Summer Study Series 2025

Jewish History, The Diaspora
7 Monday-night sessions • June 23 – August 11 • 7:30 PM sharp
 In person at Chabad Mercer Island or live on Zoom

Why jump in?
Because Jewish history didn’t freeze when the Temple fell–it spread, adapted, and kept the Am Yisrael Chai ("the Jewish people lives!"). In just 55 upbeat minutes each week, you’ll:

• Travel 2,000 years in seven stops, from Babylonian academies to Sephardic poetry to Ashkenazic shtetls.
• See how exile shaped today’s Jewish world—and Mercer Island’s.
• Leave with stories you can share at your Shabbat table (or your next coffee chat).

June 23
A People on the Move: Birth of the Diaspora
Why exile happened–and why we didn’t disappear.

June 30
Babylonia: Torah in Exile
Talmud, yeshivot, and the first "portable Judaism."

July 7
Greco-Roman Era: Clash & Creativity
Ideas collided, faith ignited, and history took a turn.

July 14
Golden Age & Beyond: Sephardic Jewry
Spain, North Africa, poetry, science, Halacha.

July 21
From the Rhine to the Shtetl: Ashkenazic Jewry
Tosafists, Yiddish culture, and new avenues of faith.

July 28
Persecution & Perseverance
Crusades, expulsions, pogroms—and relentless hope.

August 11
Threads Re-woven: Lessons for Today
What 25 centuries of wandering teach Mercer Island in 2025.

(No class August 4—catch your breath!)

The Nuts & Bolts

• Time: Mondays, 7:30 – 8:25 PM
• Place: Chabad Mercer Island, 9311 SE 36th St #100 — or Zoom link after RSVP
• Cost: Free — Sponsorship Opportunities
• Audience: Absolute beginners, history buffs, teens, busy parents—all welcome