple in July of 2008. He is thrilled to serve this diverse and multi-generational congregation as a spiritual leader. Rabbi Berg is passionate about Jewish learning and meaningful worship, and he is an advocate for social change. Prior to coming to The Temple, he served as rabbi of Temple Beth Or in Washington Township, New Jersey and as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas. Additionally, he served Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, New York as a rabbinic intern and at Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia, as its Youth Director. Rabbi Berg worked for three years with the Union for Reform Judaism as a rabbinic intern with the National Director of Program. In this capacity, he helped to develop innovative programs for our Reform movement and to coordinate worship and special programs for several Biennial conventions. Additionally, for three summers, Rabbi Berg served as the Education Director at URJ Camp Harlam in the Poconos. Rabbi Berg recently completed his term as Chair of the national Program Committee for the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Over the years, Rabbi Berg has spent a great deal of time working with advocacy groups on issues such as separation of church and state, the death penalty, civil rights, religious freedom, welfare reform, hate crimes, and the environment. He has served on numerous communal and advisory boards, including: the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Mental Health Association, Dallas for Children, the Westwood Area Clergy Association, The New York Service for the Handicapped, and UJA Federation of Dallas and Northern New Jersey. A native of Ocean Township, New Jersey, Rabbi Berg holds a degree in Education and Human Development, with a focus in human services, counseling, and Judaic Studies, from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He earned his M.A. in Hebrew Literature and his rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and Jerusalem, where he was a Steinhardt Fellow. Rabbi Berg also holds a certificate in Chemical Dependency and Spiritual Counseling and is a trained Disaster, Fire, and Police Chaplain. Rabbi Berg lives in Atlanta with his wife Karen, a teacher and tutor, and their three children.

 

Future dates

Sessions will be held monthly on a Tuesday at 7:15 PM at Ahavath Achim Congregation (Map).

Mark your calendar for upcoming dates:
December 1 | January 5 | February 2 | March 2 | April 13 | May 4 | June 1

To receive notification of future events or the availability of the texts, sign up with the Atlanta Chevre Minyan's Facebook group.